Extending his legacy to yet newer music fans, Fergie sampled his 1957 hit “The Girl Can’t Help It” on her single “ Clumsy,” which reached No. 33 on the Hot 100 in 1976, and he joined the all-star charity single “Voices That Care,” which rose to No. streams.Īmong Little Richard’s other chart contributions, he provided backing vocals on Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s “Take It Like a Man,” which reached No. dating to the inception of Nielsen Music/MRC Data in 1991, and his entire song catalog has drawn logged 173.4 million on-demand U.S. Little Richard’s albums have earned a combined 1 million total equivalent album units in the U.S. Everybody loves Miss Molly: a lively 72-year-old who gets a h. 95, “Kansas City (Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey),” May 18, 1959 Read 10 reviews from the worlds largest community for readers. 92, “I Don’t Know What You’ve Got But It’s Got Me – Part 1,” Nov. 42, “Great Gosh A’Mighty (Down & Out In Bev. Here’s a look at all seven of Richard’s entries on the Hot 100, sorted by peak position:
42-peaking “Great Gosh A’Mighty,” from the hit film Down and Out in Beverly Hills, in 1986. He sent songs onto the ranking in the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, through the No. 41 best with his first, “Baby Face,” in 1958. Prior to the Hot 100’s inception, Little Richard also achieved top 10 hits with “Jenny, Jenny” and “Keep a Knockin’,” both in 1957, and “Good Golly, Miss Molly,” in 1958.Īfter the Hot 100 began, Little Richard charted seven entries on the chart, reaching a No. 6 on the Best Sellers in Stores ranking in 1956 and likewise received a Grammy Hall of Fame Award. He followed it up with “Long Tall Sally,” which hit No. Good Golly, Miss Molly: legendary rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Little Richard who recorded ‘Tutti Frutti’ in New Orleans, has died by tomaswell He didn’t invent rock and roll, but he sure as hell defined it. Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry.Īs “Tutti Frutti” began to grow in popularity, Billboard reviewed the song as “A cleverly styled novelty with nonsense words delivered rapid-fire” in the Octoissue. He wrote the song with Dorothy LaBostrie produced by Robert Blackwell, who also produced for the likes of Ray Charles, Sam Cooke and Quincy Jones, it was honored with a Grammy Hall of Fame Award for its significance in launching Little Richard’s career. 17 on the Most Played in Juke Boxes tally in 1956. He first debuted on a Billboard chart in November 1955, when “Tutti Frutti” debuted at No. (Prior to the Hot 100’s inception, Billboard published various charts ranking store sales, radio airplay and jukebox selections). The singer, songwriter and pianist sent over two dozen songs onto Billboard‘s charts, with his most of his beloved hits having predated the Billboard Hot 100, which began on Aug. 5, 1932, in Macon, Georgia, died Saturday morning (May 9) at age 87.
Little Richard was one of the most influential pioneers of modern music, shaping the evolution of rock and R&B and charting legendary songs on Billboard‘s charts. Little Richard’s publisher sued Creedence Clearwater Revival over their song “Travelin’ Band,” which they claimed lifted from “Molly.” A settlement was reached with Creedence giving up some of their royalties.The late star scored over two dozen songs beginning in the ’50s. I had never heard such a direct, crazed, almost otherworldly vocal before in my life.” This song was a huge influence on many musicians in the early years of rock and roll. Speaking with Songfacts, Roger Reale, who was in the group Rue Morgue with Mick Ronson, said: “It’s revolutionary, rebellious and celebratory all in one, starting with that rolling piano intro, before moving into a totally unique vocal performance. The term later took on a new meaning when it came describe a lavish and extravagant lifestyle, with these guys flashing their cash known as “ballers.” At the time, the most common meaning for “balling” was dancing only later did it became a popular euphemism for oral sex. Like most of Little Richard’s songs, this contains a lot of innuendo (“sure like to ball”) but most people were too busy listening to the music to notice, or didn’t get the reference. Musically, the song was inspired by the sax player Jackie Brenston, famous for singing lead and playing with Ike Turner on the song “Rocket 88.” The title was taken from the pet phrase of one of Little Richard’s favorite DJ’s, Jimmy Pennick. Good Golly, Miss Molly was written by John Marascalco and Robert “Bumps” Blackwell. The song is ranked #94 on the Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song peaked at #10 in the charts and #4 in the R&B Charts in 1958… as well as #8 in the UK. Little Richard recorded this song in 1956 and it was released in 1958. He sings these rockers great but he also can sing ballads. He has one of the most primal aggressive voices I’ve ever heard. His voice would have worked in any generation.