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The first time I met Little Richard, I had just gotten back from his hometown (and Otis Redding’s, and, more or less, James Brown’s) of Macon, Georgia. It was 1984, and I was working on my book Sweet Soul Music (which wouldn’t be published for a couple of years), while Richard was promoting his own authorized biography, The Life and Times of Little Richard: The Quasar of Rock — which, if you haven’t read it already, you must. It’s a masterpiece of honest, and eloquent (self)-reporting.

Little Richard Penniman, whose boogie woogie blues piano laid the foundation for rock and roll, died Saturday, May 9, at 87, according to Rolling Stone. The cause of death was unknown.

Little Richard, along with Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, the Delta Cats, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and Elvis Presley, wed blues with gospel and country for a new music genre which changed the world and how we hear it. “Tutti Frutti, “Long Tall Sally,” “Rip It Up,” all pounded out in 1956, got jukeboxes jumping, made senses reel and gave parents fits. “All the flat top cats and the dungaree dolls” swarmed the dance floors, while budding musicians around the world took notice.

Little Richard’s influence is almost beyond measure. The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Elton John, David Bowie, Rod Stewart, Lemmy Kilmister, and his own contemporaries, like Presley, Buddy Holly, and Bill Haley and fellow piano pounder Jerry Lee Lewis,...

We've just lost another one of Rock 'n' Roll's greatest legends, as rock pioneer Little Richard has sadly passed away at the age of 87. According to Charles Glenn, Richard's bassist, the "Tutti Frutti" singer had been sick for the past two months, dying this weekend at his home in Tennessee surrounded by his brother, sister, and son. Glenn also says he last spoke to Richard on March 27 when the legendary singer asked him to come over for a visit, but Glenn declined due to social distancing measures with the hopes of keeping Richard safe. "Not to take anything away from your dad, but you're my son," Glenn says of Richard, noting he was like a father figure to him.

Though he's better known worldwide by his "Little Richard" moniker, the music legend was born as Richard Wayne Penniman on Dec. 5, 1932. As a child, Richard was given the nickname "L'il Richard" due to his small stature,...

September 12, 2013, Issue 1191, of Rolling Stone

‘I Just Thank God For Being Alive,” Little Richard says. “I never knew that I would live to see 80. I’m the only one in my family who ever got to that age.”

A year ago, it didn’t seem like Little Richard, one of the first and most influential — if not the most influential — singer-songwriter-pianists in the history of rock & roll, would make it to 80. He was at the Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C., booked for one of the few concerts he’s...

Shot over 2 weeks in London and the South Coast, Blood And Carpet is a 1960’s influenced, kitchen sink, comedy thriller. Directed by Graham Fletcher-Cook and starring Annie Burkin (Zebra Crossing), Billy Wright (Betsy And Leonard) and Frank Boyce (Tony) it features supporting roles from Nicola Stapleton (EastEnders, The Rise Of The Krays) Julian Firth (Scum) and Andrew Tiernan (300, The Pianist). !

London 1967 and Ruby and Lyle have a problem. A … Continue reading →

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