Artist:     Little Richard

Album:     The Rill Thing / King of Rock and Roll

Label:     Omnivore Recordings

Release Date:     9.16.2020

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On May 9, 2020, Little Richard passed from this Earth, hopefully causing a huge ruckus in Rock & Roll Heaven, where he rightly takes his place. As one of the founding fathers and (as he liked to say) originators of rock and roll, Richard influenced artists from all over the world. Elvis and the Beatles both religiously copied “Long Tall Sally” and several of his hits. Pat Boone, while charting a top hit with “Tutti Frutti,” was honored by Little Richard himself as “opening up the door” for him. Though it seemed at times that Richard almost became a parody of himself, he never strayed too far from his art.

In 1970 and 1971, he released The Rill Thing and King of Rock and Roll, proving that he was definitively both! The first opens with the politically charged “Freedom Blues,” which put him back on the charts. His mostly original music rocks with a tenacity only Richard could manage.

Only “Dew Drop Inn” is a full on reminder of his early hits. At times, it seems like he and Otis Redding are trading licks, proving how Richard’s music heavily influenced the soul master. His cover of Hank Williams’ “Lovesick Blues” is proof.

Both recordings include rock, R&B, and country covers that become Little Richard classics all on their own. Legend says that he taught Paul McCartney his signature “ooooo,” something he gives back on “I Saw Her Standing There.” From the Beatles to CCR to Motown to the Rolling Stones, the “Georgia Peach” takes a back seat to nobody and reclaims his throne. Riding the “Midnight Special” to another universe, he is unequivocal. “Elvis Presley, have you heard the news?  I’m gonna walk over your blue suede shoes…Aretha Franklin is the Queen of Soul but who wants to be the queen when you’re the king of rock and roll?”

As the voice, the talent, and the outrageously flamboyant soul of Little Richard pass into another world, stop and celebrate the originator, the emancipator of rock and roll, the sometimes inexplicable Little Richard.

—Gene Knapp