Full House

There’s no overstating the significance that the late Richard Penniman (better known as Little Richard) had on rock and roll and contemporary musical genres of all stripes. Alongside other luminaries like Chuck Berry and James Brown, Little Richard helped define the very essence of rock music: the soul, the flair, the attitude. From how he attacked the piano and made it a stand-up instrument to some of the rawest, most iconic vocalizations in recorded history to the slick suits and electric costumes to the challenging of gender norms, so many of those to follow owe the man a tremendous debt. And by “so many,” we mean almost everyone. Sadly, a lot of our younger readers might not know Little Richard. My generation was lucky. While our parents perhaps failed to explain the legacy behind the ...