22A: Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman, better known as Little Richard, was born in 1932 in Macon, Georgia. (Question – What is the biggest city in Georgia?) He was the third of twelve children in his family. He grew up singing in the church. His said people in his neighborhood sang gospel songs throughout the day to remain positive, because “there was so much poverty and prejudice in those days.”
He loved singing, even though he didn’t follow instructions very well. He got into trouble at church for changing the key upwards, and for “screaming and hollering” so much. At home, he said, he would “beat on the steps of the house, and on tin cans and pots and pans, or whatever,” so much that it annoyed their neighbors.
Little Richard was outrageous and flamboyant. He was known for his pencil-thin mustache, his falsetto yelp, his big hair, and his crazy piano-playing. (Question 2 — What’s “falsetto”?)
Little Richard was an early pioneer of rock ‘n roll. Elvis Presley is often thought of “the King of Rock ‘n Roll.” But Little Richard was into rock ‘n roll before Elvis. He was often called “The Innovator, the Originator and the Architect of Rock ‘n Roll.” His first hit, in 1955, was “Tutti Fruitti.”
His next big hit was “Long Tall Sally,” in 1956. During this time, Little Richard’s shows attracted both black people and white people. This was very unusual at the time; usually, white people hung out with white people, and black people hung out with black people. Little Richard helped change that.
The Beatles were heavily influenced by Little Richard. In fact, during the late 1950s, the Beatles opened for him. (At a concert, the “opener,” usually a lesser-known act, performs before the main artist, to “warm up” the audience.) He taught Paul McCartney of the Beatles his unique vocalizations. Here he is talking about the Beatles.
Little Richard’s influence went far and wide. In addition to the Beatles and Elvis Presley (who may be rock ‘n roll’s two biggest artists, ever), these people have said they were inspired by Little Richard: James Brown, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Queen, David Bowie, and Prince.
He was also a favorite of boxing champion Muhammad Ali. In 1992, Little Richard performed for “the Champ” at his 50th birthday. Ali looks like a kid, watching his idol.
In 2002, at age 70, he performed this show to raise money for muscular dystrophy (which is a disease that causes you to lose muscle mass). He still had his vocal chops. Woooo!
Little Richard was one of the first people inducted into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame. One magazine said he was “without question, the boldest and most influential of the founding fathers of rock ‘n roll.”
Answers:
1 — Atlanta is the biggest city in Georgia.
2 — “Falsetto” is a method that male singers use to sing higher notes than their normal range.
Bonus videos!
Everyone’s inspiration comes from somewhere. For Little Richard, it was a little-known singer from South Carolina named S.Q. Reeder, or Eskew Reeder. He went by “Esquirita.” (Are you following this?) Listen and look, and you’ll see why he’s credited with “creating” Little Richard.
As you’ve probably learned by now, many of the roads in rock ‘n roll criss-cross each other. And many of them go to and through Little Richard and Esquerita. In 1988, the band Big Audio Dynamite (led by Mick Jones of the Clash) released a song called “Esquerita.” Listen for the signature falsetto “woooo” throughout this song.