December 5, 1932– Little Richard:
“Gay people are the sweetest, kindest, most artistic, warmest & most thoughtful people in the world. & since the beginning of time all they’ve ever been is kicked.”
Little Richard was born Richard Wayne Penniman in Macon, Georgia, one of a family of 12 kids. His father was a church deacon & a bootlegger & the owner of the popular Tip In Inn nightclub. He gained the name “Lil’ Richard” because of his small, skinny frame. Little Richard began singing in church at a young age. One of his legs was shorter than the other, giving him an unusual way of walking. As a kid he was mocked for his effeminate demeanor. His father brutally beat him for trying on his mother’s dresses & kicked him out of the house when he was 14 years old for fooling around with another boy.
He was inspired by the great Gospel singers of the time, like Mahalia Jackson. His family had forbidden secular music in their house, but Little Richard loved the sounds of popular artists like Cab Calloway who performed “Devil Music.”
Without a home, 14 year old Little Richard joined Dr. Hudson’s Medicine Show, performing his first secular song, the R&B flavored Caldonia. He found work performing in Black Vaudeville houses, gaining quite a reputation as a drag performer. He also began listening to more R&B music & started to get gigs as a solo artist on The Chitlin’ Circuit, where African-American musicians & comedians were able to do their thing with some degree of safety in a racist & segregated USA. He became popular for his high energy song sets & flamboyant hairstyles & costumes.
In 1955, Little Richard sent a 2-song demo to the R&B label, Specialty Records. Specialty liked what they heard & thought that Little Richard might be their answer to the immensely popular Ray Charles. His first record was called Tutti Frutti, a risqué tune that he improvised & recorded in 3 takes.
Tutti Frutti became an instant hit, reaching #2 on the Billboard R&B Charts, & crossed over to the pop charts in both the USA & England. The next single, Long Tall Sally did even better, reaching #1 on the pop charts.
Little Richard belted out the musical blueprint for Elvis Presley, Elton John, The Beatles & The Rolling Stones, while backstage he set the benchmark for bad behavior with a penchant for group sex, angel dust & booze.
Little Richard has been an influential figure in popular music & culture for more than 6 decades, but his most celebrated work remains his recordings from the mid-1950s, when his dynamic music & charismatic more or less started Rock N’ Roll. His music also played an important role in the formation of Funk, Soul & even Hip-Hop. The music he made was the very essence of the R&B era & influenced future generations of artists. His performances & those times making headlines thrust his career right into the crazy mix of 20th century American popular music.
As a singer, songwriter & pianist, he is a giant, helping define Rock N’ Roll with his hits. He is a member of the Rock N’ Roll Hall Of Fame & Songwriter’s Hall Of Fame, plus he’s the winner of a Rhythm & Blues Foundation’s Pioneer Lifetime Achievement Award. His Here’s Little Richard is ranked 50th on Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, & he is ranked number 8 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists Of All Time, & 3 of Little Richard’s recordings: The Girl Can’t Help It, Long Tall Sally & Tutti Frutti are on their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. He received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
There’s no doubt that Little Richard has had all sorts of gay experiences. In 1995, he told Penthouse Magazine that he was gay. If there were any doubt, there is also those 6 decades lived in fabulousness. Little Richard makes Prince seem like Idris Elba.
He has identified himself as “omnisexual” & when he became a born-again Christian, he claimed to be heterosexual… for a short while.
Little Richard was lucky to have a beard with his on again, off again girlfriend since 1956, Audrey Robinson, who had a certain something the boys didn’t: phenomenal tits.
Robinson:
“I was not a fan. I was just walking down West Broad Street, in Savannah. Richard looked out of a car window, & sent for me. I said to the person he sent down: ‘Who wants me? Little Richard? Excuse me? Is he aware that I am a girl?’ I was captivated from the moment I met him. I almost fainted. I felt weak at the knees. I went through all the classic signs of falling in love. With Richard, I have had a lot of firsts.”
During one of his Jesus phases, he was married to a woman for 4 years. Little Richard was present at a series of orgies in the 1950s & 1960s where apparently some straight sex slipped in when he wasn’t paying any attention.
Still, Little Richard inspired a generation of musicians:
Elvis:
“His music has inspired me. He is the greatest.”
Paul McCartney:
“He was my idol. The first song I ever sang in public was Long Tall Sally, at a holiday camp talent competition! I love his voice & I always wanted to sing like him. It was all his fault really.”
Mick Jagger:
“Little Richard is the originator & my first idol. Little Richard is King.”
In his high school yearbook Bob Dylan states his goal was: “To be just like Little Richard.”
David Bowie:
“After hearing Little Richard on record, I bought a saxophone & came into the music business. Little Richard was my inspiration.”
Paul Simon:
“When I was in high school I wanted to be like Little Richard.”
Bob Seeger:
“Little Richard was the first one that really got to me. I always preferred a high energy vocal, a hard full-force vocal. I liked Little Richard better than Elvis.”
Pat Boone:
“No one person has been imitated more than Little Richard.”
Little Richard:
“God talked to me the other night. He said he is getting ready to come. The world is getting ready to end… & He is coming, wrapped in flames of fire with a rainbow around his throne. When I talk to you about God, I’m not playing. I’m almost 83 years old. Without God, I would not be here. Can I get an ‘amen’?”
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