#RIPitup Little Richard (17) Little words (5) Little want (4) Little mother (4) Little cocaine (4) Little house (4) Little fury (4)
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Little
rock hard
Richard
rock
Dorothy LaBostrie, cowriter “Tutti Frutti” on
Tutti Frutti ice cream
&
rock ’n’ roll
hard
"Efter his patruell deid withoutin contradictioun he wes king."
He
was not quite a hillbilly, not yet a drugstore cowboy. He was a
Southern — in that word’s connotation of rebellion and slow, sweet
charm.
Stanley Booth, casting back to the 1950s in his Esquire magazine
article “Situation Report: Elvis in Memphis, 1967.”
Little Richard at Wembley Stadium in London in 1972.
(Jack Kay / Getty Images)
Little Richard Inducts Otis Redding into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Little Richard inducts Otis Redding into the Hall of Fame at the 1989 Inductions Ceremony.
Looking for more Induction Ceremony memories from Otis Redding?
We became very good friends, leased homes in Bel Air and visited each
other. And back then, in the early 60's of course, I had a wife, and
four little children, he was not married, and would come over some
afternoons unannounced and visit with me, my wife and my children. They
would maybe jump out of the swimming pool, and come running up and get
in his lap, and he would become soaking wet, you know, and I would say,
'Girls, don't do that'.
And Elvis said, 'Oh, no, let them, let them'.
And I knew that he wanted a family.
Pat Boone, in an exclusiv3e interview with David Adamas, for elvisaustralia
Did Pat Boone’s Recording of “Tutti Frutti” Result in the Song Being “Sanitized”?
Here is the latest in a series of examinations into urban legends about music and whether they are true or false. Click here to view an archive of the music urban legends featured so far.
MUSIC URBAN LEGEND: Pat Boone’s recording of Little Richard’s “Tutti Frutti” resulted in the lyrics being sanitized.
In a recent Music Urban Legends Revealed, we took a look at the misconception that Pat Boone changed Fats Domino’s “Ain’t That a Shame” to “Isn’t That a Shame.”
Today, we look at a different misconception regarding Pat Boone’s role regarding the sanitization of a rock ‘n’ roll song.
Once again, like last time, we should note that one of the more embarrassing facets
of popular music history was the period in time when songs written
and/or first performed by black artists were then re-recorded by white
singers for the “white audience.”
As the white audience was obviously much larger, artists would
typically lose out on a good deal of sales (and therefore, royalties)
from this practice.
Little Richard’s 1955 song (which began rising in the charts in 1956), “Tutti Frutti” did very well for Little Richard…
but even better for Pat Boone, who did a cover version
in 1956 that outperformed Little Richard’s version on the U.S. pop
charts (Boone ended up at #12 while Little Richard stalled at #17, which
was still a good performance for a so-called “black” song).
In any event, just like how Boone supposedly had the title of “Ain’t
That a Shame” changed to “Isn’t That a Shame,”“Tutti Frutti” was also
supposedly sanitized for the “white” crowd.
And it is true, as commented Cleftonefan notes,
Boone’s version of “Tutti Frutti” WAS sanitized from Little Richard’s
taking the lyric
“Got a girl named Daisy, she almost drives me crazy.
She knows how to love me, yes indeed. Boy I dont know what youre doin to me” and changing it to “I got a gal, her name’s Daisy She almost drives me crazy She’s a real gone cookie Yes, sir-ree But pretty little Susie Is The gal for me”).
However, the most dramatic sanitation of the song occurred before Little Richard ever recorded the tune!
When Producer Bumps Blackwell decided to bring Little Richard into
the studio to record “Tutti Frutti,” he knew the song could be a hit,
but the original lyrics were a bit too much for a general audience.
Little Richard & Bumps Blackwell - 1973
This speaks for itself.
Little Richard and cohort Bumps Blackwell talk religion, race, and
music; Blackwell guides the back-up band; Richard is coiffed and
receives courtiers including Bill Haley and Chubby Checker.
So Rockwell hired songwriter Dorothy LaBostrie to “fix” the lyrics, and she changed the chorus from
Tutti Frutti, good booty,
If it don’t fit, don’t force it
You can grease it
make it easy
to the now famous…
Tutti Frutti, all rooty!
