Maps of Music

Little Richard (1958)

Where the lyrics of Little Richard take you, and where it was really made.

Nine of its twelve songs charted in the US, yet the album itself never appeared on any chart.

Key places

New Orleans recording site (1958)

Recording site J&M Music Shop — J&M Music Shop is listed as a recording place for the album. Sessions for the album took place in New Orleans, Los Angeles and Washington. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Los Angeles sessions (1958)

Recording site Los Angeles — Sessions for the album were held in Los Angeles between June 1956 and October 1957. The point marks the city centre, not a specific studio. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Keep A Knockin' in Washington (1957)

Recording site House Studios — Keep A Knockin' was recorded on 16 January 1957 during a tour, at a radio station in Washington D.C. The point marks the city centre, not the station itself. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Second studio album by Little Richard, titled Volume 2 in the UK
• English article: released by July 1958; Italian article: released in July 1958
• German article: US release on Specialty Records in December 1958
• Nine of its twelve tracks charted in the US
• Includes the hits Lucille, Good Golly, Miss Molly and The Girl Can't Help It
• Mostly previously released A-sides and B-sides, plus two previously unreleased Tin Pan Alley songs

Background

• Released about ten months after Richard announced a retirement from rock and roll to pursue a life in the ministry
• German article: his contract with Specialty Records was dissolved for priesthood training, one year before release
• The recording break after his retirement was felt financially, according to the German article
• Specialty's A&R management chose suitable singles and compiled them as an album, as with the debut Here's Little Richard

Recording

• Sessions ran from June 1956 to October 1957 in New Orleans, Los Angeles and Washington
• Heeby-Jeebies and All Around the World were recorded on 30-31 July 1956 with the studio band in New Orleans
• Keep A Knockin' was recorded on 16 January 1957 at a Washington D.C. radio station, with the live band The Upsetters, during a tour
• Engineer Abe Robyn post-processed Keep A Knockin' at Master Recorders in Los Angeles
• Engineer Cosimo Matassa's band backed Richard on Send Me Some Lovin', Good Golly Miss Molly, Baby Face and I'll Never Let You Go

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · de.wikipedia.org · it.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• Richard Wayne Penniman (1932–2020), known as Little Richard, was an American singer, pianist and songwriter.
• Called the "Architect of Rock and Roll"; his mid-1950s work laid the foundation for rock and roll.
• Hits: "Tutti Frutti" (1955), "Long Tall Sally" (1956, No. 1 on the R&B chart), followed by a rapid run of further hits.
• Retired from rock and roll for evangelism in 1957, returned in 1962 after a European tour with Don Arden.
• The Beatles opened for him on some 1962 tour dates; he taught Paul McCartney his vocal style.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, its first group of inductees.
• "Tutti Frutti" was added to the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress in 2009.

Influence

• His raspy shouting vocals and boogie-woogie, New Orleans R&B and gospel fusion shaped rock, soul and funk.
• Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix and many others cited him as an influence.
• Covered by Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Bill Haley, Jerry Lee Lewis and the Everly Brothers.

Reception

At release

• Billboard praised the album as a worthy successor to Here's Little Richard
• Billboard commented that the cat is at his frantic best
• Cash Box described the album as in typical explosive Richard style

Reappraisal

• AllMusic's Mark Deming considered it every bit as rockin' as his first album, if not more so
• Deming wrote that there isn't a single throwaway among the 12 tunes
• German article: the album presents rock and roll in pure form, and the ballad Send Me Some Lovin' loses tempo but not groove

Records

• Nine of its twelve tracks charted in the US
• Lucille was Richard's fourth million-seller
• The album itself did not reach any chart, unlike its singles
• The Girl Can't Help It: US R&B #7, US Pop #49, UK #9
• Lucille: US R&B #1, US Pop #1, UK #10
• Keep A Knockin': US R&B #2, US Pop #8, UK #21
• US LP released by Specialty as LP-2103 in December 1958
• London Records handled releases in the UK, France, the Netherlands and Italy

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · de.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Little Richard was the title used in the US, while the UK edition used the title Volume 2.
• Richard credited himself as author of Keep A Knockin', although it is a blues standard recorded by James Wiggins in 1928.
• Rolling Stone placed Good Golly, Miss Molly at number 94 on its list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.
• Some copies listing stereo-natural sound on the cover and label are misleading: the pressing appears to be a straight mono cut.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · de.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com · fr.wikipedia.org

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