Rock ‘N’ Roll legend Little Richard has reportedly died at the age of 87, according to a report from Rolling Stone. The death of the “thunderbolt from the middle west” was confirmed by his son Danny Penniman. A cause of death has not been determined.
Born Richard Wayne Penniman, the singing sensation was once a small town Greyhound Bus dishwasher who would perform singing sets at his father’s Georgia church.
Frustrated with his low paying job and the restrictions of the gospel world, Little Richard would write his famous song “Tutti Frutti” in 1956.
Later, his debut album Here’s Little Richard would chart on the Billboard Pop Album charts in 1957. Since then, he would release 25 more studio albums. His discography includes hits “Long Tall Sally” and “Good Golly Miss Molly”.
“After my dad got killed, I said Lord I got to do something.,” he said in an interview. “And I was playing the piano and I was singing “Tutti Frutti”. But, I was afraid to record because there was nothing out in the market like that.”
Little Richard would break barriers in the world of Rock ‘N’ Roll using the influences of church music, often infusing his music with explosive piano playing and opera style vocals.
He would influence Elvis Presley, Prince, Rick James, Michael Jackson, Cee Lo Green and more in the music industry. Little Richard’s songs would often be ripped off by white singer Pat Boone. Despite this, his music prevailed and Little Richard was able to sell music to white listeners.
He received several distinguished awards and was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Hollywood Walk of Fame, NAACP Image Award Hall of Fame, Songwriters Hall of Fame, Apollo Theater Hall of Fame, the Blues Hall of Fame, and Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame.
His public persona was even more entertaining. He would often wear makeup, fabulous eye-catching clothing and pompadour hairstyles.
“To be black and work for white girls I had to look that way,” Little Richard said to Tom Snyder in a 1997 interview. “If I didn’t wear makeup and look feminine, I couldn’t work the white clubs. The more feminine I looked, they didn’t mind me being with the white women…The more feminine that I looked, the more I was accepted, because see, I wasn’t rejected. See, wasn’t nobody afraid of me, I wasn’t a threat.”