Tutti Frutti, all rooty
Now That's some sanitizing! So while yes, Pat Boone went even FURTHER, the major sanitizing had already occurred.
The legend is…
STATUS: True, but a bit misleading, since the major sanitizing had already happened before Boone covered it
Little
Richard upended American culture starting in the mid-1950s with a set of
scorched-earth performances on record, in concert, in film and on television. The high-pompadoured pianist, born Richard Penniman,
screamed, whooped and pounded on his keys as he ripped through ecstatic
R&B songs including “Long Tall Sally,” “Tutti Frutti” and “Rip It
Up.” Awestruck teens erupted — and furrow-browed parents wondered if
they were witnessing the end of civilized culture. (They were.)
Below
are 10 heart-pounding examples of Little Richard defining not only the
sound of rock ’n’ roll, but its look and style as well.
“The Girl Can’t Help It”
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One of the earliest rock ’n’ roll movies, “The Girl Can’t Help It” starred Jayne Mansfield and featured performances by musicians including Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, the Treniers and Fats Domino. The film was named for Little Richard’s song of the same name, about a woman so sexy that “If she walks by and the menfolks get engrossed (she can’t help it, the girl can’t help it) / If she winks an eye and bread slices turn to toast (she can’t help it, the girl can’t help it).”
Little Richard’s performance in this film, which premiered in England in 1957, is said to have helped set a young John Lennon on his course.
“Long Tall Sally”
A year earlier, Little Richard’s charisma marked him as a performer ascending as steadily as his pompadour. As performed in the 1956 film “Don’t Knock the Rock,” “Long Tall Sally” showcases his confident, gospel-driven voice.
The song was recorded at Cosimo Matassa’s studio in New Orleans with producer Bumps Blackwell, and its success helped revive the fortunes of Los Angeles-based Specialty Records, founded a decade earlier. The single spent 19 weeks at the top of the Billboard R&B charts that year, and peaked at No. 6 on the pop charts. Its crossover success was among the watershed moments in the commercial potential of rock ’n’ roll.
“Tutti Frutti”
Little Richard’s breakout hit was also recorded in New Orleans. Written by him and songwriter Dorothy LaBostrie in 1955, it was his calling card.
With its ridiculous, virtually meaningless lyrics but pounding rhythm and delivery, “Tutti Frutti” helped codify the notion that wailing “a-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-wop-bam-boom!”to open a song could be as giddily romantic as a Shakespeare sonnet. But could he carry a whole movie? This undated screen test suggests yes.
“Good Golly Miss Molly”
“Good Golly, Miss Molly” reached No. 4 on the Billboard pop charts in 1957. It proved he wasn’t a fluke. And that if he didn’t cut his hair, it grew vertically, not horizontally.
“Rip It Up”
Performing in a well-tailored suit and minus his piano, this early 1960s U.K. performance from a short-lived TV show he hosted highlights Little Richard’s yowling, octave-leaping voice. The clip also displays the strange rock ’n’ roll racial dynamics of the time: The singer seems to be the only black person in the room. He’s backed by an all-white band and they’re all performing for what appears to be an all-white crowd.
“Send Me Some Lovin’”
This televised 1966 performance of a song recorded during the same sessions as “The Girl Can’t Help It” illustrates Richard the Belter, a man who could go toe to toe with any soul singer on the planet. Shot for French TV, this wondrous close-up shows an artist lost in yearning, at one with a ballad.
Tom Jones and Little Richard medley
Tom Jones had a TV show in 1969, and apparently by then Little Richard had started investing in wigs. They team up here for a nostalgia-fueled medley.
“Chain of Fools”
A man seemingly thrilled to have a camera pointed at him, Little Richard was a regular presence on TV shows hosted by Mike Douglas, Tom Snyder, Merv Griffin, Johnny Carson and David Letterman. Here, the artist performs a song made popular by Aretha Franklin. By 1970, Little Richard’s appearances on the charts were rare, but his voice was more powerful than ever, as was his hairdo.
