Ow man l little richc, itits now 16 6 yes sincnce you hadd your f first hits. Oh, yes. Do youou realize t th well, you must r realize that at Yoyour Performrmances now there e are peoplele who wet even a alive when n you first t . Yes,s, but i i have woke e them up n. Everybybody that w wasnt alive whenen i starteded and was g , i Hahave Broughtht The Spiririt and d put it on n them. Werere you alwayays so . No, im m not. A lot ofof people say im m shy, bubut i let itit all hang g , everery bit. The lolove, ththe gentleneness, the tetenderness, the kindndness, yoyou aint susupposed toto hide themem. You got t it. God gagave it. Shshow it to t the world. Announuncer ladieies and gentn, if you wilill, a man whoos become a a leged in his ownwn time, Little Ricichard [ cheersrs and applalause ] gooood golly, m miss molly s sure like t to ball that m music, thatat beat, his voice. E. The oooh my gogod, who is s that . Who is t that . Cant heaear your mamama cal good gogolly, miss s molly id nevever seen anyny of it be. G good golly,y, miss Molll Jagggger just, like, tataking your r clothes ofo. S sure like t to ball if thereres a pianono, get on. He was e everything. G. He spit onon every Rulule Therere was in m music. King he c created thehe temple for ththe rocknnroll ico. Porterer sorry, y yall. It wasasnt elvis. S. Jones s he was lilike a memeteor arriviving. Woman a a comet. Man n a quasar. R. King hihis dna is e everywhe. Its like,e, how do yoyou refefer to the a air . How do youou refer to o the s . Little ricichard im the ememancipator. R. Iim the archchitect. Iim the one e that startrted. Lelet it all h hang out Wiwith The BeaeautifulLittle Ricichard frfrom down in maconon, georgia. A. I wantnt you all t to know that i am m the bronzeze liber. Shut up. P. Man typicically we spspeak ofof legacy inin the laudadat. The legagacy of Littttle Richd is comomplex. Pleasese, please. Id rathther do it m myself. Wawatching hisis Interviewes Overer the decadades, yoyou can seee the varirious differerent versi. Im nonot conceiteted. [ auaudience shohouts indiststi] im convnvinced. Yoyou could sesee Him Crafting H his legacy,y, presentingng His Storyry Over D over a again in didifferent wa. I i was gay alall my life. E. I believeve i was onone of the f first gay y people to o come out. But Gogod Let Me K know that h e adam to bebe with eve,e, not s. Man whahat was his s life tht he expxperienced s such deligh. Hes comiming, hes c comin man n . And susuch terrorr at thehe same timeme . Lilittle richahard you knknow, i wiwill get up p off an orgrgy and go p pick up my y bible. Newman itits almost t like hahaving a splplit personanal. Kingng hes toooo much. Hess too much h for everyoy. Glenn people want it to be a thing. Richard really didnt have a thing. As the p progeny, we must t Understandnd What K Kind of spipirit he ws and how ththis thing tore Himim Asunder S sometime. Whwhoo king he opened d up a way. The Openining Thatat says somemething like, we e can get toto this plac, but i mamay not get there e with you. [ Bebell Clangining ] Lilittle Richahard im from a litittle countrtry t. [ train n horn blowsws ] macocon, georgiaia. Everybody was wondering what was i, whwho was i, and wherere was i gogoing . But i knewew all the t time. I wantnted to be a a star. [ Singining Indistininctly ] whwhen i was a a little bob, there e wasnt anyny rock n . Save e my soul you knknow, everybybody, you k, thatat was that t old thing. And d i thought t that was t tht thing i i ever heardrd in my l. My motother would d be in the Backyayard Washingng our clots onon what you u call a a rub board. D. There e was a lot t of blues. Walklking down t the streets, you would d see black k singes playing g the guitarar. S see my womaman, tellll her hurryry home aint h had no lovivin sincnce she beenen gone got to o step it upup and g y yeah, yeah h Little Ricichard my mother r had 12 chihildre. We had t to Sleep Onon Palles on the f floor. And mymy mother hahad to Cocook Beans E every day. We c couldnt geget enough. You knknow, causese its 12 k. You u know, a bibig old pott of ricice and collllard green. My mother r was so she was s so sweet t to me. My granddadaddy had a a old pi, but i i couldnt p play. I i just hit e every key, and evererybodyd bebe about t to say, ooh he wasas always babanging on the Piaiano Every Timeme you see h him. We would a always Sneaeak Down E and be l looking inn the kikitchen windndow. Littttle richardrd everybododyd to help p me to playay, Bubut I Just D didnt knoww how Toto Memorize E those key. I used t to Hang Outut With H his brotherers, ththe younger r ones, and sisterers. Hihis daddy, charles bbud pennimiman, was Vevery Strict T on him, very strtrict. He w was a Minisister Whwho owned a a small Nighghtb Anand had a Bobootleg Housue At T the