Little Richard, the “King and Queen of Rock & Roll” and a true American original in every possible sense, passed away over the weekend. This death was a bit of an extra kick in the stomach, as Little Richard is responsible for most everything we love in popular music. When he declared himself the “architect of rock & roll” there was not one bit of hyperbole in that statement.
His early recordings for Specialty Records in the late 1950s – including “Tutti Frutti,” “Long Tall Sally,” “Rip It Up,” “Good Golly, Miss Molly,” “Lucille” and “Keep a Knockin'” – made his reputation, setting a properly unhinged and passionate tone that would inspire musicians to this day.
Everything about Little Richard was electric and compelling: the sound, the songs, the performances, the hair, that voice … hell even his appearance on Catalina Caper and his Taco Bell commercial were top-notch.
There was never, ever a dull moment.
Doing a deep-dive into Little Richard video gems on YouTube, we found a compilation clip of the Great One playing at Epcot from the early 2000s, and we had to share. This one’s got everything: incredible stage banter (“Did y’all like the Geico commercial?”), he’s-still-got-it-performance, and a stage invasion by a phalanx of middle-aged women. Enjoy.
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