“Good Golly Miss Molly”
This wild video is taken from what appears to be a local TV show called “Barry Richards Presents.” It sees Little Richard, backed by a band called Jamul, thurning “Good Golly, Miss Molly” on its head. His performance starts at 2:43.
“Lucille”
Like most of Little Richard’s hits, in the studio “Lucille” was driven by drumming genius Earl Palmer’s urgent pounding. This 1973 footage suggests that by then, Palmer’s beats were being augmented by Little Richard’s double-listed keyboard army and at least two percussionists. Style-wise, the artist was laying the groundwork for Prince’s whole thing.
“Rubber Ducky”
Little Richard has known a very tormented and ambiguous life for more than one reason.
Long before Ian Dury and his Blockheads, Little Richard had made his
profession of faith for so many rockers: sex, drugs & rock'n'roll.
Alcohol and cocaine were his touring companions, not to mention an
unbridled sexuality on which he always said everything and its opposite.
His first steps in music, he made them very young, at the church, where he sang gospel. He stood out there with a voice with a high pitched tone, which earned him being chased from his home at 13 years old. The man who is still called Richard Wayne Penniman is suspected by his father of being gay.
It is inconceivable in a family very strict on the moral level, even if
it is the contraband alcohol and the management of a club of Macon
which fill the pot.
Little Richard will maintain this sexual ambiguity all his life.
Through his looks and his voice, but also by pretending in turn,
depending on the era, heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual, and by
openly evoking what he called his nocturnal orgies.
Sexuality is also intimately linked to its success. His first hit, "Tutti Frutti", with his famous "A wop / Bop a loo bop / A lop / Bam boom", evokes anything but ... fruit. The expression "tutti frutti" designates a homosexual in slang. According to legend, the lyrics of the original version of the song left no doubt: "Tutti Frutti, good booty / If it don't fit, don't force it" .
Good to know in French: "Tutti Frutti, bon petit cul / If it doesn't come in, don't force it" . On disc, it is less explicit but few people are fooled.
And all this will not prevent the single released in 1955 from rising
to second place in the American charts dedicated to rhythm & blues.
God gave him faith
Two years later, however, Little Richard began theology and preaching lessons.
After the successes of "Tutti Frutti", "Long Tall Sally", "Rip It Up"
"Lucille", "Whole Lotta Shakin'Goin'On" or "Good Golly Miss Molly", he
decides that he no longer wants sing only gospel to show faith. This is reminiscent of what Kanye West is doing today.
Even if from the mid-60s, the rock fever resumed, he spent his time
trying to reconcile religion with the music of Satan and his addictions. It gradually began to become rarer from the 90s. Its last concert in Europe dates back to 2005, its last stage in 2014.
This is Rock & Roll as it is supposed to be played; live,
unencumbered, and just for the unadulterated joy of playing the music
that these musicians love to play. Fats & Friends
was recorded in 1986 at the historic nightclub, Storyville, in New
Orleans, in front of a crowd that loves its music, particularly when it
is played well, and by locals (or those it has adopted as locals for
whatever reason). Paul Shaffer was the host of the event and for the
most part introduces the main players and stays out of the way of the
big boys. He gets his airtime at the end doing all the explaining, and
he goes into too much detail.
Fats Domino is the main ingredient here, he is the one who is being
honored, it is his hometown, and he has his band with him. This
includes long time collaborator Dave Bartholomew one of the main
architects of the New Orleans sound, he is an arranger, bandleader
trumpet player and a long time producer of music that came out of the
Crescent City, going back into the 40s. Fats takes the bandstand and
goes thru a small fraction of his hit songs and or songs he just felt
like playing that night (seven songs) and then Jerry Lee Lewis takes the
stage with a band that includes Ronnie Wood and whips thru three songs;
two old time favorites and a newer one. And he vacates for Paul
Shaffer and his All Star Band that includes Ronnie Wood and they do one
cut and then the genius of Ray Charles who does two cuts. And that
leads to the jam at the end. This lacks some of the sparks that might be
expected to be forthcoming, but never really materializes. It is good
but with three such strong figures who are so used to doing it 'their'
way that it never really shakes out.
