LITTLE RICHARD It’s quite impossible to imagine what music would be like today if it wasn’t for Little Richard. From rock and roll to soul, Little Richard dramatically changed every genre he touched. Growing up, Little Richard was surrounded by music, learning how to sing gospel music and play piano at his church. Before entering tenth grade, he left home and joined a traveling show where he was first exposed to the genre of R&B. During his time performing for traveling shows, Little Richard developed his flamboyant onstage persona and decided to try out solo work. He won a record contract with RCA Victor following an audition and later recorded some of the first rock and roll hits.
out hits; his tracks achieved massive success and even made the Billboard charts. The music industry and general public of the 1950s hated that a Black man had invented an innovative and groundbreaking new style of music. Little Richard’s concerts were some of the first to have an integrated audience. White supremacists warned that rock and roll would “bring the races together.” The music industry hated Little Richard’s provocative lyrics and immediately had their “safer” non-Black artists cover his tracks, watering down his lyrics and sound in the process. These covers by white artists achieved more widespread critical acclaim and charted higher than the originals by Little Richard. Despite 1950s America’s best efforts, Little Richard defied the odds and managed to influence the music scene immensely.
“Tutti Frutti” was the title of his breakthrough track. With an energetic backing band, powerful vocals, and dynamic drums, “Tutti Frutti” introduced audiences to a new Without Little Richard, the sound of music style of music: rock and roll. It was an imme- today might be completely unrecognizable. diate hit. Little Richard continued to pump Elvis called Little Richard “the greatest.” Lit20 20 // EMMIE EMMIE