Little Richard was a legend in the nascent stages of the Rock ‘n’ Roll genre. His talent took him beyond Rock ‘n’ Roll genre as well. Richard enormously impacted this genre of music and his contributions made that era of Rock ‘n’ Roll memorable. His insanely hit songs like ‘Long Tall Sally’ and ‘Tutti-Frutti’ always drove his fans into a frenzy. Even the Beatles had massive respect for Little Richard. They had told everyone that they drew inspiration for the Fab Four from Little Richard. Unfortunately, Little Richard dead and he died at the ripe age of 87. He had fans across all generations and they are no doubt devastated to hear this.
Little Richard dead at his home
Charles Glenn who was Little Richard’s Bass guitarist informed TMZ that Richard was sick for the last 2 months. He died peacefully at his home in Tennessee at the age of 87. His son, sister, and brother were with him during his final days. Glenn said that he had spoken to Richard on March 27 over a call. Richard had asked Glenn to come over to his house for a visit. Glenn was unable to do so because of the lockdown measures imposed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Glenn always thought of Richard as his father. Even Richard shared the mutual feeling and said that Glenn was like a son to him.
Richard was born in 1932 during a depression and he has passed away in 2020 which is no less than another depression. He was kicked out of his home by his father due to his sexuality when he was only 13 years old. The church influenced Richard’s music greatly. He learned the piano and sang gospel at his church before becoming a star.
Little Richard’s Career
He got a break in 1951 when his performance at an ATL radio station ended up catching record execs’ attention. The RCA signed Richard but he was not successful during his time at this label. Specialty Records signed Richard in 1955. It was with them that he recorded ‘Tutti-Frutti’ which went on to become an insane hit. ‘Send Me Some Lovin’, ‘Long Tall Sally’ and ‘Good Golly Miss Molly’ were some of the other songs that propelled him to fame.
Richard even starred in some movies revolving around Rock ‘n’ Roll. ‘Mister Rock ‘n’ Roll’, ‘Don’t Knock the Rock’, and ‘The Girl Can’t Help It’ are some of the moves that Richard was seen in. In 1957, he quit the Rock biz and shocked the entire world. He joined the ministry and started recording gospel. In 1959 Richard ended up recording an album called ‘God Is Real’. In 1964, Richard came back to his true calling which was Rock ‘n’ Roll. However, his return was not as flamboyant as his earlier career. He continued to perform for decades but people didn’t go gaga over him as they did earlier. Richard however, was a celebrated singer who won many laurels. In 1993, He even got a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
Final Thoughts
Little Richard was an impactful and celebrated singer. This is surely a hard time for his family. Rock ‘n’ Roll has lost a true legend.