Little Richard consists of Richard Penniman.
Little Richard (born Richard Wayne Penniman, December 5, 1932 in Macon, Georgia) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist, and an early African-American pioneer of rock and roll.
One of twelve children, Little Richard says he "came from a family where my people didn't like rhythm and blues. Bing Crosby – 'Pennies From Heaven' – Ella Fitzgerald, was all I heard." (Hamm 1979, p.391) Raised in the Seventh Day Adventist church, he learned gospel music in Pentecostal churches of the U.S. South. His early recording career in the 1950s was a mix of blues music and rhythm and blues, heavily steeped in gospel music, but with a driving beat and breathlessly delivered lyrics that marked a decidedly new kind of music.
Penniman had begun his career singing with Johnny Otis, and on Otis's reccomendation Penniman cut a handful of singles for the Peacock Records label between 1951 and 1954. But these records sold poorly and Penniman had little success until he sent a demo tape to Specialty Records in 1955, and met for a recording session in New Orleans. During a break in that session, Richard began singing an impromptu recital of " Tutti Frutti", an obscene, lusty song he had been singing on stage. The lyrics were changed from "Tutti-frutti loose booty" to "Tutti frutti all rooty" because record producer Bumps Blackwell felt they were over the line. (Tutti-frutti was a slang term meaning a " gay male" and booty means "buttocks").
The song, with its introductory "Womp-bomp-a-loom-op-a-womp-bam-boom!", became the model for many future Little Richard songs, with its driving piano, saxophone solo by Lee Allen and its unrelenting beat. In the next few years, Richard had several more hits, including " Long Tall Sally", "Slippin' and Slidin'", "Jenny, Jenny" and " Good Golly, Miss Molly". His frantic performing style can be seen in such period films as Don't Knock the Rock (1956) and The Girl Can't Help It (1956), for which he sang the title song, written by Bobby Troup.