RIP Little Richard. He was 87.

[Hardbopjazz]

Early rock performer Little Richard has died at the age of 87. Rest in peace thanks for the music. 

[clifford_thornton]

Just saw. What a life.

[JSngry]

"Early rock performer" doesn't begin to describe it. He was a force of nature, period.

RIP, to one of the foremost bedrocks of post WWII American Popular Music.

[Brad]

RIP. 

[jcam_44]

I used to talk to him almost everyday about 10 years ago when I lived in Nashville. Sad to hear he passed. He was dealing with a lot. 
 

Actually I guess it was 13-14 years now. Wow

Edited May 9, 2020 by jcam_44

[Dave James]

If you look at the history of rock & roll like a hotel, Little Richard had a suite on the first floor.  It would be impossible to list all the musicians he influenced both here and across the pond.  Music might very well have charted a different course without him.  

[jazzbo]

RIP maestro.

[Soulstation1]

Shut Up !!!

Rest Easy 

One Of A Kind 

Edited May 9, 2020 by Soulstation1

[Guy Berger]

RIP.  Hard to imagine today’s music sounding the same without his enormous influence.

[medjuck]

Jerry Lee Lewis really is ( as one of his records says) The Last Man Standing. 

[GA Russell]

RIP Little Richard! 

I saw him twice, in '71 and '72.  The first time was fantastic.  The second time was terrible.  Oh, well.

[soulpope]

R.I.P ....

[Rooster_Ties]

Serious and respectful historical question:

Wasn’t Richard one of the first (was he THE first?) truly “flamboyant” performer to reach a national audience to the degree he did?  (I’m NOT trying to invoke any “no true Scotsman” logic/arguments over whether any predecessors were “flamboyant enough” to qualify - just were they anywhere near as popular/famous as early/earlier than Richard’s early prominence.)

For instance, where does Liberace fit in the chronology here? - not that his and Richard’s brands of flamboyance were necessarily that (or even remotely) similar.

David Bowie. Prince. I’m sure plenty of others since, and probably a number I’m forgetting pre-Prince owe a great debt to Richard’s trail-blazing influence.

And aside from his musical import, I’d say he was certainly “culturally” important. Not only in retrospect, but certainly to any number of folks back in the day who might have wished for the freedom to exhibit the kind (and particular variety) of ‘chutzpah’ that Richard wore on his sleeve early on, and throughout his career.

[felser]

3 hours ago, medjuck said:

Jerry Lee Lewis really is ( as one of his records says) The Last Man Standing. 

And who would have thought that?

[GA Russell]

1 hour ago, Rooster_Ties said:

Serious and respectful historical question:

Wasn’t Richard one of the first (was he THE first?) truly “flamboyant” performer to reach a national audience to the degree he did?  (I’m NOT trying to invoke any “no true Scotsman” logic/arguments over whether any predecessors were “flamboyant enough” to qualify - just were they anywhere near as popular/famous as early/earlier than Richard’s early prominence.)

.

Rooster, Little Richard was said to have copied his look and his flamboyant style from Esquerita.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esquerita

 

Edited May 9, 2020 by GA Russell

[Milestones]

This is the first I have ever heard of (much less heard) Esquerita.  That sure sounds like a lot of influence on Little Richard. Shouldn't Esquerita get more credit in the development of rock 'n roll?

 

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

some guy is arguing w/ christian mcbride on twitter about it and christian says "i'm QUITE familar with Esqurita, sir. However hew was not the king of Rock and Roll.  Quite influential on Richard, but influencers are not the same as innovators."

[JSngry]

2 hours ago, Milestones said:

This is the first I have ever heard of (much less heard) Esquerita.  That sure sounds like a lot of influence on Little Richard. Shouldn't Esquerita get more credit in the development of rock 'n roll?

 

More than he does, but not more that Little Richard, because what Christian McBride says.

[Chuck Nessa]

S Q Rita never reached a national audience.

[JSngry]

THREE tenor solos in a 2:40 B-Side, ALL of them mighty as ALL fuck! And still - LITTLE RICHARD!!!!

ZERO tenor solos, and to what end?

Esquerita deserves a brighter light, but he was not the the sun that Little Richard was. He just wasn't.

 

[danasgoodstuff]

38 minutes ago, JSngry said:

 

 

Esquerita deserves a brighter light, but he was not the the sun that Little Richard was. He just wasn't.

 

This, and folks who don't get this...well, they just don't get it.

[JSngry]

Also, not just a secular performer, please don't forget that.

 

but...

 

Too bad Roy Wood never produced a Little Richard record. God knows he made enough of them!

[sgcim]

It's not hard to trace where he got his famous "Wooooo" high notes from. He admitted that he got it from Marion Williams, my fave Gospel singer. I saw her at SOB in NYC, and got her autograph at the end of the show.

 

 

[medjuck]

4 hours ago, Chuck Nessa said:

S Q Rita never reached a national audience.

He also never recorded until several years after Little Richard so we'll never know what he sounded like pre-Little Richard. 

3 hours ago, JSngry said:

THREE tenor solos in a 2:40 B-Side, ALL of them mighty as ALL fuck! And still - LITTLE RICHARD!!!!

ZERO tenor solos, and to what end?

Esquerita deserves a brighter light, but he was not the the sun that Little Richard was. He just wasn't.

 

Notice that Little Richard has taken an authorship credit on his recording. And both recordings owe a lot to Lieber & Stoller's "Charlie Brown" as well as Danny and the Junior's "At the Hop".

Edited May 10, 2020 by medjuck

[medjuck]

I admit it: I probably first heard Little Richard songs via Elvis-- maybe even Pat Boone.  But in 1956 when I was 13, a friend got this record: 

and being a pedant even then, I noted that some guy named R. Penniman got writing credit on most of the songs-- all of which I loved.   Seeing "The Girl Can't Help  It" in Sydney Nova Scotia on New Year's Eve that year sealed the deal. 

Edited May 10, 2020 by medjuck