Flamboyant. Frenetic. Foundational. Little Richard, an iconic piano-pounding singer and songwriter who helped shape rock and roll, is absolutely a Musicheads Essential Artist. 

Richard Wayne Penniman was born in Macon, Georgia, in 1932, and his skinny frame earned him the “Lil’ Richard” nickname as a child. At 14, he got an early break when Sister Rosetta Tharpe invited him to open for her after she heard him singing her songs. Before long, he began performing in flashy outfits, sometimes in drag, and added a pompadour hairstyle and pencil mustache. In 1955, New Orleans-based Specialty Records released Richard’s most suggestive song. After songwriter Dorothy LaBostrie helped tame the lyrics, “Tutti Frutti” became one of the most explosive and influential singles in rock and roll history.  

Over the next two years Little Richard became one of rock and roll’s biggest stars. On package tours with peers like Chuck Berry and Fats Domino, Richard electrified young audiences with raucous performances of hits like “Long Tall Sally,” “Jenny Jenny,” and “Rip It Up.” 

Little Richard’s widespread appeal helped prove that rock and roll was a sound that could transcend race-based genres. He also bent gender boundaries, inspiring generations of later artists to express themselves as freely. 

After temporarily turning from pop to religious music, Little Richard returned to become one of rock's first elder statesmen. Taking his classic act on tour, he taught the rock and roll ropes to artists including the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix. 

Little Richard lived his own legend for nine decades, until cancer finally claimed him in 2020. He was a member of the first class inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and as his biographer Mark Ribowsky observed, no rock and roll Mount Rushmore would be complete without Little Richard’s million-dollar smile.