Legendary Rock and Roll Musician Little Richard dies at 87
May 9, 2020 12:27:22 GMT -5
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Post by Grumpyoldman on May 9, 2020 12:27:22 GMT -5
Little Richard, the rock and roll trailblazer known for his electrifying stage presence and lively piano skills, has died. He was 87.
The "Good Golly Miss Molly" singer's agent of 40 years, Dick Alen, confirmed the musician's death to PEOPLE.
"Little Richard passed away this morning from bone cancer in Nashville. He was living with his brother in Nashville," Alen tells PEOPLE. "He was battling for a good while, many years. I last spoke to him about two or three weeks ago. I knew he wasn’t well but he never really got into it, he just would say 'I’m not well.' He’s been suffering for many years with various aches and pains. He just wouldn’t talk about it much.”
Kelvin Holly, a longtime member of the musician's band, shared a touching tribute on social media. "Rest in peace Richard. This one really stings. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of my bandmates and fans all over the world. Richard truly was the king!"
Born Richard Wayne Penniman, the musician rose to fame in the 1950s and quickly became a prominent figure in the rock and roll scene for his energized performances behind the piano.
With major hits including "Tutti Frutti," "Long Tall Sally" and "Good Golly, Miss Molly," his raspy voice, signature six-inch coif, mascara mustache, and manic behavior earned him the title of one of the most influential musicians in history.
Since Tutti Frutti (with the iconic lyric "a wop bop a loo bop, a wop bam boom!" lyric) in 1956, he has sold more than 30 million records. No performer deserves more credit for the metamorphosis of black rhythm and blues into rock’n’roll. The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Elvis Presley all credited him as a seminal influence.
Onstage, his act was far ahead of its time: He tore off his clothes, leaped upon the piano and embraced androgyny long before the likes of Mick Jagger, Elton John, and David Bowie.
The third of 12 children, he grew up in Macon, Georgia. His father, a bricklayer who was embarrassed by his son’s affectations, was shot to death in a fight in 1952. In hopes of curing Richard’s birth defect — his right leg was three inches shorter than his left — his mother, Leva, sent him to the New Hope Baptist Church every Sunday.
There he discovered a talent for singing. At the age of 10, Richard started a group called the Tiny Tots Quartet, which put on gospel music shows at churches and old folks’ homes—and took its pay in sweet potatoes.
"There wasn’t any rock’n’roll at that time," he recalled to PEOPLE years ago. "So we sang gospel. Everybody around us was singing gospel—the women hanging out the wash, the old men on the porches at night, everybody."
A ninth-grade dropout with dreams of becoming as popular as the singing evangelist Brother Joe May, known as "the Thunderbolt of the Midwest," Richard skipped town with a traveling medicine show. Later, between jobs as a dishwasher and janitor at a bus station, he peddled his talent.
His act went through several phases and names before he settled on Little Richard and the Upsetters in the early ’50s. "We used to upset everybody," he explained, "because we all wore makeup and acted weird."
Sad to see him go. He was incredible. I was lucky enough to see him open up for Chuck Berry in Atlantic City on New Year's Eve, 2000.
The "Good Golly Miss Molly" singer's agent of 40 years, Dick Alen, confirmed the musician's death to PEOPLE.
"Little Richard passed away this morning from bone cancer in Nashville. He was living with his brother in Nashville," Alen tells PEOPLE. "He was battling for a good while, many years. I last spoke to him about two or three weeks ago. I knew he wasn’t well but he never really got into it, he just would say 'I’m not well.' He’s been suffering for many years with various aches and pains. He just wouldn’t talk about it much.”
Kelvin Holly, a longtime member of the musician's band, shared a touching tribute on social media. "Rest in peace Richard. This one really stings. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of my bandmates and fans all over the world. Richard truly was the king!"
Born Richard Wayne Penniman, the musician rose to fame in the 1950s and quickly became a prominent figure in the rock and roll scene for his energized performances behind the piano.
With major hits including "Tutti Frutti," "Long Tall Sally" and "Good Golly, Miss Molly," his raspy voice, signature six-inch coif, mascara mustache, and manic behavior earned him the title of one of the most influential musicians in history.
Since Tutti Frutti (with the iconic lyric "a wop bop a loo bop, a wop bam boom!" lyric) in 1956, he has sold more than 30 million records. No performer deserves more credit for the metamorphosis of black rhythm and blues into rock’n’roll. The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Elvis Presley all credited him as a seminal influence.
Onstage, his act was far ahead of its time: He tore off his clothes, leaped upon the piano and embraced androgyny long before the likes of Mick Jagger, Elton John, and David Bowie.
The third of 12 children, he grew up in Macon, Georgia. His father, a bricklayer who was embarrassed by his son’s affectations, was shot to death in a fight in 1952. In hopes of curing Richard’s birth defect — his right leg was three inches shorter than his left — his mother, Leva, sent him to the New Hope Baptist Church every Sunday.
There he discovered a talent for singing. At the age of 10, Richard started a group called the Tiny Tots Quartet, which put on gospel music shows at churches and old folks’ homes—and took its pay in sweet potatoes.
"There wasn’t any rock’n’roll at that time," he recalled to PEOPLE years ago. "So we sang gospel. Everybody around us was singing gospel—the women hanging out the wash, the old men on the porches at night, everybody."
A ninth-grade dropout with dreams of becoming as popular as the singing evangelist Brother Joe May, known as "the Thunderbolt of the Midwest," Richard skipped town with a traveling medicine show. Later, between jobs as a dishwasher and janitor at a bus station, he peddled his talent.
His act went through several phases and names before he settled on Little Richard and the Upsetters in the early ’50s. "We used to upset everybody," he explained, "because we all wore makeup and acted weird."
Sad to see him go. He was incredible. I was lucky enough to see him open up for Chuck Berry in Atlantic City on New Year's Eve, 2000.