Richard Wayne Penniman (born December 5, 1932), known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, bandleader and recording artist, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s.
Penniman began acting on stage and on the road in 1945 when he was in his teens. He began his recording career on October 16, 1951 to imitate the gospel influenced style of the late 1940s jump blues artist Billy Wright, who was a friend who set him up with the opportunity to record. His recordings of the early fifties, however, failed to commercial success.
In 1955, under the leadership of Robert “Bumps” Blackwell, Penniman began recording in a style he had been performing on stage for years, with varied rhythms (derived from everything from drum beats you hear his voice to the sounds of the trains that thunder is heard by him as a child), a heavy backbeat, funky saxophone grooves, gospel-style singing over the top, moans, screams, and other emotive inflections, accompanied by a combination of boogie -woogie and rhythm and blues. This new music, which includes an initial injection of funk into the beat of rock and roll, inspired many of the greatest recording artists of the twentieth century, including James Brown, Elvis Presley, Otis Redding, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Michael Jackson, and other generations of rhythm & blues, rock, soul and musical artists.
On October 12, 1957, while at the summit of stardom, resigned abruptly Penniman rock and roll and became a born again Christian. It had drawn original seventeen hits in less than three years. In January 1958, he enrolled in the Bible and attended college to become a preacher and evangelist and began recording and performing gospel music for only a few years. He then moved back and forth from the rock and roll to the ministry until he was able to reconcile the two roles in later life.
Penniman was among the first group of recruits into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and one of only four artists (along with Ray Charles, James Brown, Fats Domino) to get the rhythm and Blues Foundation’s Pioneer Career Award. In 2003, Penniman was inducted into the Hall of Fame Composers. In 2007, his original 1.955 hit “Tutti Frutti” was voted number 1 by an eclectic group of renowned artists at Mojo’s top 100 records that changed the world, from the recording as “the sound of the birth of rock and roll. In 2010, the United States Library of Congress United States National Recording Registry unprecedented added the record for registration, claiming that the positive response, with the original “A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a- lop-bam-boom! “A capella introduction heralded a new era in music.
In 2000, Robert Townsend directs a television biography titled Little Richard on the artist’s life from infancy to 30 years (circa 1962). Leon Robinson received an Emmy nomination for her performance in the starring role.
Penniman continued recording, concerts and television appearances throughout the decade. He wrote and recorded a song for the 2001 film The Trumpet of the Swan. In 2002, he recorded a rock version of Johnny Cash “Get Rhythm” by Kindred Spirits: A Tribute to Johnny Cash. In 2005, he and Jerry Lee Lewis recorded a duet of the Beatles ‘hit “I saw her standing there” for Lewis’ 2006 album The Last Man Standing. In 2006, he appeared in atelevision ad for Geico success. Later that year was hired by Simon Cowell to be a judge on the Fox TV shows Celebrity Duets. On March 24, 2007, Penniman gave recitals in the event students from the University of Texas “40 Acres Fest, with bands of 1200. He also starred that year in the Capitol Fourth, a July 4 celebration in front of the White House. On July 25, 2007, made an appearance on the ABC show The Next Best Thing. On November 22, 2007, who led the half-hour of a football game on Thanksgiving at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. In 2007, to help raise funds to benefit sick and dying children, and to discredit the idea that Don Imus was a racist, he recorded a track reviews for the Imus Ranch Record (2008). In June 2008, Penniman also made a cameo on The Young and the Restless as an ordained minister of piano playing.
Reverend Richard Penniman, who had performed the wedding ceremonies of celebrities such as Cyndi Lauper, Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Steve Van Zandt and John Branca (for which Michael Jackson was best man) are referred to his old friend of Wilson Pickett in January 2006 funeral, officiated at a wedding of 20 couples in December 2006, and preached in December 2007 Ike Turner funeral. [Unreliable source?] On May 30, 2009, after a performance in honor of Fats Domino to raisefunds to help rebuild playgrounds children devastated by Hurricane Katrina, Penniman took Domino and others present in prayer. On June 12, 2009, before the grand final for the 29th Annual Music Festival Riverbend in Chattanooga, Tennessee, said, “even though they sing rock ‘n’ roll, God still loves me. I am the rock ‘n’ roll singer, but I am still a Christian. ” In late November 2009, Penniman asked for fans to pray for his rapid and complete recovery from a recent surgery on one hip, which had been causing pain in his left leg for some time.
Little Richard continued to recover from surgery on his left hip in the first part of 2010. In 5 to 6 June 2010, spent time in the house of Rock in Franklin, Tennessee, to record a new track – a version of Dottie Rambo “He’s never done anything to me, but good,” as part of a star tribute to the legend of late composition of the Gospel, to be released in 2011.
Born the third of twelve children, Penniman was raised in a family with deep roots evangelical Christian. His father, who told him he had ruined his desire to have seven children by S-EX-ual mannerism, expelled him from the house. After Penniman began making records, his father had begun to open to him. But he was shot by the best friend of Penniman, Frank, outside a local bar. At the time Penniman was 19 years old.
Penniman was actively involved in the orgies in the mid 1950′s. In June 1956, Penniman done what has been described as his soul mate for life, a voluptuous young woman by the name of Audrey Robinson, who also went by the name of Lee Angel. Robinson, who was 16 years of age when they first met, he had graduated from high school early and was a college student at the time. After conversion to Christianity Penniman in October 1957, she married Ernest Campbell, whom he met at a meeting of the Evangelical Church. They married in 1959. Penniman had some difficulties to live a disciplined Christian life and has drawn both to the show that ended up divorcing his wife in 1963. The marriage produced no children, however, Penniman adopted the child of a deceased partner church in the 1960′s.
After more than a decade of wildlife, Penniman found a series of devastating personal experiences, including a near fatal crash, by drugs with his longtime friend, Larry Williams in 1977. He returned to the gospelministry and away from new rock and roll music, saying it was not possible to serve God and bring out that style of music at the same time. Before the death of his mother in 1984, Penniman was promised it would remain a Christian. We proceeded to use the rock and roll to produce recordings of the Gospel, which he called “messages rhythm, changing its position by stating that the rock and roll can be used for good or ill.
Penniman has remained single for many years, is deeply spiritual, and now lives in Tennessee. In recent years, has been with his girlfriend since mid-1950, Audrey Robinson.
The atmosphere was quiet in Yadkin County, at least publicly, a day after a long time Sheriff Mike Cain resigned in disgrace.
Cain resigned Wednesday after 12 years as sheriff, and later pleaded guilty to nine misdemeanor charges related to a secret bank account that he and two alternates used for personal use, including Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
Yadkin County residents were shocked as the popular sheriff would get in trouble or resigned to the idea that most politicians are corrupt.
“You never know what some people will do,” said Larry, who declined to give his name. He was eating lunch on Thursday with his friends in the Little Richard BBQ restaurant. “Money is the root of all evil.”
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