The King of Screams; Little Richard
By Mikaela Truong and Colton Wilson
Early Life
- Little Richard was born on December 5, 1932 in Macon Georgia.
- Learned how to sing gospel music in churches when he was 10 years old.
- He started singing in a gospel group the Tiny Tots Quartet when he was 10.
- When he was a teenager he left the house to perform rhythm and blues at medicine show and night clubs and took the nickname Little Richard.
Influences
- He was influenced by his gospel group the Tiny Tots Quartet.
- When the Beatles performed some of his original songs he started creating songs again.
- Influenced by the following local bands that performed at his part time job, Cab Calloway, Hot Lips Page, Lucky Millinder, and Sister Rosetta Thorpe.
Time Period
- Born in 1932.
- During the 1930's the Great Depression (Stock market crashed.) occurred.
- World War II started in the 1940's.
- The Cold War started in the 1950's.
- The Vietnam War started in the 1960's.
- Desegregation started in the 1970's but some white people still disrespected African American's.
His Music
- Recorded his first recording in the early 1950's in a "soothing jump-blues style".
- His first successful hit single was "Tutti Frutti" which was released in 1955.
- The next year and a half (1956-1957) was very successful, it sold well to both black and white audiences; songs include "Rip It Up", "Long Tall Sally", "Ready Teddy", "Good Golly, Miss Molly", and "Send Me Some Lovin'".
- He used croons, wails, and screams in his music which was very unusual in music at the time.
- In 1964 he released a new song called "Bama Lama Bama Loo" after his break, but it wasn't very successful; young kids didn't like it, maybe because it was about the time of his greatest strength.
Interesting Facts
- Little Richard abandoned his music career at the peak of his fame to enroll in bible college and became a preacher.
- He became a part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.