Little Richard, Part 1

Welcome to Rock & Roll Flashback!  I'm Jumpin' John, and today's podcast is called Little Richard, Part 1.  In this first installment of our two-part podcast I will discuss the early career and chart years of Richard Wayne Penniman, the architect of Rock and Roll!
Be sure to check out our companion podcast, Little Richard, Part 2, where I will discuss the conflicted life, career, and legacy of Little Richard after his 1957 "sign from God"! 

All podcasts on the Rock and Roll Flashback Podcast are produced by brothers-in-law Bill Price and "Jumpin' John" McDermott. The Podcast Theme Song, "You Essay", was written by John. It was initially recorded by Bill and John on April 1, 2004 with several revisions since then.
Multiple promo videos and photos for Rock and Roll Flashback Podcasts are available on the following social media sites:

https://www.youtube.com/@RockandRollFlashback

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Bill and John welcome your feedback and comments, and they can be emailed to rockandrollflashback@outlook.com.
Thank you for listening to Rock and Roll Flashback Podcasts!
Until next time...
Rock On!

Transcript

Thank you for that introduction and welcome to Rock & Roll Flashback!  I'm Jumpin' John, and we'll be looking back at some of Rock and Roll's greatest artists, songs, and stories.  Today's podcast is called Little Richard, Part 1.  In this first installment of our two-part podcast I will discuss the early career and chart years of Richard Wayne Penniman, the architect of Rock and Roll!

Richard Wayne Penniman was born in Macon, Georgia, on December 5th, 1932.  Brought up in a very religious family, Richard began singing in church and developed a reputation for his strong, high-register vocals.  One of his legs was slightly shorter than the other, and young Richard was mocked for his unusual gait and effeminate appearance.  

Little Richard's musical influences were gospel performers such as Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Mahalia Jackson, Brother Joe May, and Marion Williams.  He credited the Clara Ward Singers for one of his distinctive hollers and said that his piano style was influenced by Ike Turner's piano intro on "Rocket 88".   He took piano lessons at a young age, and by junior high he had also learned to play the saxophone.  While attending Macon's Hudson High School, he got a part-time job selling refreshments at the Macon City Auditorium.  In October 1947, Sister Rosetta Tharpe overheard the fourteen-year-old Richard singing her songs before her performance at the Macon City Auditorium.  She invited Richard to open her show.  Then after the show, Tharpe paid him.  This inspired Richard to become a professional performer.  

His family frowned on his gay tendencies, so in 1949 Richard left home and joined the traveling show of Doctor Nubillo.  He fed off of Nubillo's enthusiasm for over-the-top performances. Later the same year, Richard traveled with Dr. Hudson's Medicine Show.  There he performed the Louis Jordan hit "Caldonia."  Richard's family believed that secular music was sinful, and this was the first time that he sang rhythm and blues.  Richard also performed in drag during this time, performing under the stage name Princess LaVonne.

In 1950 Richard became a singer with Buster Brown & His Orchestra, and the bandleader tagged him with the nickname Little Richard.  Richard toured, in and out of drag, on the Black vaudeville circuit.  Settling in Atlanta, he admired entertainer Billy Wright's flamboyant showmanship.  Wright coached Richard on his entertainment style, leading him to adopt a pompadour hairdo, a pencil mustache, and flashy clothing.  Wright also introduced Richard to disc jockey Zenas Sears.  Sears recorded Richard at his station, which led to a contract with RCA Victor.  In 1951 and 1952 RCA released four Little Richard singles from the eight songs that he recorded.  Only the first single, a blues ballad called "Every Hour," was a hit in Georgia, and all four failed to find a national audience.  However, the release of "Every Hour" did improve his relationship with his father, who was both a church pastor and a nightclub owner.  His father began regularly playing the single "Every Hour" on his nightclub jukebox.  Richard was then hired to front Perry Welch and His Orchestra, playing at clubs and army bases for $100 a week.  Richard left RCA Victor in February 1952 and the next month he signed with Peacock Records.  Moving to Houston, he formed a band called the Tempo Toppers, performing his high energy act as part of blues package tours in Southern clubs.  He recorded eight songs with Peacock, but neither of his two single releases charted.

