Little Richard

On Friday night I was driving home from work and heard "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," by Jerry Lee Lewis. I thought to myself that only he and Little Richard were still alive from the early days of rock and roll. The next day Little Richard died, at age 87.

I'm not one who sits down and listens to '50s rock, but there is no denying the importance of Little Richard, born Richard Penniman in Macon, Georgia. He was known as the "Architect of Rock and Roll" for a reason, basically creating the style out of gospel and blues. His flamboyant performances, his seemingly tireless voice, with the raspy screams and "woooooos," inspired a generation of performers.

That includes the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. The British Invasion was when young British boys reinterpreted American R&B and brought it back to the States. But Little Richard was not obscure. He had seven top ten hits in 1956, starting with "Tutti Frutti," then "Long Tall Sally," with "Lucille" and "Good Golly Miss Molly" to follow. I think all of these songs are ingrained in the American subconscious.

He also appealed to both races. Although white artists covered his work--notably Pat Boone made a horrendous version of "Tutti Frutti" (but Richard didn't mind, it just brought more fans to his work) Richard was extremely popular with both black and white audiences. He played to integrated crowds, although they might have been seated in different sections.

Richard's stage persona may be his most lasting legacy. His sexuality was fluid--he claimed to have been gay, then took it back when he became a born again Christian, and said that he dressed in drag and minced so that white audiences didn't think he was after white women. Whatever the case, it is remarkable in retrospect that he was that out at a time when out could mean a death sentence.

In reading about him I was interested to learn that both Billy Preston and Jimi Hendrix were in his bands. Hendrix said that wanted his guitar to sound like Richard's voice. Little Richard taught Paul McCartney how to scream/sing, and you can hear this is many McCartney recordings, such as "I'm Down" and "Oh, Darling!" His influence can also be heard in funk and hip-hop.

He was a born entertainer, dazzling crowds almost until the end, still wearing his pancake makeup and pompadour wig. In the annals of American popular music, it's hard to think of someone who was more original. Good golly!