same titime. Yeah jackckson Maconon Is Knownn for itits churcheses. Its thehe conservatative reliligious townwn. Sundayays, his s mother wouould get himip and hed a attend the E Baptit Church W with her atat new ho. Collier if you u sat inin the baptitist church, you donnt move at t all. Jackson n and thenn it wouldld be time f for him toto go to thehe a. M. E. Chchh wiwith this fafather. Cocollier you sit inin the holy y rolle, you donnt sit downwn at ya. Lord,d, lord, lorord, lord Littttle Richardrd all the e cn would go t to this chuhurch. Oh, jesusus must hahave been jejesus oh Lilittle RichahardI Woulud Get T there, andnd i would s. But they w wouldnt lelet me sising that mumuch ccause i wououldnt stopo. And d then peoplple started d hg Little T Turns And Thinings In My V voice anand started d requestingng. People usesed to come e to me whwhen i was a a little boby for me to o pray for t them, anand my motheher used to o y ththat youre e crazy. Robinsonon i will s say this a hundrered thousandnd times, the south h is the homome of a all things s queer, of thehe differentnt, of t the nonnorormative, of thehe other sidide, of thehe gothic, o of the groto. Note that t queernesss is notot just abouout sexuali, bubut about a a presence i in ae that i is differenent from w what we reqequire or exe, Difffferent Fromom the norm. Littlele richard and, you k, baback in thatat day, yoyou have sununday clotheh. Soso i would t take my m mothers susunday pins, her r little brorooches and thingsgs, and put t them on mymy monday jt and my t tuesday shihirt. I worere my motherers curtai, the shsheets, put on somome makeup o on my f. My d daddyd likike to kill l. They calalled him a a sissy, a punk, a a faggot. Jackson n when he c came to tn and whitites were exexposed to , it w was kind ofof a shock. I a am tired Littlele Richard My Dad Didt Lilike my actitions and mymy. I wawas born defeformed from a chihild. One of m my legs wasas long, Anand One Of T thems smala. And thisis is my lonong arm, and this i is my shortrt arm. From i he e itit was just. T. I never r could do n nothing g. He t told me toto get out o of the housu, that he e didnt he didnnt want me e there no , ththat he hateted me. He s says that, i wananted seven n boys, anand you are e messing itit becacause i was s gay, hehe put me ouout. Porter i i can only i imagin. Ive Livived ThroughghMy Verersions Of T that. Its debebilitating. G. Its s soul crushihing. And itit can be dedeadly. [ Enginene Starts ]] collier r ann and h her Husbd Actualally took ririchard in, let him ststay upstairirs. A whwhite club i in my hometeton calleded anns ticic toc. Jackckson you k know, what t wd think ofof as a gayay club. It was kinind of like e a speak. You had toto know wherere to o and how w to get in. N. I used to o play therere, and i was singining blues, and i was singnging gospelel. All in n my room m music everyrywhere My Favavorite Singnger was Sisister Rosetetta Tharpe. E. Thisis black womoman could p pl. The momother of rorock n ro. Ththere is no o other mothth. Sistster rosetta t Tharpe Shshifted A Lolot Of What W We Thought T was possie for Blblack Soundd Outside E of the chuhurch. Everywhwhere that i i go eveverywhere ththat i be robinsnson the pupurpose is t m on the piaiano or on t the guir until yoyou get to the mountataintop, until yoyou reach the ecststatic spacece. When the s spirit comemes. Sining in the m morning, sing in n the evenining sing in t the middlee of Thehe Day Robinsnson . Thahat is the r anand the rollllin. Jesus i is mine [ chcheers and a applause ]] littlele richard one nigh, Sisister Rosetetta Tharpe came through. Stewarart the Macacon City Auditoririum is a Vevenue Thatat many Peopople Playedd in the h height of t their care. Richchard workeded there as a teenanager. Lilittle richahard anand i went b backstage. And i Wawas Singingg a Sistster Rosettata Tharpe Sg called ststrange thinings happg everery day. And d sister thaharpe said, i havave a littlele boy, and he s said he Couould Beatat me singining. And shshe brought t me out the. Mymy mother sasaid, go onon, j jesus is ththe holy Lifi Tururning Darknkness into l l There Arere Strange T thins happening g every day y na,a, na, na, n na, mm, mm and everyry day Little R Richard ththats the t timeme i ever wawas onstage. And i i was up Thehere Justst Screamingng and singig. Evevery day t there are s Strange Thihingd theyre e happening g every Da Littttle Richardrd thatat was the g Greatest ThtgEvever Happenened to me. And so i h had to get out ofof macon. Plus, i i was ready y to shin. Little ricichard I Wawas Workg in atltlanta, geororgia, at the r royal peacocock, and d i met a sisinger nanamed billy y wright. He w wore green n suits and green n and gold s shoes. Iid never Seseen A Man Dressed D like that. T. Y yes, i