Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known as
Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Nicknamed "The Innovator, The Originator, and The Architect of Rock and Roll," Richard's most celebrated work dates from the mid-1950s, when his charismatic showmanship and dynamic music, characterized by frenetic piano playing, pounding back beat and raspy shouted vocals, laid the foundation for rock and roll. Richard's innovative emotive vocalizations and uptempo rhythmic music also played a key role in the formation of other popular music genres, including soul and funk. He influenced numerous singers and musicians across musical genres from rock to hip hop; his music helped shape rhythm and blues for generations.
Little Richard was not the only
original rock & roller to attempt a comeback in the late '60s and
early '70s, but he may have been the one to take the greatest musical
risks. Fats Domino merely updated his sound (albeit in a charming
fashion), Jerry Lee Lewis refashioned himself as a hardcore country
singer, and Chuck Berry pandered with "My Ding-A-Ling," but Little
Richard pushed himself on his three albums for Reprise, all of which
were collected -- along with his contributions to Quincy Jones' 1972
Dollar$ soundtrack album, non-LP singles, session outtakes, and a
complete unreleased album from 1972 called Southern Child -- in 2005 by
Rhino Handmade for the triple-disc set The King of Rock and Roll.
