![]() Little Richard was an original, and he did not hesitate to remind his students of their debt. Try to imagine James Brown, the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Otis Redding, Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Janis Joplin, Elton John, and Prince without his electrical charge. Try to imagine Muhammad Ali without Little Richard’s winking persona, his swing and swagger (“I am the King!”). The trail of light that he left behind was, and is, everywhere. In the years that followed, he’d dip in and out of show business, and there were some inspired moments, but he was a comet, not a planet. The core of Little Richard’s career was brief-he recorded an incandescent string of hits in the mid-fifties and then went off to rediscover his faith. “Rip It Up” will get you out of the chair. But please do play his music and watch his performances: “Tutti Frutti” will lift your heart. A different President might take the time to commemorate the passing of a great American, one who shaped the culture and its national sound. ![]() He was eighty-seven and had been in failing health. This Saturday morning, the news came that Richard Wayne Penniman-Little Richard-had died. ![]() One of the most foolish things that you can do is to begin the day by checking the news. Photograph from Michael Ochs Archives / Getty The core of Little Richard’s music career was brief, but his influence was, and is, everywhere.
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