Little Richard: Rock 'n' roll pioneer dies (2024)

Pioneering rock 'n' roll singer Little Richard has died at the age of 87, the musician's family has confirmed.

Little Richard's hit Good Golly Miss Molly made the charts in 1958. Other well-known songs include Tutti Frutti and Long Tall Sally.

The Beatles, Elton John and Elvis Presley all cited him an influence. The singer was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.

He died of bone cancer in Tullahoma, Tennessee his family said.

  • Obituary: Little Richard

  • What did 'A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop' mean?

Little Richard was born as Richard Wayne Penniman in 1932.

He had his biggest hits in the 1950s and was known for his exuberant performances, shrieks, raspy voice and flamboyant outfits. He sold more than 30 million records worldwide.

Paying tribute after news of his death emerged, former Beatles drummer Sir Ringo Starr tweeted: "God bless Little Richard, one of my all-time musical heroes."

Chic co-founder Nile Rodgers said it was "the loss of a true giant", while Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys said his music would "last forever".

Richard's bass guitarist, Charles Glenn, told celebrity news website TMZ the singer had been ill for two months. He said Richard died at his home, with his brother, sister and son beside him.

Little Richard was one of 12 children, and said he had started singing because he wanted to stand out from his siblings.

"I was the biggest head of all, and I still have the biggest head," he told the BBC in 2008.

"I did what I did, because I wanted attention. When I started banging on the piano and screaming and singing, I got attention."

His music was embraced by both black and white fans at a time when parts of the US were still segregated, and concerts had a rope up the centre of the auditorium to divide people by colour.

By Ian Youngs, BBC Arts and Entertainment Reporter

An electric performer, a flamboyant persona, a shrieking vocalist, an all-round force of nature - popular music hadn't seen the like of Little Richard before he emerged from New Orleans in the mid-1950s.

If there had been no Little Richard, a key part of DNA would have been missing from acts like The Beatles, Bob Dylan, David Bowie and Jimi Hendrix - all of whom idolised him.

With the likes of Chuck Berry and Elvis, he was one of the handful of US acts who concocted the primordial soup of blues, R&B and gospel that led to the evolution of rock 'n' roll in the 60s.

Standing at his piano with his bouffant hair and letting rip with full-throated voice on songs like Tutti Frutti, Long Tall Sally, Lucille and Good Golly Miss Molly, he was a gust of fresh air after a strait-laced post-war age.

Richard was born in Macon, Georgia, on 5 December 1932. Growing up in the southern US state, he absorbed the rhythms of gospel music and the influences of New Orleans, blending them into his own piano-laden extravaganzas.

His father was a preacher who also ran a nightclub, and his mother was a devout Baptist.

"I was born in the slums. My daddy sold whiskey, bootleg whiskey," he told Rolling Stone magazine in 1970.

The singer left home in his teens after disagreements with his father who initially didn't support his music.

"My daddy wanted seven boys, and I had spoiled it, because I was gay," the showman later said.

Though openly homosexual for many years, Richard also had relationships with women. He married Ernestine Harvin, a fellow Evangelical, and later adopted a son.

He was known for drugs, hard drinking and sex parties - to which he would take his Bible.

In the late 1950s, he turned his back on music after seeing a fireball cross the sky while on stage in Sydney, Australia. It was the Sputnik 1 satellite returning to Earth - but Richard took it as a sign from God that he should immediately change his ways.

He signed up to Bible college in Alabama, but was soon asked to leave following allegations he had exposed himself to another student. Within five years, he was back on tour. A gospel album in 1961 was followed by forays into Soul.

After seeing cocaine kill his brother, Richard turned to religion again - and was eventually ordained as a minister in 1970.

The singer's complex attitude to his sexuality meant he wasn't widely viewed as a gay icon. After he was re-baptised as a Seventh Day Adventist, he renounced homosexuality, framing it as a temporary choice he had made.

Richard felt his musical influence was never acknowledged as it should have been, and blamed the deep racial prejudice in America at the height of his career.

But he was proud of his impact in crossing divides.

"I've always thought that rock 'n' roll brought the races together," the singer once told an interviewer. "Although I was black, the fans didn't care. I used to feel good about that."

The Rolling Stones, who opened shows for him, spoke reverently of his on-stage prowess. Sir Mick Jagger tweeted: "I'm so saddened to hear about the passing of Little Richard, he was the biggest inspiration of my early teens and his music still has the same raw electric energy when you play it now as it did when it was first shot through the music scene in the mid 50s.

"When we were on tour with him I would watch his moves every night and learn from him how to entertain and involve the audience and he was always so generous with advice to me.

