Little Richard was too ashamed to tell this family story he shared 25 years ago

There is no denying that Little Richard was a musical force back in the 1950s.  So much so that he is often referred to as “The Architect of Rock and Roll.”  No one sang or played the piano like he did.

He wrote songs like “Long Tall Sally,” “Good Golly Miss Molly,” and of course, “Tutti Frutti,” which were blockbuster rock and roll hits in the latter part of that decade.

But Little Richard, born Richard Penniman in Macon, Georgia, was a man full of contradictions and remorse throughout most of his life.  One of 12 children, he and his family were devoted Christians who believed that the blues (and therefore rock and roll) were evil and the “music of the devil.”   At that time, rock and roll music was deemed “profane” by most ministers and church leaders in the South.

Growing up in a society where not only was he a rock and roll star, but also under the microscope of most of the authority figures of America, he was skating on the edge of a razor as a young gay black man living in Georgia.

As most rock fans know, he would quit the rock and roll business in 1959 to get married and enter bible college to atone for his “many sins.”  Naturally, neither venture would work and by the early 1960s he was asked to headline a U.K. tour with the then-unknown Beatles and Rolling Stones.

He did so thinking it was a gospel tour, but soon found out differently and ultimately succumbed to the cheers of the crowds asking for his hits like “Lucille” and “Tutti Frutti.”

Yet Richard would not be able to ever forget an experience as a young boy that would remain with him the rest of his life – one he said shaped a life full of shame, regret, and anguish.

As Little Richard grew older he admitted that his lifelong struggle with sexuality and religion created enormous guilt in his heart for his family, his close friends, and fans.  It was his relationship with his father that would forever remain with him as he made his choice to sing secular songs as a young man.

In a 2000 interview on the Donny and Marie talk show, the rock and roll star told of overhearing his father telling friends that the then-young Richard was nothing but an embarrassment to him, that he was ashamed of his son, adding that his father said, “I wish he (were) no son of mine.”

He went on to say in the tearful interview that his father wanted his brothers and sisters to grow up to be teachers, preachers, doctors, or lawyers, and from early in his life, “He didn’t like my actions or my ways.”  As a child, Richard also had to overcome a deformity in his right arm and leg, which were shorter than the left.  Author Charles White would write in a 2003 biography of Little Richard that this deformity would produce an unusual gait and he was mocked for his effeminate appearance.  Richard believed his deformity and the teasing he endured also added to his father’s “disgrace” in his son.

Once Little Richard started to show his interest in becoming an entertainer, the relationship with his father came to an end.  Eventually, Richard’s father kicked him out of the house and refused to acknowledge his seventh son.   When Richard was 19 years old, his father would be shot and killed by a family friend.  In a 1984 interview with The New Yorker he recalled, “I was a dumb black kid and my mama had 12 kids and my daddy was dead. We never quite found out what really happened,” he stated, and would try to provide for his mother and siblings with the income he received as a famous entertainer.

But Richard would say it took years before he could share the story of learning his father’s true feelings toward him.  The words he overheard that night would live with him forever and create enormous self-doubt in his talents as a singer, songwriter, and as a person.

Little Richard died in 2020 after a short illness, but not before being recognized by the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and the NAACP Image Award Hall of Fame (just to name a few).

His music continues to be studied and enjoyed by new generations of fans worldwide.

Have a great week everyone.   Rob

TheRockandRollProfessor.com