Maps of Music

Little Richard's Greatest Hits (1965)

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

Its twelve songs share titles with 1950s hits, but they were re-recorded in 1964 for a different label, with new arrangements and a rougher voice.

Key places

Nashville sessions, late 1964 (1965)

Recording site Nashville — The recordings for this album were made in Nashville and New York City in November and December 1964. This marker is at Nashville as a city, not at a specific studio. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

New York sessions, late 1964 (1965)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — The recordings for this album were made in Nashville and New York City in November and December 1964. This marker is at New York City as a city, not at a specific studio. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Little Richard's Greatest Hits, also issued under various titles and cover art
• Album of Little Richard songs re-recorded in 1964
• First released in the US by Vee-Jay Records in January 1965
• Contains updated versions of twelve of his best-known songs
• The originals were recorded in the 1950s for Specialty Records
• Some re-recordings use different arrangements, including unusual syncopation, tambourine and jazz horns
• Track listing: Good Golly, Miss Molly; Baby Face; Tutti Frutti; Send Me Some Lovin'; The Girl Can't Help It; Lucille; Slippin' and Slidin'; Keep A Knockin'; Rip It Up; She's Got It; Ooh! My Soul; Long Tall Sally

Background

• Recorded in Nashville and New York City, November to December 1964
• Vee-Jay Records is the label that issued the 1964 re-recordings
• Little Richard's time with Vee-Jay produced a large body of unreleased material
• The album is a compilation of remakes, not a set of new original songs
• The 1964 versions were made after the 1950s originals had already become well known

Sources: en.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

• Biographer Charles White regards the recordings, and Richard's erratic persona of the time, as low points in his career
• White says the label rushed the session without concern for quality, and that the result was dreadful
• The album was first released in the US in January 1965 by Vee-Jay Records

Reappraisal

• AllMusic critic William Ruhlmann noted that Richard sounds in much rougher voice than on the originals
• Ruhlmann also said the album is a poor buy for anyone expecting the hit versions of these songs
• Ruhlmann still described Richard as a spirited performer on the record

Records

• The source gives no chart positions, sales figures, certifications or awards for this album

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Little Richard recorded forty-six songs for Vee-Jay Records, but nearly half of them were unreleased when the company went bankrupt in January 1966.
• The unreleased songs were later compiled onto albums including Mr. Big (1971), Rip It Up (1973) and Talkin' 'Bout Soul (1974).
• One substantiated claim says Jimi Hendrix and childhood mentor Esquerita played on the recut sessions in New York.
• A Spanish-language encyclopedia notes that some Little Richard fans consider this album misleading, because its versions differ significantly from the Specialty originals.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

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