Little Richard

Little Richard
Little Richard
	Little Richard in 2007
Background information
Birth name	Richard Wayne Penniman
Born	December 5, 1932; Macon, Georgia, U.S.
Died	May 9, 2020 (aged 87) ; Tullahoma, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres	Rock and roll, rhythm and blues, Gospel
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Piano, vocals
Years active	1951–2020

Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known by his stage name Little Richard, was an American recording artist, songwriter, and musician. He was one of the early creators of rock and roll music in the 1950s.

Career

In 1951 Little Richard began his music career by making gospel and jazz influenced rhythm and blues. He did not sell many records until 1955 when he added a loud drum beat and loud Gospel-style singing and boogie-woogie piano playing. This new music would come to be known as of rock and roll. Little Richard influenced many rock and roll musicians who started after him.

In 1957, when he was at his most popular point, Little Richard quit rock and roll music. He went to Bible college and became a church preacher. He then went on to play only Gospel music for many years. He returned to playing rock and roll when he was older, and also continued playing Gospel music.

In 1986, Little Richard was added into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was one of the first seven people to be added to the museum.

Death

Little Richard died of bone cancer on May 9, 2020 at his brother's home in Tullahoma, Tennessee at the age of 87.^[2] He is survived by his brother, sister and his adopted son Danny.

Singles

Release date	Title	Chart Positions
Release date	Title	US Charts	US R&B chart	UK Singles Chart
11/55	"Tutti Frutti"	#17	#2	#29
4/56	"Long Tall Sally"	#6	#1	#3
4/56	"Slippin' and Slidin'"	#33	#2	-
6/56	"Rip It Up"	#17	#1	#30
6/56	"Ready Teddy"	#44	#8	-
10/56	"Heebie-Jeebies"	-	#7	-
10/56	"She's Got It"	-	#9	#15
12/56	"The Girl Can't Help It"	#49	#7	#9
12/56	"All Around the World"	-	#13	-
3/57	"Lucille"	#21	#1	#10
3/57	"Send Me Some Lovin'"	#54	#3	-
6/57	"Jenny Jenny"	#10	#2	#11
6/57	"Miss Ann"	#56	#6	-
9/57	"Keep A Knockin'"	#8	#2	#21
2/58	"Good Golly, Miss Molly"	#10	#4	#8
6/58	"Ooh! My Soul"	#31	#15	#22
6/58	"True, Fine Mama"	#68	-	-
9/57	"Baby Face'"	#41	#12	#2
2/58	"Kansas City"	#95	-	#26
3/59	"By the Light of the Silvery Moon"	-	-	#17
11/62	"He Got What He Wanted"	-	-	#38
7/64	"Bama Lama Lama Loo"	#82	#82	#20
11/65	"I Don't Know What You've Got But It's Got Me"	#92	#12	-
8/66	"Poor Dog (Who Can't Wag His Own Tail)"	-	#41	-
5/70	"Freedom Blues"	#47	#28	-
9/70	"Greenwood Mississippi"	#85	-	-
8/73	"In the Middle of the Night"	-	#71	-
3/86	"Great Gosh A'Mighty!"	#42	-	#62
10/86	"Operator"	-	-	#67

Little Richard Media

A poster for a Little Richard show, c. 1956
"Good Golly, Miss Molly", 45 rpm recording on Specialty Records
Trade ad for Little Richard's single "It's A Poor Dog That Won't Wag His Own Tail".To better adapt it to his respective Wikipedia article, the ad was cropped and cleaned in a graphics editing program. The original can be viewed at the source below.
Trade ad for Little Richard's single "A Little Bit Of Something (Beats A Whole Lot Of Nothing)".To better adapt it to his respective Wikipedia article, the ad was cropped and cleaned in a graphics editing program. The original can be viewed at the source below.
Little Richard holding a photograph of himself at a Best Buddies International event, 1998
President Bill Clinton greets Little Richard at the White House in 1994
Little Richard in concert
Little Richard reading his biography, 1984
Little Richard, interviewed during the 60th Annual Academy Awards, 1988