Originally Richard Wayne Penniman, “Little Richard” was born in Macon, Georgia, on December 5th, 1932. Richard was exposed to music at a very early age. The family sang regularly and called themselves the Penniman Singers. Richard sang in many churches and entered several musical contests. Richard’s early musical career was launched within the church, and he used the words of the Bible as an inspiration for his early work.

Little Richard was influenced greatly by the work of the early Black Gospel singers that were active during the 1930s and 1940s. At an appearance with Sister Rosetta Tharpe in 1945, Richard got his first taste of professional performance. Billy Wright, known as the “Prince of the Blues”, is said to have influenced the manner in which Little Richard dressed and performed.

Richard was shot into the national spotlight with “Tutti Frutti.” Richard recorded throughout the 1950s, producing popular rock and roll tracks. In the 1960s, however, Richard went back to his Gospel roots. In the 1980s, Richard was honored with induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Richard continued to perform some of his classic tunes in the 80s and 90s, while also recording Gospel music. In the early 2000s, Richard did some soundtrack work for films such as Twins and Casper the Friendly Ghost. Richard continues to make guest appearances on several talk shows, and cameos in a number of films. Richard also hosted the 50th Grammy Awards.