On a personal note, I saw playing him a free concert in Philadelphia in 1990s - preening, he announced "I am the most beautiful man in the world, that is not arrogant, because it is true!". He tore through classics such as "Long Tall Sally", "Good Golly Miss Molly" and the seminal "Tutti Frutti".
Richard Penniman had been performing since he was 14 (sometimes in drag) and recording since 1951. His career only took off after moving to Specialty Records and producer "Bumps" Blackwell. The initial session seemed unsuccessful too, until Richard launched into "Tutti Frutti", a vulgar ode to gay sex that he had been playing in clubs for years. Blackwell recognised its potential and commissioned Dorothy LaBostrie to revise the lyrics.
Its opening acapella " Awopbopaloobop alopbamboom!" was a clarion call for rock 'n roll - mysterious and hypnotic. In the new clean version, Richard chooses between two women, Daisy ("a real gone cookie") and Sue ("knows just what to do"), but it is still hard to mistake his lascivious intentions.
The backing fuses blues, swing and even gospel to form something new and exciting. His pounding piano and the saxophone solo stand out, but the unquestionable highlight are Richard's vocals, the distinctive holler and much imitated "wooos".
"Tutti Frutti" was an instant smash, and one of the first rock 'n roll records to cross over from the R and B to the national chart. But Little Richard's heyday was short-lived, as he renounced rock 'n roll (partly because he thought the fireball of Sputnik was a sign from God) and turned to religion. There were comebacks, but nothing could match his ground-breaking 1950s.
He may not have released the first rock 'n roll record, but Little Richard was a pioneer and architect, and his influence pervaded all the 1960s acts from the Beatles to James Brown.
Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_C9q4tuwXI but I really like this guest appearance on
the sitcom Blossom (after 15 minutes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-Jl6SCWVPM
Hear Next -
There are plenty of compilations albums and many clips on YouTube.
