Little Richard's success was a happy accident of sorts. He had already failed with two other record companies when Specialty Records decided to record him in 1955. Producer Bumps Blackwell of Specialty thought that Richard might work well with the unique sounds that came out of Cosima Matassa's recording studio in New Orleans.
And so it was that Little Richard, a native of Macon, Ga., became an exponent of the New Orleans sound, working with Blackwell and the Matassa house band.
This LP contains the biggest records that Richard made from 1955-57. For the most part, the musicians you hear are Lee Allen (tenor sax), Red Tyler (baritone sax), Frank Fields (bass), Earl Palmer (drums) and Edgar Blanchard, Roy Eustis Montrell or Justin Adams (guitar). They had played on many New Orleans hits by that time, and would continue to do so.
We call Little Richard a "rock 'n' roll" act, but was first and foremost a rhythm and blues artist, one with many influences. He liked the vocals of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and he borrowed some aspects of his stage personna from Billy Wright and Esquerita. Some of his repertoire (e.g., "Keep A-Knockin'") goes back to the 20s. His first hit, "Tutti-Frutti," was a salacious song that was toned down for recording purposes.
But Richard put all this together in his own way, one that is irresistible more than 60 years later.
Link (Apple lossless):
ReplyDeletehttps://mega.nz/file/XQEBES4b#k5KEN0pzpGAIw_Y951R1Wvj_AMQWurBjcuM9NL7LAwc
Wow, this really is out of character for the blog. I thought it was Perez Prado at first, but Little Richard is good, too. :)
ReplyDeleteI don't think I ever realized the drum intro from Keep A Knockin' was used verbatim as the intro to Led Zeppelin's Rock N Roll. I guess I should have known. If you're going to steal, best to steal from the best.
ReplyDeleteErnie,
DeleteI have a lot of rock 'n' roll records, I just never share them here. I think of Little Richard as an R&B artist, anyway.
Drum intro courtesy of the great Earl Palmer. That band was just incredible.
Thanks, Buster. I am a big fan of Specialty Records. Their Gospel recordings (Swan Silvertones) especially.
DeleteAnd when we listened to Little Richard in the mid fifties (and were ostracized for it) we definitely thought of his music as ROCK 'N ROLL.
It's not Earl Palmer on "Keep A Knockin'"! Both "Keep A Knockin'" and "Ooh! My Soul" (not on this LP) were recorded at a radio station in Washington DC with Richard's touring band, the Upsetters, and it's their drummer, Charles Connor.
DeleteOf the tracks here, "Boo Hoo Hoo Hoo" and "True Fine Mama" are also non-New Orleans recordings, in both cases done in Los Angeles; the former with the Upsetters, the latter with the band of fellow Specialty artist Guitar Slim.
Boursin - Thanks for the information. My source was apparently wrong!
DeleteWhat can I say?
ReplyDeleteAwopbopaloobopalopbamboom!
thanks.
What a treat! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI thought his 1951-52 RCA sides were excellent, but I guess the pop (white) audience wasn't ready for him. And, yes, his style and stage image were amazing close to Wright's. Re "Keeping A-Knocking" coming from the 1920s, Elvis' Sun records, mythologized as the starting point for r&r, include the 1934 "Blue Moon."
ReplyDeleteEr, "Keep A-Knocking." Oops.
ReplyDeleteWhat a treat! Thanks!
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