The final version of Little Richard’s record was taken from the October session. It was first recorded by Little Richard in fact it was recorded twice, in July 1956 and again in October 1956, both times in New Orleans and on both occasions with the same group of Upsetters as backups. Good Golly Miss Molly was written by Bumps Blackwell and John Marascalco, and was produced by Blackwell. Here is a photo of Little Richard, ‘The Georgia Peach.’ Richard was upset because although Pat Boone had a beautiful voice, Boone was in no way an R&B singer. However, Little Richard was not amused - he was offended that Boone’s cover out-sold his own record. Many black artists would have been thrilled that their record had been covered by a teen idol such as Pat Boone. Then crooner Pat Boone released a cover of Tutti Frutti. It also was a major “cross-over” success, making it up to #17 on the Billboard Top 100 charts. Tutti Frutti was a significant hit, reaching #2 on the Billboard R&B charts. The result was Little Richard’s first big record, Tutti Frutti, released as a single at the end of 1955. Blackwell was taken by the infectious beat of the song, and brought in songwriter Dorothy La Bostrie to “clean up” the lyrics. Blackwell had previously worked with R&B legend Ray Charles, and Blackwell believed that Little Richard had the potential to be as successful as Charles.ĭuring a break in a recording session, Blackwell heard Little Richard and his band playing a smutty song that Richard had performed on the vaudeville circuit. The management at Specialty Records hooked Richard up with producer Robert “Bumps” Blackwell. In the mid-50s, Little Richard’s fortunes began to improve dramatically. Below is a photo of Little Richard in the 1950s. He took the stage name “Little Richard,” learned how to play boogie-woogie piano, and fronted a band called The Upsetters. However, at the age of 16 he left home and began performing on the “Chitlin’ Circuit,” and he also was featured as a drag performer in some vaudeville shows.Īlthough Penniman was recording songs as early as 1951, he found it difficult to break into the recording scene. Penniman’s early opportunities were limited because his family refused to allow him to perform secular music. Richard showed considerable musical ability both in playing saxophone and singing in his family’s gospel choir at the Pentecostal church. ![]() He was the third of twelve children of a local pastor. Richard Penniman was born in Macon, Georgia in 1932. This was not much of an exaggeration – he was one of the seminal figures in the early days of rhythm & blues, with a career that lasted nearly 70 years. Little Richard used to boast that he had invented rock ‘n roll. Little Richard and Good Golly, Miss Molly: Next, we will review a cover by Jerry Lee Lewis, and finally a cover by Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels. We will begin with the original by Little Richard. Hello there! This week our blog features one of the great ‘roots’ rock ‘n roll songs, Good Golly, Miss Molly.
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