Richard Wayne Penniman, known professionally as Little Richard, was an American singer, pianist, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the "Architect of Rock and Roll", Richard's most celebrated work dates from the mid-1950s, when his charismatic showmanship and dynamic music, characterized by frenetic piano playing, pounding back beat and powerful raspy vocals, laid the foundation for rock and roll. Richard's innovative emotive vocalizations and uptempo rhythmic music played a key role in the formation of other popular music genres, including soul and funk. He influenced singers and musicians across musical genres from rock to hip hop; his music helped shape rhythm and blues for generations.
Lawrence Eugene Williams was an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter, and pianist from New Orleans. He is best known for writing and recording some rock and roll classics from 1957 to 1959 for Specialty Records, including "Bony Moronie", "Short Fat Fannie", "Slow Down", "Dizzy, Miss Lizzy" (1958), "Bad Boy" and "She Said Yeah" (1959). John Lennon was a fan, and the Beatles and several other British Invasion groups recorded several of his songs.
"Good Golly, Miss Molly" is a rock 'n' roll song first recorded in 1956 by American musician Little Richard and released in January 1958 as Specialty single 624, and later on Little Richard in July 1958. The song, a jump blues, was written by John Marascalco and producer Robert "Bumps" Blackwell. Although it was first recorded by Little Richard, Blackwell produced another version by the Valiants, who imitated the fast first version recorded by Little Richard, not released at that time. Although the Valiants' version was released first, Little Richard had the hit, reaching No. 4. Like all his early hits, it quickly became a rock 'n' roll standard and has subsequently been recorded by hundreds of artists. The song is ranked No. 92 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Here's Little Richard is the debut album by American musician Little Richard, released on March 4, 1957. Promoted as "six of Little Richard's hits and six brand new songs of hit calibre", the album compiles many of the A-sides and B-sides from Richard's hit singles including the Billboard top 40 entries "Tutti Frutti", "Long Tall Sally", "Slippin' and Slidin'", "Rip It Up" and "Jenny, Jenny" and the top 10 Rhythm and Blues Best-Sellers hits "Ready Teddy", "She's Got It" and "Miss Ann".
The song "Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey", also known as "Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey! ", was written by Little Richard and recorded on May 9, 1956 at J&M Studio, New Orleans, Louisiana,.
The Sadistic Mika Band was a Japanese rock band formed in November 1971 by husband and wife duo Kazuhiko Katō and Mika Katō. In a time when it was still rare for women to sing in rock bands in Japan, the fact that the Katōs were a married couple was even more unusual. This, combined with their glam rock-influenced fashion, has been cited as groundbreaking for defying gender norms in the country. After releasing three studio albums and becoming the first Japanese rock band to tour the United Kingdom, the Sadistic Mika Band disbanded in November 1975 when the Katōs divorced.
Eskew Reeder, Jr., usually known by the stage name Esquerita, and occasionally as S.Q. Reeder or The Magnificent Malochi, was an American R&B singer, songwriter and pianist, known for his frenetic performances. He has been credited with influencing rock and roll pioneer Little Richard.
"Kansas City" is a rhythm and blues song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller in 1952. First recorded by Little Willie Littlefield the same year, as "K. C. Loving", the song later became a chart-topping hit when it was recorded by Wilbert Harrison in 1959. "Kansas City" is one of Leiber and Stoller's "most recorded tunes, with more than three hundred versions", with several appearing in the R&B and pop record charts.
"Lucille" is a 1957 rock and roll song originally recorded by American musician Little Richard. Released on Specialty Records in February 1957, the single reached number 1 on the Billboard R&B chart, 21 on the US pop chart, and number 10 on the UK chart. It was composed by Albert Collins and Little Richard. First pressings of Specialty 78rpm credit Collins as the sole writer. Little Richard bought half of the song's rights while Collins was in Louisiana State Penitentiary.
The MXR Dyna Comp is an effects unit, which is an electronic device that alters the sound of a musical instrument. This effects unit is produced by the MXR company intended for use with electric guitar. Made since the 1970s, the MXR Dyna Comp, which adds its own coloring to the tone, has become a frequently copied and widely used guitar effect, even a standard.
Little Richard Is Back is Little Richard's first album of rock and roll songs for Vee-Jay Records. The label went out of business and its records were not accurate, leaving many to speculate about the recording details. Despite claims to the contrary, Jimi Hendrix does not play on any of the album's songs.
Little Richard Live! 20 Super Hits is a recording of a live-in-studio performance by Little Richard. Recorded at the Jack Clement Studio in Nashville before an audience, the album featured remakes of twenty of his Specialty Records tracks. Counting the live takes on this album, this was the second time that Richard had rerecorded his 1950s hits in studio. These August 1976 sessions and an early 1990s session with Japanese guitarist Masayoshi Takanakka are the last times that Penniman would re-record his 1950s hits for an album before his death in May 2020. Alternate takes from these sessions are found on a full stereo "Audiophile" album from 1980.
Little Richard is the second album by American musician Little Richard, released in July 1958, ten months after Richard announced a retirement from rock and roll to pursue a life in the ministry. Like his first album, it largely contains previously released A-sides and B-sides including several which reached Billboard's Rhythm & Blues and Hot 100 charts. Nine of its twelve tracks charted in the US including Richard's fourth million-seller "Lucille", the rock and roll standard "Good Golly, Miss Molly" and "The Girl Can't Help It", the title song from the motion picture of the same name. Among the previously unreleased tracks are two Tin Pan Alley songs recorded in Richard's frantic style.
Sneaker Dancer (スニーカーダンサー) is the seventh studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter Yosui Inoue, released in September 1979.
Masayoshi Takanaka is a Japanese guitarist, composer, and producer. Takanaka's music was influential in the city pop genre of the late 1970s and 1980s.
Jun Fukamachi was a Japanese jazz fusion composer, arranger, and keyboardist. He played with The Brecker Brothers and Steve Gadd and released albums for Polydor and Toshiba in the 1970s.
"Jukkai (1984)" is the ninth single by Japanese entertainer Akina Nakamori. Written by Masao Urino and Masayoshi Takanaka, the single was released on July 25, 1984 by Warner Pioneer through the Reprise label. It was also the second single from her sixth studio album Possibility.
An Insatiable High is the third studio album by jazz fusion guitarist Masayoshi Takanaka, released on Kitty Records in 1977. It has never been released in physical format outside of Japan.
Brasilian Skies is the fourth studio album by Japanese jazz fusion guitarist Masayoshi Takanaka, released via Kitty Records on July 21, 1978. The album's initial release was distributed in two physical formats: a vinyl record and on a cassette tape. Stylistically, the record unites jazz-fusion with bossa nova, samba, and progressive rock and soul.
Seychelles is the debut studio album by Japanese jazz fusion guitarist Masayoshi Takanaka, released via Kitty Records in July 1976. The album's initial release was distributed via a cassette tape, and was re-released as a CD in 1984. The album is named after the Seychelles islands.
