Mick Jagger once said: “I heard about the reaction of the public to his concerts and thought that people were exaggerating. But their words turned out to be true. He literally drives the whole audience to madness. I was amazed at how powerful the influence on the audience can be” . All of this , the Rolling Stones vocalist said about Little Richard. This artist is called by many one of the kings of rock and roll along with Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley and some others.
Childhood and music education
Little Richard was born in Georgia in 1932. He was the third child of twelve in the family of a church servant. His father was a deacon. However, this did not stop him from maintaining a nightclub. They wanted to call the boy Ricardo, but due to an error in the documents, he gained his current name. As a child, Richard received a nickname that stuck to him for life and became the stage name - Kid. Neighboring children called him that because the boy was extremely thin.
The family of the future musician was extremely religious. Parents professed the direction of Christianity, which is called Pentecostalism. Little Richard loved to attend church as a child because he could hear cheerful, life-affirming music there. He later recalled that people living in the neighborhood sometimes sang gospel songs all day to distract themselves from pressing problems.
Gifted from birth with a powerful voice, the boy from a young age was accepted into the church choir. The artist recalls that for the screaming, hysterical manner of performance he was given the nickname Predator.
The idols of childhood for Little Richard were such gospel performers as Brother Joe May, Sister Rosetta Tharp and Mahalia Jackson. The first of these singers advised the boy to become a preacher.
At school, Richard studied mediocre. However, his musical talent was noticed when the boy began to take lessons on playing the saxophone.
Parents recall that he mastered this musical instrument so quickly that within a few weeks he was invited to play in a school orchestra.
First performances
Rosetta Tharp heard the fourteen-year-old Little Richard as he sang a church song from her repertoire. She was so amazed that she invited him to take part in her concert. The audience applauded the young talent.
Due to performance problems, the boy dropped out of school. He began to sing in the ensemble, which was called the Dr. Hudson Show. The most famous song in the repertoire of this group was Caldonia. Little Richard recalls that this was his first experience in rhythm and blues. The parents of the singer did not approve of the hobby for a new genre that was not related to religious music.
In 1951, Little Richard signed a contract with a well-known manager, who was also a radio host.
He began recording Richard in his studio. Then on the disc came the first hit artist called Every hour. Thanks to this Little Richard song, his relationship with his father got better. The parent began to include recording during parties at his nightclub.
Success
The most successful years in the career of a musician was the period from 1955 to 1961. Then he recorded the songs Tutti frutti, Lucille, Long tall Sally, which brought him world fame and became a classic of rock and roll. These songs have been sung many times by other vocalists. Artists who have made cover versions of Little Richard’s music include stars such as Elvis Presley, Bill Haley and The Beatles.
Each of his discs has always enjoyed great popularity. In total, more than 20 Little Richard's albums were released.
In the early sixties, the singer again began to perform religious hymns, but a couple of years later he returned to rock and roll.
The expressive manner of singing of this artist influenced many vocalists such as John Lennon, Mick Jagger and many others.
Performing his songs, Little Richard accompanies himself on the piano. His manager recalls that the singer was always so energetic that he threw the chair aside, and began to play standing not only during live performances, but also when recording in the studio.
The little band accompanying Little Richard is a real school for musicians. Many stars passed through it. The most famous of them is Jimmy Hendrix.
The singer, despite his venerable age (85 years), continues to do his favorite thing - music. Among the artist’s most notable recordings that came out in the 21st century are the duet with Jerry Lee Lewis. Rock and roll veterans performed together one of the Beatles songs. The track was included on Jerry Lee Lewis's album Last Man Standing. In 2016, a collection of songs recorded in the 70s, but not previously released, was released.
In September 2017, the artist gave a large interview to the American Christian television channel Three Angels Broadcasting Network.