He had the voice. He had the personality. He had the spirit. He had the boldness to pound on those piano keys. He had all that sex. And of course, he had the hair. Today marks the 80^th anniversary of the day Richard Wayne Penniman first arrived to rock the world with more than a little style and attitude.

Little Richard rolled straight up from a church in Georgia to the big stages to become the “Architect of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” You couldn’t have gone through the 1950s (or beyond, for that matter) without hearing the hoot and holler of Little Richard. He became one of the 10 original inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in 1993 and received the Pioneer Award from the Rhythm & Blues Foundation a year later. Happy birthday from Elmore, Little Richard.