Little Richard
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Little Richard was an American musician (1932–2020) who was a pioneering figure in rock and roll music. He is remembered as an influential artist whose energetic performances and musical style helped shape the development of rock and roll as a genre.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Person · Open Library
- Born
- 1932-12-05
- Died
- 2020-05-09
- Works
- 3
Top works
- The Specialty Sessions
- Best of Little Richard
- The Best of Little Richard (Piano/Vocal/Guitar)
via Open Library + Wikidata
Film & TV
Acting · Macon, Georgia, USA
Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 - May 9, 2020), better known as Little Richard, was a flamboyant and groundbreaking American singer, songwriter and musician. Little Richard was a pioneering influence on the birth of Rock 'n' Roll.
Known for
- Beatles '64 — Self (archive footage)2024
- No Hamburg, No Beatles — Self (archive footage)2024
- Little Richard: King and Queen of Rock 'n' Roll — Self (Archival Footage)2023
- Little Richard: I Am Everything — Self (archive footage)2023
- Revival69: The Concert That Rocked the World — Self (archive footage)2023
- Piano Greats at the BBC — Self (archive footage)2022
Article
Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), better known by his stage name Little Richard, was an American singer-songwriter and pianist. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Referred to as the "Architect of Rock and Roll", Richard's most celebrated work dates from the mid-1950s, when his charismatic showmanship and dynamic music, characterized by frenetic piano playing, pounding backbeat and powerful raspy vocals, laid the foundation for rock and roll. Richard's innovative emotive vocalizations and uptempo rhythmic music played a key role in the formation of other popular music genres, including soul and funk. He influenced singers and musicians across musical genres and his music helped shape rhythm and blues for generations.
"Tutti Frutti" (1955), one of Richard's signature songs, became an instant hit, crossing over to the pop charts in the United States and the United Kingdom. His next hit single, "Long Tall Sally" (1956), hit No. 1 on the Billboard Rhythm and Blues Best-Sellers chart, followed by a rapid succession of fifteen more in less than three years. In 1962, after a five-year period during which Richard abandoned rock and roll music for born-again Christianity, concert promoter Don Arden persuaded him to tour Europe. During this time, the Beatles opened for Richard on some tour dates.
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1932 births2020 deaths20th-century American LGBTQ people20th-century American male singers20th-century American pianists20th-century American singer-songwriters21st-century African-American male singers21st-century American LGBTQ people21st-century American male musicians21st-century American male singers21st-century American pianistsAfrican-American Christians