Album Review: “Here’s Little Richard”

The Architect of Rock and Roll surely made his entrance into the playing field known with his debut release, Here’s Little Richard. Surely enough, it became his highest-charting record, making a statement from the get-go. While Little Richard had been busy planting his seeds in the early 1950s, this particular release catapulted him into the limelight – which got people thinking, how exactly? He wasn’t really starting off from scratch and instead followed the template left by pioneers like Muddy Waters or Fats Domino. So why?

The answer to this might be Little Richard was his frenzied arrangements, outrageous personality, and that signature wail. Classics such as “Tutti Fruity”, “Long Tall Sally”, and “Baby” just blew everyone away at the time – and up to now in the present. His infectious energy not only manifested in his vocal performance but added a delightful quality to his piano playing as well. The man could seriously play the instrument – his chuggingly fast-paced cadence just ramping up the mood as he hypes up the audience.

Little Richard broke stereotypes as early as the ’50s, becoming one of the most prominent black performers who didn’t pay any attention to meekness – not to mention being gay at the same time. More than a musical phenomenon, Little Richard was the beginning of a cultural liberation that was amplified with the release of Here’s Little Richard.