Little Richard Penniman stands as a true original in the annals of rock music history. While influences can be traced, his explosive arrival on the scene felt utterly unprecedented. No one before sounded quite like The Little Richard, and despite numerous imitators – from Paul McCartney to Captain Beefheart – his unique vocal pyrotechnics and flamboyant stage presence remain unmatched. His story is deeply intertwined with the complexities of identity, faith, and the raw energy that defined early rock and roll. This exploration delves into the formative years of The Little Richard, culminating in the creation of his groundbreaking hit, “Tutti Frutti.”
Understanding The Little Richard requires acknowledging the multifaceted nature of his identity. As a queer Black man navigating the American South in the mid-20th century, his existence challenged norms. His self-identification fluctuated over time, encompassing labels like gay while also maintaining relationships with women. His writings suggest a deep-seated complexity regarding gender identity, potentially aligning with what might be termed bisexual or transgender identity today. However, respecting his own self-reference, the pronouns “he” and “him” are used. Compounding this complexity was a profound, lifelong adherence to a fundamentalist Christian faith that condemned non-heteronormative identities and lifestyles. This internal conflict created a dramatic tension throughout his life, swinging between the wild abandon of “sex, drugs, and rock and roll” and periods of devout preaching against the very lifestyle he often embodied. During the period leading up to his breakthrough, however, the young Richard Penniman was fully immersed in the secular world of performance.
The Little Richard, iconic rock and roll pioneer, known for his flamboyant style and energetic performances.
Early Life and Musical Beginnings
Born the third of twelve children in Macon, Georgia, Richard Penniman’s childhood was marked by mischievousness and hardship. He endured bullying due to physical characteristics – a notable difference in leg length, a large head, and uneven eyes – and faced homophobic abuse from an early age due to his gait. At fourteen, seeking an escape and a stage, he left school to join a travelling snake-oil show. These shows often featured entertainers to draw crowds for dubious medicinal products. Young Richard travelled with “Doc Hudson,” singing Louis Jordan’s “Caldonia,” absorbing the yelps and vocal hiccups that would later define his style.
He soon moved on, touring with various bands like B. Brown and his Orchestra. It was during this time he cultivated his signature towering pompadour hairstyle and adopted the stage name “Little Richard.” Performing often involved female impersonation, a practice that began out of necessity but grew into regular appearances in drag shows catering largely to gay audiences. These experiences shaped his performance persona and connected him with key influences.
Key Influences: Billy Wright and Esquerita
Performing in the club circuit brought Little Richard into contact with Billy Wright. Wright, himself a former female impersonator with a pompadour and a blues singer known for incorporating gospel mannerisms, became a major inspiration. Richard adopted Wright’s stage makeup (Pancake 31) and emulated aspects of his vocal style. Wright, recognizing Richard’s talent, connected him with Zenas Sears, a prominent white DJ known for playing Black music. Sears facilitated Richard’s first recording contract with RCA Records. His initial single, “Every Hour,” was heavily indebted to Wright’s sound, so much so that Wright recorded a similar track, “Every Evening,” shortly after.
Around this time, Richard met Esquerita (born Eskew Reeder). Esquerita was another flamboyant, gay Black R&B singer with an even larger pompadour and a wilder stage presence than Richard at the time. Crucially, Esquerita played the piano with ferocious energy. Richard consistently credited Esquerita as his piano tutor, stating his own style was a copy, and Esquerita was the superior player. While Esquerita recorded only after Richard’s success (marketed as a Little Richard clone), his recordings showcase a style remarkably similar to Richard’s signature piano attack. Learning piano transformed Richard from merely a singer into a dynamic instrumentalist and performer.
Struggles and a Second Chance with Specialty Records
Despite growing talent, early career success proved elusive. His RCA recordings failed to chart. A subsequent deal with Peacock Records, brokered by Johnny Otis (who was impressed by Richard’s raw talent and stage persona), also yielded little success. His relationship with Peacock’s owner, Don Robey, deteriorated rapidly, culminating in a physical assault by Robey that left Richard injured. Dropped by Peacock and facing personal difficulties – including his father’s death and being forced to leave Macon after an arrest for “lewd conduct” – Richard’s prospects seemed dim.
A lifeline appeared thanks to Lloyd Price, who suggested Richard send a demo tape to Specialty Records. The tape languished until Richard’s persistent calls prompted A&R head Bumps Blackwell to listen. This proved fortuitous. Specialty’s owner, Art Rupe, seeking an artist to compete with the gospel-infused R&B of Ray Charles, had tasked Blackwell with finding such a talent. Blackwell heard that potential in Richard’s demo. Specialty bought out Richard’s contract from Peacock for $600.
The New Orleans Session and the Birth of “Tutti Frutti”
Blackwell arranged Richard’s first Specialty session at Cosimo Matassa’s J&M Recording Studio in New Orleans, hoping to capture the magic of Fats Domino’s recordings by using the same studio and renowned session musicians (including Huey “Piano” Smith). However, the initial session was underwhelming. Richard, despite his electrifying live reputation, seemed inhibited in the studio. They managed usable takes of songs like “Wonderin’” and “Directly From My Heart to You,” but nothing felt like a breakthrough.
Disappointed, Blackwell called a break, and the group headed to the Dew Drop Inn. There, away from the studio pressure, Richard gravitated towards the piano. Before the gathered crowd, he unleashed a raw, electrifying performance, hammering the keys and screaming the unforgettable opening line: “A wop bop a loo mop, a good goddam!”
Blackwell instantly recognized the song’s hit potential but also its major problem: the lyrics. The original “Tutti Frutti” was a bawdy, sexually explicit tune common in the R&B underground (“Tutti Frutti, good booty / If it don’t fit, don’t force it / You can grease it, make it easy”). Such lyrics were unbroadcastable. With session time running out, Blackwell enlisted Dorothy LaBostrie, a young songwriter present at the studio, to rewrite the lyrics urgently. Richard, initially embarrassed to sing the suggestive original to LaBostrie, eventually relented (reportedly facing the wall).
LaBostrie’s new lyrics were simple (“I got a girl named Sue, she knows just what to do / I got a girl named Daisy, she almost drives me crazy”) but crucially, clean. With only fifteen minutes left, there was no time to teach the session pianists the complex part, so Richard played the piano himself. In three takes, they captured the lightning-in-a-bottle energy that became the final track.
Breakthrough and Beyond
“Tutti Frutti” exploded onto the scene, reaching number 21 on the pop charts. It established The Little Richard as a major force. However, as was common, a sanitized cover version by Pat Boone quickly followed, diluting the original’s raw power but achieving significant sales. Boone notably altered the lyrics to remove any ambiguity about Richard’s interest in both “Sue” and “Daisy,” reflecting the conservative norms Boone represented. Financial disputes also arose regarding publishing rights, with Specialty’s arrangement benefiting the label owner more than the artist.
Undeterred, Richard and Blackwell aimed for an even wilder follow-up: “Long Tall Sally.” Based on a lyrical fragment by teenager Enotris Johnson, the song hinted at clandestine encounters (“Uncle John… saw Aunt Mary coming / He ducked back in the alley”). Despite its raucous energy designed to deter covers, Pat Boone again released a version that sold heavily.
Through these initial hits, The Little Richard irrevocably altered the musical landscape, injecting a dose of wild energy, flamboyant style, and coded queer sensibility into the mainstream. He forced even clean-cut figures like Boone to engage with material far removed from wholesome convention. However, stardom brought its own pressures, amplifying Richard’s internal conflict between his burgeoning ego, his faith, and the “devil music” he was creating – a conflict that would shape the next dramatic chapters of his career.
