Like millions of people all over the world, I was saddened to hear about the death of Little Richard this past weekend. The 87-year-old singer succumbed to cancer. To say that Little Richard was a pioneer is obvious as well as an understatement. He was an innovator and an artist who personified the word rebel. He integrated thunderous gospel vocals with R&B and boogie-woogie with foot tapping, energetic songs such as “Long Tall Sally,” “Tutti Frutti,” “Good Golly, Miss Molly,” and “Rip It Up.” He unabashedly screamed, shouted, kicked, pounded on his piano, and thunderously belted out vocals — all of which cultivated a most brash sound that provided rock & roll one of its most distinctive sounds.
He was a performer who garnered appeal across racial boundaries at a time when the nation was highly segregated, and he helped pave the way for future Black artists such as James Brown, Parliament Funkadelic, Sly and the Family Stone, and others. He was admired by many people from varied walks of life.
The third of twelve children born on December 5, 1932 in Macon, Georgia, Richard Wayne Penniman was a child of the great depression and a complex human being on many levels. Little Richard was an enigma of sorts. He was a demonstrably talented human being who at times seemed to be blunt, brash, defiant, and somewhat contradictory in how he dealt with the larger world around him.
Little Richard was one of very few performers — and arguably perhaps the only one — who had no apprehension in championing intersectionality during the early years of the rock era. It should not be lost on anyone that this was a quite audacious stance to take, particularly for men. He defiantly adopted and embraced such antics that were largely frowned upon and deeply at odds with the mores, customs and the larger culture of the era. This was a risk that very few performers, regardless of race, were willing to take.
Later decades would witness Tiny Tim, Boy George of Culture Club, Annie Lennox of the Eurythmics, Marilyn Manson, Prince, David Bowie,k.d. Lang, Grace Jones, and others also embrace gender fluid behavior. In fact, it is safe to say that Prince (the artist formerly known as Prince) was the Little Richard of his era and was undoubtedly influenced by him. Other artists such as Elton John, Jimi Hendrix, and the Beatles were committed devotees of Little Richard as well. His talent and legacy was so appreciated that he was among the inaugural group of performers inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame along with James Brown, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, and a few others.
Originality and artistic and sexual expression, regardless of how subtle or blatant, was something to embrace and not shun for Little Richard. This sentiment was shared with a number of his contemporaries in the infant years of the modern early rock era, such as Elvis Presley. They expressed little, if any, apprehension in pushing the envelope despite whatever level of dissent such behavior wrought from irate detractors.
Today, more than a half a century later, growing numbers of men, especially millennials and post-millennials, have no trouble embracing genderfluid behavior. Young men such as Jaden Smith, Odell Beckham, Cam Newton, and Russell Westbrook express no problems in defying or even outright dismissing what has largely been considered “appropriate” male behavior and social norms or sentiments that were often seen as retrograde.
The ultimate point here is that long before it was hip to do so, Little Richard daringly and unapologetically pushed the boundaries of sexual fluidity. He wore garish clothes and explicit attire — eyeliner, nail polish, mascara, and tight pants — as he brazenly twisted, hopped, hollered, tapped, snapped, and gyrated in front of television cameras and live audiences.
His language, appearance, and disposition defied standards and norms. Indeed, as time progressed, his increasingly eccentric antics had many people intensely debating his sexuality, religious beliefs, and other facets of his personal life. He did not fall into the mold of being either a “good” or “bad” guy. Intensely religious yet sexually adventurous, he was the personification of contradictions, moral sacredness, and ambiguity. He could never be easily defined nor neatly tucked into any specific category
In his early career, he made decisions and engaged in antics that many male artists of his era would not have dared to do. By doing so, he forced his listeners to decide whether talent superseded more arbitrary and subjective qualities. In his later years, he departed the entertainment world and became a mega evangelist preacher, where he surprisingly began to espouse positions toward sexual pluralism that were less tolerant and more conservative.
Overall, there were few Black artists of the 1950s that were as innovative, bold, experimental, and willing to manipulate with music as Little Richard was. Moreover, he managed to create music that resonated with so many people across different backgrounds and political inclinations. Integrating pop, R&B, and big band sound was like second nature to him. He, along with Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley, ranked the psyche of more than a few conservative, suburban parents and simultaneously earned fierce popularity and devotion among many young people.
Little Richard’s aggressive, opinionated attitude was demonstrated in his relationships with fellow musicians. He commented upon their musical styles and, in a few cases, castigated artists who he felt had either slighted or disrespected him. Moreover, he was never apprehensive about calling out racism — whether it be in the music industry, personal situations, or on a larger social level.
Little Richard was bold, daring, visionary, and fearless in a way that few Black male artists — past or present — have dared to be. While his influence and presence may be more limited among younger generations such as myself, he was one of the most distinctive, definitive, and pioneering voices ever produced in the world of music. His music was larger than life, and indeed his life was anything but dull. May he rest in peace.
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Previously published on Medium.com and is republished here under permission.
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