Little Richard

"I used to listen to the American Forces Network in Europe from Stuttgart, and they would have I think just before the Grand Ole Opry they would have the American top 10, and that is where I first heard Little Richard. And hearing Little Richard for the first time, it really was, as I’ve said on countless previous occasions, it’s true – it was Saul on the road to Damascus. I mean, it was an absolute revelation, because I’d never heard anything so wild and untamed and just sort of potentially threatening. And I though, “This is what I want,” you know. “I’ve found what it is that I’m after.” (Peeling Back The Years 1 (Transcript)"

Born Richard Wayne Penniman, Little Richard (1932- ) is one of the pivotal arists in the history of rock'n'roll. Despite the fact that he had been performing since the mid-40s, his greatest success came in the period 1955-7, when he used a blues holler, staccato piano playing, an underlying funk feeling to the rock'n'roll beat, and a songwriting style that emphasised the equation between sex and money that had always existed in the blues, to make a series of tracks for the Specialty label that are still electrifying to listen to today: Ready Teddy, Long Tall Sally (later covered by the Beatles), Good Golly Miss Molly, Rip It Up, Tutti Frutti and Keep A-Knocking are merely a few of these. At the height of his popularity in 1957, Richard renounced rock'n'roll by throwing an $8,000 ring from the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and spent the next few years recording solely gospel music. He also married in 1959, but both this and his ministry seemed to be difficult to hold together, and he was back performing in 1962, appearing with the Beatles at the Star Club in Hamburg and then having them as a supporting act on a tour of Great Britain, since his reocrds were still selling well there. In fact he registered a top 20 hit in 1964 with Bama Lama Bama Loo, at a time when the rock'n'roll boom was well past. In 1965, his path crossed that of the young Jimi Hendrix, who was a member of his band and played on some of the recordings that Richard was now once more making for Specialty. The rock'n'roll revival of the late 60s gave him an opportunity for a comeback and an appearance at the Toronto Rock'N'Roll Festival.

Cover Version Search
Main article: Little Richard Cover Search

In March 1992, Peel became convinced he had a Little Richard cover version somewhere in his collection, and attempted to find it via an exhaustive search of his 7 inch singles. He played ones that he had forgotten about, or was unaware he had, during the course of the search, the end of which was announced on 26 March 1993. The record in question was [Mickey Lee Lane]]'s version of Tutti Frutti.

Festive Fifty Entries

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Sessions

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Other Shows Played

 * 26 September 1970: 'Directly From My Heart (LP-The Fabulous Little Richard)' (London)
 * 24 January 1979: 'Keep A-Knocking'