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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-52601228

This just about leaves Jerry Lee of the original greats.

Bill

At that time in the 1950s when he had his biggest hits (1957/58), Richard was something completely new to the UK. His uninhibited delivery, with its screams and falsetto whoops, was quite unlike the more genteel singing of the black men that were allowed on BBC radio. For that reason he was barely on the radio and i had to go round to my school friend Keith Goldie's house to hear his records. It was the same all over the country. Teenagers were looking for excitement in their music.

Little Richard's records had a power that jumped out of the loudspeaker. Earl Palmer's heavy snare was forward in the mix, and the A-sides (Tutti Frutti, Long Tall Sally, Good Golly Miss Molly, Lucille, The Girl Can't Help It) were all up-tempo 12-bars. A sax section put riffs between the vocal lines and Lee Allen solo'd on tenor after a couple of verses. Richard hammered out triplets and eight-to-the-bar on the piano. That sound travelled the world and was a big, big influence on the musicians and singers who followed.

Thanks for the music, Mr Penniman.

Ray

Quote from 1999: "If only I had been born white, there would never have been an Elvis Presley." !

Bill

GoldenStreet wrote:Quote from 1999: "If only I had been born white, there would never have been an Elvis Presley." !

Bill

This means that Carl Perkins is the only one of the early greats who never said in public he was bigger and better than Elvis, as far as I know. It's kind of funny that they all compare themselves with Elvis, no one else. Elvis's popularity is parobably the main reason for that. In 1956 and 1957, his record was top of the singles chart in the USA for six months. In my opinion, even though Little Richard was an excellent rock and roll singer, he lacked the charisma and vocal versatility and ability of Elvis Presley. I cannot imagine Little Richard singing Are You Lonesome Tonight or In the Garden.

I understand that Little Richard had a different opinion about that.

In the Garden?? Do you mean In the Ghetto?!!

I think there's a danger of taking Elvis for granted - and I worry that he's become a figure of fun for the younger generation (vis the modern obsession with the fact that he (allegedly!) "died on the toilet"). I watched King Creole on Talking Pictures the other day and was struck once again by how utterly mesmerizing Elvis was visually...as well as vocally, and I'm not a big Elvis fan. I thought the Shadows' (vocal) version of Always On My Mind was just beautiful; the '80s drum sounds on Treat Me Nice on the other hand...

I can't think of any Shadows' versions of Little Richard songs; Cliff's done a few, though...

Moderne wrote:In the Garden?? Do you mean In the Ghetto?!!
I can't think of any Shadows' versions of Little Richard songs; Cliff's done a few, though...

No, I mean In the Garden: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3b_dt3nQn4
Hank recorded Lucille, which Little Richard co-wrote with Albert Collins, with his band for the Hank Plays Live CD and DVD. It is incorrectly spelled Lucile, though.

Twilight Ranger wrote:

Moderne wrote:In the Garden?? Do you mean In the Ghetto?!!
I can't think of any Shadows' versions of Little Richard songs; Cliff's done a few, though...

Hank recorded Lucille, which Little Richard co-wrote with Albert Collins, with his band for the Hank Plays Live CD and DVD. It is incorrectly spelled Lucile, though.

Lucille was featured initially on the 1970 album, Shades of Rock.

Bill

...I forgot Lucille...and of course Lucille and Rip It Up were part of The Shads' r 'n' r medley on their Live at the Paris Olympia (and numerous live shows after that).

Sorry - I've never come across In the Garden before I'll give it a listen!

Another one of the original greats gone... Rest in peace, Little Richard...

When Little Richard came out I was in my teens and
thought he was fantastic and never stopped playing his records.
So much so that when I broke two, my mother had a party.
RIP Little Richard.