Little Richard, rock’s flamboyant founding father, dies at 87
- With a distinctive voice that ranged from robust belting to howling falsetto, Richard transformed the blues into the feverish new style of rock ‘n’ roll
- His 1955 song “Tutti Frutti,” even with its gay sex theme toned down for radio, became a sort of opening salvo of rock’s entry into American life
Little Richard, whose outrageous showmanship and lightning-fast rhythms intoxicated crowds in the 1950s with hits like “Tutti Frutti” and “Long Tall Sally,” has died. He was 87.
Citing the rock ‘n’ roll pioneer’s son, Rolling Stone magazine said on Saturday the cause of death was unknown.
With a distinctive voice that ranged from robust belting to howling falsetto, Richard transfixed audiences and became an inspiration for artists including The Beatles as he transformed the blues into the feverish new style of rock ‘n’ roll alongside Fats Domino and Chuck Berry.
His raunchy 1955 song “Tutti Frutti,” even with its gay sex theme toned down for radio, became a sort of opening salvo of rock ‘n’ roll’s entry into American life, starting with his nonsensical but instantly thrilling first line: “Awop bop a loo mop / Alop bam boom.”
But if his contemporaries kept the respectabilities of old-time musicians, Richard stunned buttoned-down post-World War II America with an otherworldly look of blindingly colourful shirts, glass-embedded dinner jackets, a needle-thin moustache and a 15-centimetre (six-inch) high pompadour haircut.