Little Richard biography

He signed with RCA Records in 1951 after winning a talent contest but after releasing four flop singles for the label he moved on to the Peacock label in 1953 where he sessioned for doowop group The Tempo Toppers. After fronting the Johnny Otis Orchestra in 1955, Richard signed with the Specialty label. His first single for the label was Tutti Frutti, a result of a session where he'd been fooling around with an obscene ditty. The single gave him his debut in the US Top 20. But far more important than the chart placing was the impact that Richard made on the music buying public. Dressed in Julian Clary approved flamboyant pink suits and a pompadour haircut, Richard would become rock and roll's clowning pioneer. His hollering, tongue-in-cheek assault was totally original and scared middle America out of its cosy conservatism. Over the course of the next few years, Richard would flounce his way through a series of groundbreaking, rock and roll hits which would soon become standards - Long Tall Sally, Slippin' and Slidin' and Jenny, Jenny. In 1957 his fame led to roles in two Alan Freed films, Don't Knock The Rock and Mr Rock 'n' Roll in which he sang Keep A Knockin'. His recording of the title song from The Girl Can't Help It, starring 50s blonde bombshell Jayne Mansfield, became another UK Top 10. In America, further hits included Lucille and the intense Good Golly Miss Molly. In 1958 Richard undertook a world tour but while he was pitched up in Australia he decided to abandon rock and roll for religion.

Although he was at the height of his artistic and commercial powers, Richard was torn apart by the temptations of fame and the personal conflicts engendered by his religious upbringing. Shortly after returning to the US, Richard enrolled in Bible college in Alabama. It was a shock to his fans and the industry and Richard virtually vanished from the public eye. When he did return to recording in 1960, it was as a gospel singer. 1962's The King Of The Gospel Singers was arranged and produced by Quincy Jones. But by 1964, lured by the British invasion of The Beatles (McCartney especially was a massive fan) and The Rolling Stones, Richard returned to rock and roll and toured Britain with the Stones. He confirmed the end of his exile from rock with the dynamic 1964 single, Bama Lama Bama Lou. Richard simultaneously relaunched his explosive stage act in the US and appeared in Las Vegas. His 60s recordings however never matched the incendiary quality of his 50s efforts. At Vee-Jay Records he cut new versions of his hits and made an album of other rock and roll standards, included on the 1965 album Little Richard Is Back. One of the backing musicians for the album was Jimi Hendrix. When Vee Jay collapsed, Richard recorded for Modern and then Okeh Records.

It was the rock & roll revival of the late '60s and early '70s, though, that really saved Richard's career, enabling him to play regularly on the nostalgia circuit with great success. A steady diet of entertaining appearances on US chat shows also ensured his continued success as a living 'ledge.'

Even though in the '70s he recorded a critically acclaimed trio of albums, including The Rill Thing (1970) and King Of Rock 'n' Roll (1971), it was the '50s incarnation of Little Richard that was always in demand. In 1977 he again turned his back on rock and roll to rejoin the church. 1979 album God's Beautiful City was followed by preaching tours of the US. In 1986 he signed to Warners and released the album Lifetime Friend, a mixture of gospel and rock material. He later appeared in the Hollywood comedy Down and Out in Beverly Hills which included the minor hit Great Gosh A Mighty. He collaborated with the Beach Boys and sang Rock Island Line on Folkways: A Vision Shared, a 1988 tribute to Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly. He also sang on some best selling Disney albums. It was the ultimate turnaround. The onetime, pink-pompadoured scourge of middle America now entertaining its kids by the fireplace... Discography