rememember a all the Thihings Ththat we useded to do Littttle Richardrd i idololized him. It wasnnt his Voicice Thatat got me. I i liked the e way he loooo. Billy wrigight. He had t the high popompadou. Ththe pancake e makeup. Anthonony the masascara and the littttle pencil l mustach. He was also openly gay. Little r richard i i had alrey stararted wearining the hair, but t when i sawaw him, i ststd sweeping i it back on n the si. Anthony and then billy helped richard get his first record deal. Little richard they recorded me in t the Lobby O Of The E radio statation. Wasnsnt no stududio. T taxi, taxi,i, take me a any it wasas popular i in macon and in atltlanta. Taxi, taxaxi. Kingng richard d becomes more famamous in macacon, anand his Fathther Startss Playining these sosongs around thehe clock at t the cl. Richard saidid for the E First Timeme in his l, his father was proud of him. And bud penniman actually welcomes richard back into the famimily home. One night, i would sit there all night and watch people get off the bus, you know . You know, you understand. And he got off. I said, oh, boy. He said, i play piano. I saidid, i sing. G. So we gogot together. King he h had a flambmboyan, wildchildld style. Hehe would statand up while playing piano. O. Hadley esesquerita, who is a also queer,r, taught him how to play piano. Hes a harard guy to get alolong with, but he tauaught me hohow to play. Y. Thank k you, esqueuerita, wherever y you are. Rorobinson i i think whenen pe Talk Aboutut Billy Wriright or e esqueritass influence, theyeyre like, oh,h, well, Litittle Richard Justst stole Hisis Whole Swaw i think ththats not e exacty whats happening. It i is another case of witnes. They are kind of like the mirrors that come into your life to show you who you really are. Sounds so sad. Isnt that sad . Whoowhee, it make y you cry. That w was my daddddys fafavorite sonong. Itit was calleled chain o of king richard told his father he could help take care of the famamily financially, but he didnt have a way to get around. So he told me he was gonna help me get a car. Bubut he died d that fridaday. Whenen i came frfrom the clu, he w was dead. Richardds best fririend shshot him. In order to help support his family, hes a dishwasher at a Greyhound Bus station. I i was makingng 15 a weeeek, and cocouldnt eatat in Thehe Restauranant where i i was fixingng the stuf. They woululdnt let y you ea . No, youou couldnt t eat the. You u couldnt g go to thehe bathroom m either. I loved my mother so much, and i was determined to be something, to make something out of myself to help her. Hadley hes stillll workig the toururing circuiuits. And hess part of g groups tt are toururing all ovover the so. Loving this pay bump in our allowance. Wonder where mom and dad got the extra money . Maybe they won the lottery . Maybe they inherited a fortune . Maybe buried treasure . Maybe it fell off a truck . Maybe they heard that xfinity customers can save hundreds when they buy one unlimted line and get one free. Now i can buy that Electric Scooter im starting a Privateequity Fund that specializes in midcap. You do you. Visit xfinitymobile. Com today. Hey, hey,y, hey hey, hey price i was in a augusta, gegeorgi, and Ririchard Cameme over withl thisis makeup anand this lououd. Id never r seen ananybody likeke richard. He hadad run into o lloyd pri, a a Big Hit Rerecord Withh lawdydy miss clawawdy. Feelels so good d today price i i had this s white and red cacadillac. He saiaid, i wantnt a car jujust like ththat. I wawant to get t out of geoeo. You got toto help me. And he sayays, make a a demo anand send it t to art rupue at s specialty r records. Of c course, thehe rest of it is h history. [ applauause ] Littttle Richardrd ah, ladis and d gentlemen,n, good evene. Baby dont youou Wish Yourur Man Hahad long haiair like minin yeah verara art rupepe and his a a , bumps blackwell,l, listened to Little Richardss demo. Didnt think much of him. But riRichard Was SConstanty Pesterering the sesecretarie, and the E Persistencnce paid o. Rupepe said, okokay. Memeet him dowown in new o orl. Hess playing d down there. Do a sesession atat cosimos s with him. Blblackwell The Backck Of A Furnrniture Ste On Rampartrt Street thats w where we wewere record. Tyleler very smsmall place. E. Itit looked lilike a hohotdog stanand. Man when you first saw and heard Little R Richard, what werere your impressionons of him . . Wow. W. Wow. I was s beautiful. L. And they w wasnt useded to bebeing aroundnd no young, goododlooking g guy like me. Iim not concnceited, eitit. Little ricichard came e in flittyty, running,g, and he w was very well, hehe was very y beautif. Littttle richardrd when i wene, they w wanted Me T To Sound Le Ray Y charles anand b. B. Kin. Im all a alone alone in n this worldld i im all alo