The bonus features include the sound check and it is a very typical
sound check with much discussion and not a lot of full out playing. The
interview with Paul Shaffer and his commentary is pretty much his way
his justification for being there. To be honest there was need for a
moderator with three A List personalities but a little less talk and
more playing would have gone a long way to make this a sparkling disc.
Songs:
Fats Domino:
The Fat Man
Walking to New Orleans
Blueberry Hill
Shake, Rattle & Roll
So Long
C.C. Rider
Sentimental Journey
Jerry Lee Lewis ( with Ron Wood):
I Am What I Am
Great Balls of Fire
Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On
Paul Shaffer, Ron Wood and All-Star Band:
A Certain Girl
Ray Charles (with Paul Shaffer, Ron Wood and All-Star Band):
I've Got a Woman
Drown in My Own Tears
Fats, Jerry Lee and Ray (with Wood, Shaffer and All-Star Band):
A review written for the Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange
by Bob Gottlieb
(taoboy@cox.net)
Little Richard, 'Tutti Frutti' and 'Good Golly Miss Molly' singer, dead at 87
Little the way you have to say family words, Miss Ann and the nuances of the Secret Service,
Secret Service
folks almost look like they were stamped out from a machine. They do
executive protection, and that usually means dark suit, short haircut,
and no facial hair, as they need to blend in with the other high-powered people they're working around, and
talking about Little Richard is probably the Wildhorse, which we are
miracles everywhere if too milquetoast, despair on the other groups
'travelin', playing.
James, who brought Atlanta to the sky.
Jim Tiernan. Live
Entertainment Expert | Professional Pianist/Vocalist | Dance Band Leader
| Music Dance Bands & DJs Representative. Blue Sky Atlanta Music ...
Greater Atlanta Area - Blue Sky Atlanta Music and Entertainment
He said, I really don't know where the fire story is with older women.
“Do
all lovers feel they're inventing something?” asks Heloise, a young
woman experiencing romantic passion for the first time. It's a beautiful
line, but it's also emblematic of the spirit of “Portrait of a Lady on
Fire,” a film in which everything feels stunningly fresh, raw and new.Mar 6, 2020
I am really trying to figure out how he would sing, too sweet, the trio with trifles.
No matter how little he tries, there is a quality in his voice that is very seldom ... she would have said, “I am determined you shall see I am not out of humor,” sung delightfully. She was vociferously encored, and gave us two ballads with marvellous sweetness. ... For no true artist, I take it, will trifle with his art, as Briguoli does.
Little
Richards' little mother putting powder on Broadway and a good whore of
Tutti Frutti A good booty has become aw rutti, words with various other
joyful things.
Little family words don't want Miss Ann and nuances of Secret Service, and Little Richard probably Wildhorsemiracles too milquetoaston other groups 'travelin', playing.
James brought Atlantad the sky.
He said, I really don't know where the fire story is with older women.
I am really trying to figure out how he would sing, too sweet, the trio with trifles.
Little Richards' little mother putting powder on Broadway and a good whore of Tutti Frutti.
A good booty has become aw rutti, words with various other joyful things.
Little million dollars don't want to check it so popular they begged mom to put on gunpowder December 11, always polite but adamant about his hip, Richard gives protege his hands on Broadway and Bro Boy, which we propose to check.
Little
Keep me all in the church song, and the music, raise Richard is to give
Richard sitting in the neon lights is not Broadway and the nuances of
the Secret Service, and remember that wild light.
Little Richards cell phone is joy in your prayers, the sun opened cloudy our consciences with Buddy Holly, and to say nonsense, the monkshoods have opened for a wheelchair ever since.
Little joy in church, he always believed they called him to treat by blackmailing Richard, a girl named Daisy.
The last public appearance in a wheelchair since.
He looked fabulous.
He did it.
zzzzzzzwas Richard in your prayers, the sun, and
remember they opened to cloud our consciences with Buddy Holly, and to
say nonsense, the monkshoods have opened for a wheelchair ever since.
Little chanting always believed they called him to treat Richard by blackmailing a girl named Daisy.
The last public appearance in a wheelchair looked fabulous.
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Little Richard at Wembley Stadium in London in 1972.(Jack Kay / Getty Images)
