Thursday 9 July 2009

ROCK 'N' ROLL STUDIES NUMBER 2, RICHARD WAYNE PENNIMAN, LITTLE RICHARD.



FROM HIS ROCK 'N' ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTION:

"He is considered the key figure in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock 'n roll in the 1950s. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame web site entry on Richard observes that, "more than any other performer—save, perhaps, Elvis Presley, Little Richard blew the lid off the Fifties, laying the foundation for rock and roll with his explosive music and charismatic persona. On record, he made spine-tingling rock and roll. His frantically charged piano playing and raspy, shouted vocals on such classics as "Tutti Frutti", "Long Tall Sally" and "Good Golly, Miss Molly" defined the dynamic sound of rock and roll.""

Little Richard: " Chile, I taught you boys EVERYTHIN' you know."
Sir Paul McCartney, MBE: " That's right, you did."

7 comments:

Dick the Prick said...

In between consoling family & friends because of the tragic loss of the 'best entertainer ever' I find it heartening to take refuge in Mr Richard and the fact that that the people's peado, you know, shouldn't be confused with err.. entertainment or music or art or dance or culture or grace or talent etc etc - still, heartbreaking dontcha know?

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5668179404450304658

Hope that works (Christy Moore & Shane MgGowan)

All Shook Up said...

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a bunch of over-commercialised crap. Nothing it says need be taken seriously. Herb Alpert's even in there, for chrissake... what's he got to do with rock and roll?

If he taught the Beatles everything.. man, they were poor learners. Their puny attempts at rock and roll classics were bleedin pathetic.

I'd hate to take anything away from Little Richard's contribution to the music... but worth remembering he never came up with much once he'd left the Cosimo Studio's 'house band' behind - and especially Lee Allens searing, rasping, tenor solos that matched Richard's vocal tone perfectly and were almost as much a part of those numbers as the vocals themselves.

And don't let's forget Fats Domino's role in pushing the doors open, either... his band and its sound were every bit as distinctive as Mr. Penniman's.... and a bit beforehand, too.

call me ishmael said...

Fats is next. Or was to be. The R R Hall of Fame is as you say but the words about Little Richard are right.

As for Little Richard's sustained achievements, well, that's showbusiness - I don't think Elvis Presley came up with much after he left Sun, either. Robert Jonhson left a handful of songs, if output is what you want then REM or the Bonoids are your bag, man.

The Beatles first few albums were and remain fabulous, fabulous pop music and the reported exchange between Little Richard and Macca was, I guess, ironic, at least on his part, as was my reproducing of it.

If you know another largely political blogsite that posts both Chuck Berry and Little Richard within 24 hours perhaps you'll kindly take your know-it-allism and fuck off there.

All Shook Up said...

Nah.. not know-it-allism... just my own take on things instead of your regurgitated accepted wisdom from the R & R Hall of Fame.

Yeah, I'll fuck off if you're so far up yourself as to need to make a point about how uniquely cool this blog is. Politics AND R & R. Woo bloody hoo.

caesars wife said...

I watched Girl in a pearl earing stanislav , it was as you said quite absorbing and full of beautiful touches and wonderfully shot with sumptous colour .

Thnakyou

call me ishmael said...

Dear Mr All Shook Up. Good for you, son. Its not uniquely cool, its just that the music and art posts are just pointers, not exhaustive treatises - I could start writing about Little Richard now and still be at it in a month - a sign that, alongside all the shit, there is other stuff, poetry, music, created and performed generally by ordinary people, sparked up, if you see that as offensive, well fuck you, keep your own take on things, you sound like a miserable bastard and life's miserable enough with miserable bastards like you adding their personalised poison.

Dear Mr Caesar's wife. stanislav will be glad you liked it; I am ever grateful to the person who showed it to me. I don't understand it but it's so good to see that I can watch it with the sound turned down. Never seen it at the cinema, must be stunning. Remember me to the Emperor.

caesars wife said...

Emperor is fan just glad eiedes of march have passed