Little Richard
Rock & Roll Icon Little Richard Laid To Rest In Huntsville, Alabama
Source: Bill Tompkins / Getty The legendary and influential Little Richard passed away earlier this month after battling a long illness at the age of 87. The Rock and Roll icon was laid to rest in Huntsville, Ala., the town where he attended college after a brief retirement near the height of his fame in the 1950s. As TMZ reports, the artist born Richard Penniman was laid to rest in Huntsville at the Oakwood Memorial Gardens Cemetry, right across from Oakwood College, a Seventh-Day Adventist HBCU where Little Richard studied theology after leaving music behind for a spell. TMZ adds: The trailblazing rock ‘n’ roll star’s niece, opera singer Brandie Sutton, sang during his service. Dr. Carlton P. Byrd delivered a eulogy, and Richard’s family spokesman David Person gave some closing remarks b...
Ava DuVernay Shares How Little Richard Tipped Her $100 Every Week When She Was A Waitress
Source: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty When the news of Little Richard’s passing was announced, everyone began sharing memories of encounters they had with the architect of Rock ‘N Roll. When They See Us director, Ava DuVernay was one of those people with fond memories of the late musician who passed away due to bone cancer on Saturday (May.9). In a tweet, she revealed that while she was a waitress in Los Angeles, Richard would leave her a $100 tip every week. “I served soul food brunch to Little Richard every Sunday for a year while waitressing at Aunt Kizzy’s Back Porch in LA. I was a college student. He tipped me a crisp $100 bill each week on a $75 breakfast with friends. This was 30 years ago. Helped me so much. God rest his soul.” I served soul food brunch to Little Richard every Sunda...
9 Little Richard TV Appearances That Changed Everything
Without Little Richard, there would be no James Brown. No Elvis. No Beatles. [ed. note: deep breath] No Stevie Wonder. No New York Dolls. No Jayne County. No Replacements. No Ol’ Dirty Bastard. No Laura Jane Grace. No Billy Porter. No Low Cut Connie. No Kanye. Definitely no Prince. In fact, nothing funky at all. As Yasiin Bey, the man formerly known as Mos Def, put it, Little Richard is rock’n’roll. And all of these wildly disparate acts have a spark or three from an icon who always had electricity coursing through him. When the man born Richard Wayne Penniman was onstage, he was like a catapult launching great balls of fire that kept on generating and inspiring new musicians every decade. There’s a reason he was dubbed the Architect of Rock ‘n’ Roll; he laid an impossibly strong foundatio...
Brian Wilson, Jimmy Page, Dave Grohl, Mick Jagger and More Pay Tribute to ‘Architect of Rock and Roll’ Little Richard
Little Richard passed away Saturday at the age of 87. The rock ‘n’ roll pioneer’s son Danny Jones Penniman confirmed the news to Rolling Stone, adding that the cause of death was cancer. Little Richard (born Richard Wayne Penniman) released a number of hits in the mid-to-late-50s including classics “Tutti Frutti,” “Good Golly Miss Molly,” and “Long Tall Sally.” The pianist’s flamboyant stage presence changed the art of musical performance, and bands like The Beatles, Elvis Presley, and Creedence Clearwater Revival have cited him as an influence. Penniman was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 — its inaugural year. Other rock ‘n’ roll icons, including Brian Wilson and Jimmy Page, paid tribute to Little Richard on Twitter. “I’m very sorry to hear about Lit...
Little Richard, Legendary Rock’n’Roll Pioneer, Dies at 87
Little Richard, one of the first and greatest rock’n’roll icons and innovators, has died at age 87, as reported by Rolling Stone. The cause of death has not yet been reported. Born Richard Wayne Penniman, he revolutionized popular music in the 1950s with such culturally irreplaceable hits as “Tutti Frutti,” “Good Golly Miss Molly,” and “Long Tall Sally.” He was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, the very first year it began, and performed at Bill Clinton’s presidential inauguration in 1992. The Library of Congress added “Tutti Frutti” to the National Recording Registry in 2010 for its cultural significance, particularly its unforgettable a cappella intro: “A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-wop-bam-boom!“ Born in Macon, Georgia, the second of 12 children, Penniman was kicked out o...
