Little Richard

His sexual orientation has always been a topic of curiosity for the fans. As a teenager he used to have sexual relations with both the sexes. He also displayed voyeuristic tendencies as a teenager.

He was once married to Ernestine Campbell whom he met in 1957. The couple divorced in 1963. He has one adopted son with whom he shares a close relationship.

He was born as one of the twelve children of Charles Penniman and Leva Mae. His father was a church deacon who also sold bootlegged moonshine. He grew up in an impoverished neighbourhood and was called Little Richard because of his small frame.

He was from a highly religious family and used to sing in the church choir as a child. He was a naturally born singer blessed with a loud voice.

He attended Macon’s Hudson High School. He was not bright academically but possessed great musical talents and played with the school’s marching band.

He had an effeminate appearance and homosexual tendencies because of which his father kicked him out of the house when he was a teenager.

After being kicked out of the house in 1948, he joined Dr. Hudson’s Medicine Show before he began performing at a local nightclub called the Tick Tock Club. The owner of the club, Ann Johnson took the youngster to live with her family after he told her of his family problems.

In 1950, he began performing for various vaudeville groups like Sugarfoot Sam, Tidy Jolly Steppers and Broad Follies. During this time he earned a reputation as a drag performer.

He was heavily influenced by the music of R&B artists Roy Brown and Billy Wright, and forged a friendship with the later. Wright introduced him to Zenas Sears who helped him sign a contract with Camden. His single ‘Every Hour’ became a hit in the Georgia area. However, he could not find much success with Camden and left them in 1952.

He began heading a vocal group called the Tempo Toppers in 1953 and performed with them as a part of blues package tours at clubs.

The producer of Specialty Records, Art Rupe was looking for a pianist cum singer to lead a group of musicians. He selected Richard after listening to his demo tape. He recorded a single ‘Tutti Frutti’ in 1955 which became an instant hit and peaked at No. 2 on Billboard's Rhythm and Blues Best-Sellers chart.

The single ‘Tutti Frutti’ was his first major hit which became a model for rock and roll with its hard-driving music and wild lyrics. The song is credited to have heralded the birth of rock and roll.

‘Long Tall Sally’ is another one of his iconic songs. It is included in Rolling Stone’s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.