RIP Little Richard | The Boneyard

RIP Little Richard

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McFly said:
Not quite. I believe Little Anthony and Jerry Lee Lewis are still with us. Can't be too many others.
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Only 1 left in the Mt. Rushmore of R&R Founding fathers - Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, & Jerry Lee Lewis. Only "The Killer" is left.
 
I went to the Ontario airport to pick up my brother in law,(from Maine), about 10 years ago and after being on planes all day without eating he informed me that he was real hungry.I stopped at the Hometown buffet in San Bernardino and while we were eating some people sang happy birthday to a particular birthday boy.When they finished,about 20 people stood up and sang the most beautiful,soulful rendition of happy birthday i have ever heard.Then i could see that it was Little Richard and his band.They were appearing at the San Manuel casino right there in town that evening.Too bad that spontaneous rendition can never happen again by Little Richard.
 
BostonBay said:
Only 1 left in the Mt. Rushmore of R&R Founding fathers - Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, & Jerry Lee Lewis. Only "The Killer" is left.
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Jerry Lee Lewis suffered a stroke last year. I thought he had died, but is still with us at 84 years old.

I would add a few others to the R&R elites. Fats Domino, Carl Perkins, Buddy Holly. No women? Connie Francis is the biggest name I can think of.
 
McFly said:
Not quite. I believe Little Anthony and Jerry Lee Lewis are still with us. Can't be too many others.
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Little Anthony Gourdine was more a rhythm and blues singer, singing with the Imperials. His first hit was in 1958, Tears on My Pillow. He is now 79.
 
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Aluminny69 said:
Jerry Lee Lewis suffered a stroke last year. I thought he had died, but is still with us at 84 years old.

I would add a few others to the R&R elites. Fats Domino, Carl Perkins, Buddy Holly. No women? Connie Francis is the biggest name I can think of.
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Big Joe Turner, the man who was the first to record "Shake, Rattle, & Roll is the main pioneer of Rock & Roll. He gets very little credit for what he did. Bill Haley got most of the credit for recording that song. It was hard to imitate Lil Richard and be successful with his songs. Pat Boone found that out.
 
Aluminny69 said:
Was he the last of the great fifties Rock n' Rollers?
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Aluminny, I think Jerry Lee Lewis is still alive but doubt if he is performing. And I, by no means of the imagination, would describe Pat Boone as a Rock n' Roller.
Jmsdawg said:
I saw him in person Jackson Mississippi 1957 at state fair grounds. He was great, parents told us we could not attend but we went anyway.
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Jmsdawg, I am amazed he was allowed to perform at that locale in 1957. Mississippi was probably the most segregated state at that time. But, then again, money talks.
 
Wow. It's like watching the end of an era. These are the people I grew up with, the ones who defined, good or bad, positive or negative, my culture as a young man. I knew what they were saying but my parents and grandparents shook their heads and thought that it was the beginning of the end for society. Probably the way our grandchildren feel when I tell them that "Rap" isn't really music. I imagine that somewhere in the past there were parents telling their children "Don't listen to that Mozart. All he writes are those silly Polonaises." But greatness will tell in the end and Little RIchard, damm, you were great.
 
donalddoowop said:
Big Joe Turner, the man who was the first to record "Shake, Rattle, & Roll is the main pioneer of Rock & Roll. He gets very little credit for what he did. Bill Haley got most of the credit for recording that song. It was hard to imitate Lil Richard and be successful with his songs. Pat Boone found that out.
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Donald, the last I heard of Big Joe Turner I believe he was over in Germany working with Axel Zwingenberger who is one of the greatest boogie woogie pianists of our time.
 
donalddoowop said:
It was hard to imitate Lil Richard and be successful with his songs. Pat Boone found that out.
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Huh? Pat Boone had a 60 year career singing Little Richard songs. He sucked but you can't say he wasn't successful.
 
Waquoit said:
Huh? Pat Boone had a 60 year career singing Little Richard songs. He sucked but you can't say he wasn't successful.
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I did not say he was not successful. He found out he sounded ridiculous singing them and true R&R fans did not like his covers. Most of Boone's career was in singing pop songs such as Moon River. After the fifties Boone was not singing Little Richard songs as the popularity of that music had faded. No way all of his sixty year career consisted of singing Little Richard songs.
 
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Steelerone said:
Donald, the last I heard of Big Joe Turner I believe he was over in Germany working with Axel Zwingenberger who is one of the greatest boogie woogie pianists of our time.
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Thank you for that information.
 
donalddoowop said:
I did not say he was not successful. He found out he sounded ridiculous singing them and true R&R fans did not like his covers. Most of Boone's career was in singing pop songs such as Moon River. After the fifties Boone was not singing Little Richard songs as the popularity of that music had faded. No way all of his sixty year career consisted of singing Little Richard songs.
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As I remember, two of Pat Boone's biggest hits were April Love and Love Letters in the Sand. I believe Andy Williams had a bigger hit with Moon River.

This is from WIKI: "Moon River" was a hit single for Jerry Butler in late 1961. Released simultaneously with Mancini's, it reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart[11] and number 3 Easy Listening[12] in December, two weeks before Mancini's recording reached the same chart ranking. Danny Williams had a hit version of the song that reached number one in the UK in the final week of 1961.[1] Although Andy Williams never released the song as a single, his LP Moon River and Other Great Movie Themes (1962), was certified gold in 1963 for selling one million units.[13] The album reached number 3 on the Billboard Top 200, eventually selling more than two million copies by 1967. "
 
Aluminny69 said:
As I remember, two of Pat Boone's biggest hits were April Love and Love Letters in the Sand. I believe Andy Williams had a bigger hit with Moon River.

This is from WIKI: "Moon River" was a hit single for Jerry Butler in late 1961. Released simultaneously with Mancini's, it reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart[11] and number 3 Easy Listening[12] in December, two weeks before Mancini's recording reached the same chart ranking. Danny Williams had a hit version of the song that reached number one in the UK in the final week of 1961.[1] Although Andy Williams never released the song as a single, his LP Moon River and Other Great Movie Themes (1962), was certified gold in 1963 for selling one million units.[13] The album reached number 3 on the Billboard Top 200, eventually selling more than two million copies by 1967. "
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It seems as if everyone except Pat Boone recorded "Moon River". Thanks for the correction. I had forgotten that Jerry Butler was one of the first to record it, a couple of years after leaving the Impressions.
 
donalddoowop said:
It seems as if everyone except Pat Boone recorded "Moon River". Thanks for the correction. I had forgotten that Jerry Butler was one of the first to record it, a couple of years after leaving the Impressions.
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Jerry Butler & the Impressions was a good hook-up .. "For Your Precious Love" wuz one of my favrit down-in-the-basement slooow dance songs when I wuz in high school. The Impressions fared well after Jerry left with a different [Curtis Mayfield] lead & sound :)
 
@Aluminny69
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Agree for the most part but I would add Bo Diddley to that list. Connie Francis was not a rock and roller, her songs were listed on the R&B charts. The most popular female singer in the fifties was Patti Page who was pop contemporary. Many a baby boomer had a dad who would croon over Patti "The Rage Page" whether mom was in ear shot or not. ;)
A good female of note from the era was Big Momma Thorton, she evolved into R&B but in 1952 this was some of the earliest rock n roll. ( For the tech police this is a later video as the strat guitar in the video came about in 1954) Elvis did OK with this one.... :D
 
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