Little Richard
Little Richard, one of the earliest pioneers of rock and roll, has died at the age of 87. Known for his iconic hits “Tutti Frutti,” “Good Golly Miss Molly” and “Long Tall Sally,” among others, Little Richard brought a flamboyance and wild piano playing to the music world that hadn’t truly been seen before. His music influenced countless artists over the decades, most notably The Beatles, who covered many of his tunes early in their career, and Jimi Hendrix, who got his start playing guitar in Richard’s band.
Born Richard Wayne Penniman in Macon, GA in 1932, Richard played music from a young age and earned his nickname at age 15. He borrowed his wild piano style and high pompadour from from Esquerita, a South Carolina singer and pianist. Little Richard signed a record deal with RCA in 1951 but “Tutti Frutti” truly launched his career in 1956. Originally a risque novelty song, the lyrics were cleaned up for the version that became his first signature hit.
More smash hits followed for the next few years, making Richard one of the biggest music stars of the early rock era. By the late ’50s, he stepped away from the pop world and began making gospel music, but returned to rock and roll by the mid-’60s, following the success of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and others, all who cited his influence. While battling drug problems on and off, Little Richard primarily stuck to playing the hits live from the ’70s onward, though he did return to gospel music for a time once again.
Little Richard also broke barriers for both race and sexuality in music. Early in his career, his flamboyant persona, stage costumes and makeup led to speculation about his sexuality. Later in his career, he discussed the topic at various times, publicly saying he was gay and bisexual at different times, but late in life denounced queer lifestyles altogether in an interview with a Christian broadcasting network.
He was also a pop culture icon, appearing as himself in countless TV shows, commercials and movies. Little Richard was a member of the original Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class in 1986 and was given a lifetime achievement award at the 1993 Grammys.
Little Richard’s death was confirmed to Rolling Stone on Saturday morning. No cause of death has been announced.