Disillusioned by the record business, Richard returned to Macon, Georgia in 1954.  He briefly worked as a dishwasher at a bus station diner.  At that Macon bus station he met Eskew Reeder, who would eventually go by the stage name Esquerita.  Richard was impressed with and influenced by Eskew's dynamic, percussive piano playing and flamboyant performance style.  In 1954 Richard disbanded the Tempo Toppers and formed a harder-driving rhythm and blues band, the Upsetters.  When Lloyd Price saw Little Richard performing with the Upsetters, Price suggested that he contact his label at the time, Specialty Records.  In February 1955 Richard sent a demo to Specialty Records, and in September Specialty owner Art Rupe loaned Richard money to buy out his Peacock contract.  Specialty's producer "Bumps" Blackwell sent Little Richard to New Orleans, where he recorded at Cosimo Matassa's J&M Studios.  His first recording session was unproductive.  However, during a break, Richard played a raunchy song he'd written called "Tutti Frutti."  The original lyrics were about gay sex, but songwriter Dorothy LaBostrie was hired to replace some of Richard's sexual lyrics with less controversial ones.  They recorded the cleaned up version in three takes, and Specialty released the single "Tutti Frutti" in September 1955.  By February 1956 it had became a hit, rising to #2 on the Billboard R&B singles chart, #21 on the Billboard Top 100 chart, and #29 on the British singles chart.  It eventually sold over one million copies.  Unfortunately, as was the case for so many black artists in the 1950's, Little Richard's version had to compete on the charts with toned-down cover versions sung by white performers like Pat Boone and Elvis Presley.

"Tutti Frutti" combined high energy boogie, gospel, and blues and introduced the record buying world to Little Richard's signature high pitched "wooo".  The song has often been hailed as the sound of the birth of rock and roll.  It contained fundamental rock and roll musical features such as a powerful vocal style, loud volume, and distinctive rhythm and beat.  In 2004 "Tutti Frutti" was #43 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".  In 2007, "Tutti Frutti" would be ranked #1 on Mojo's "The Top 100 Records That Changed The World."  In 2009, the U.S. Library of Congress National Recording Registry added his recording of "Tutti Frutti" to its registry.

Richard's next hit single, recorded on February 7th, 1956 was "Long Tall Sally."  The single hit #1 on the R&B chart, #6 on the Billboard Top 100, and #10 in the UK.  Like "Tutti Frutti", it sold over a million copies.  "Long Tall Sally" has since been covered by numerous white artists, including the Beatles.

Overall, Richard would produce five more charting singles in the US in 1956.  They were "Slippin' and Slidin'," "Rip It Up," "Ready Teddy," "The Girl Can't Help It" and "Lucille."  Influential DJ Alan Freed put Little Richard in his rock and roll movies Don't Knock the Rock and Mister Rock and Roll.  Richard also had a larger singing role in the film, The Girl Can't Help It.  In 1957 his single "Jenny, Jenny" reached #10 and his single "Keep A-Knockin'" hit #8 on the Billboard Top 100.  

Following his charting success, Richard began performing on package tours across the US.  His high-energy act included lifting his leg while playing the piano, climbing on top of his piano, running on and off the stage, and tossing souvenirs to the audience.  He also began applying pancake makeup and wearing capes and multi-colored, sequin-covered, studded suits.  Richard's performances enabled black and white audiences to come together to listen, and often, to dance.  His popularity was helping to shatter the myth that black performers could not successfully perform at white-only venues. 

Little Richard created the foundation for rock and roll with his explosive music and charismatic persona.  His upbeat piano playing and enthusiastic vocals defined the dynamic sound of early rock and roll.  As a rock and roll pioneer, Richard embodied its spirit more flamboyantly than any other performer.  Little Richard, without question, was the boldest and most influential of the founding fathers of rock and roll and has often been described at the "Architect of Rock and Roll."  

While his recording and publishing contracts with Specialty were not very lucrative for Richard, his performing gig fees made him a wealthy man.  Little Richard relocated to Los Angeles, where he was living the good life with a mansion and a fleet of Cadillacs.  However, while on an October 1957 Australia tour with Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran, Little Richard had a change of heart.  He experienced multiple apocalyptic visions that left him deeply shaken.  He became convinced that a sign from God was telling him to stop from performing the sinful, secular rock and roll music and to repent for his wild lifestyle.  He suddenly quit rock and roll and disappeared from the music scene.

This has been Rock and Roll Flashback…Little Richard, Part 1, where we examined the early career of the great American singer, songwriter, pianist, and entertainer:  Little Richard!  Be sure to check out our companion podcast, Little Richard, Part 2, where I will discuss the conflicted life, career, and legacy of Little Richard after his 1957 "sign from God"!  I'm Jumpin' John McDermott, and until next time….Rock On!