Little Richard (redirected from Littlerichard)

Little Richard, 1935–, American musician and singer, b. Macon, Ga., as Richard Wayne Penniman. One of the first rock musicians in the 1950s, he recorded "Tutti Frutti," "Long Tall Sally," and "Good Golly Miss Molly." Since then, he has turned to religion. His music influenced, among others, the Beatles. See also rock music.

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Little Richard

 orig. Richard Wayne Penniman

(born Dec. 5, 1932, Macon, Ga., U.S.) U.S. rhythm and blues singer and pianist. Born into a strict religious family, he sang and played piano in church but was later ejected from his home by his father, reportedly for homosexual behaviour. He performed in nightclubs, traveled with a medicine show, and recorded as a blues artist from the early 1950s. His first big hit came with “Tutti Frutti” (1956), an energetic performance that, with his penchant for the outrageous, set a standard for the emerging rock idiom. Similar hits followed, including “Long Tall Sally,” “Lucille,” and “Good Golly, Miss Molly.” In 1957 he underwent a religious conversion and was later ordained a minister. He soon returned to music, becoming a regular attraction in Las Vegas, and he continued to tour and appear in films with much success. He was an original inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.