"He contributed so much to popular music. I will miss you Richard, God bless."

Little Richard: Rock 'n' roll pioneer dies (2024)

FAQs

What did Little Richard say about rock and roll? ›

Little Richard famously declared, “I am the architect of rock and roll! I am the originator,” at the 1988 GRAMMY Awards before he presented the Best New Artist Award to Jody Watley.

Who came first, Little Richard or Elvis? ›

They both became popular around the same time in 1955–56, but actually, Richard had been performing and recording since the very early '50s. Ironically, he was signed first to RCA Victor, the label that made Elvis a star, around 1952, but found little success there.

What was Little Richard's net worth when he died? ›

The American singer, songwriter, and pianist died of bone cancer in 2020. Little Richard's net worth was $40 million at the time of his death. Since he was divorced from his ex-wife, Ernestine Campbell, he may have left his fortune to his adopted son, Danny Penniman.

What is the main message of rock and roll? ›

The lyrics of rock and roll songs described events and conflicts to which most listeners could relate through personal experience. Topics such as sex that had generally been considered taboo began to appear in rock and roll lyrics.

Who did Little Richard feel invented rock n roll? ›

Final answer: Little Richard did not designate a single individual as the inventor of rock and roll, but his role, along with other artists, was crucial in popularizing the genre which influenced the breakdown of racial barriers in the U.S.

Who did Elvis call the king of rock and roll? ›

He invited Domino to the press conference and when one reporter referred to him as “The King of Rock 'n' Roll,” Elvis pulled the room's focus to Fats Domino, insinuating that he was the true King. “[Domino] was one of my influences from way back,” said Presley.

Who was Elvis' favorite singer? ›

"He loved close harmony," says former Memphis Mafia member Red West, who lived at Graceland. He says Elvis's favorite groups were the Harmonizing Four and Golden Gate Quartet and his favorite gospel singers included Jimmy Jones, Jake Hess (who sang with the Statesmen and later formed the Imperials) and Mahalia Jackson.

Were Chuck Berry and Little Richard friends? ›

Both were among the first ten inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and they maintained a friendly rivalry over many years playing together over who, exactly, founded rock n' roll.

What did Little Richard call himself? ›

By 1972, Richard had entered the rock and roll revival circuit, and that year, he co-headlined the London Rock and Roll Show at Wembley Stadium with Chuck Berry. When he came on stage he announced himself "the king of rock and roll", also the title of his 1971 album.

What was the cause of Little Richard's death? ›

Bill Sobel, a lawyer for Little Richard, tells NPR that the cause of death was bone cancer. Rolling Stone was the first to report on Little Richard's death.

Who was Little Richard's favorite singer when he was a child? ›

His earliest musical influences included Mahalia Jackson, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and Brother Joe May, the “Thunderbolt of the Middle West.” Even as a child singer, Richard was known for his high range and incredible volume. But, in his father's eyes, he was unbearably effeminate and not to be tolerated.

Who received Little Richard's inheritance? ›

Little Richard most likely left the majority of his estate to his son Danny. There is also a good chance that religious charities will get some of his estate, since Richard may have decided to leave it all to one or more church organizations.

What happened to Little Richard's wife? ›

Ernestine Campbell was Little Richard's wife from 1959 to 1964. Richard was an American singer known for his hit songs like Long Tall Sally, Good Golly, and Miss Molly. Campbell worked as a secretary in Washington, DC. Unfortunately, she died on 9 May 2010, aged 74.

Was Little Richard in a wheelchair? ›

Richard suffered a heart attack in 2013 and hip problems required him to use a wheelchair at times.

What did MLK say about rock and roll? ›

The profound sacred and spiritual meaning of the great music of the church must never be mixed with the transitory quality of rock and roll music. The former serves to lift men's souls to higher levels of reality, and therefore to God; the latter so often plunges men's minds into degrading and immoral depths.

How did many parents feel about rock and roll? ›

Cultural historian Charles Panati says that to some parents the music of Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley was disturbing, frenzied and sexual. Parents and clergy believed that rock 'n' roll was the cause of the nation's social ills and youthful rebellion.

Who was the first person to say rock and roll? ›

Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed, who coined the phrase 'rock 'n roll,' born in 1921. Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed, who introduced the phrase “rock 'n' roll” on mainstream radio in the early 1950s was born on Dec. 15, 1921.

Why do Chuck Berry and Little Richard exemplify rock and roll more than they do rhythm and blues? ›

Berry transferred boogie-woogie left-hand patterns from the piano to the guitar. Why do Chuck Berry and Little Richard exemplify rock and roll more than they do rhythm and blues? They formulated rock rhythm and how it should be played.

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