Little Richard Quotes: Rock Stars Praise His Genius and Influence
From his voice and piano to his inimitable style, Little Richard, whose death at age 87 was announced today (May 9) was utterly one of a kind.
A generation of listeners was forever changed by his wild abandon, which helped lay the very foundation of rock 'n' roll — and he continues to exert an indelible impact through the works of his disciples as well as the countless artists they influenced. We've found 16 quotes rockers ranging from Jimi Hendrix to Elton John about what Little Richard's music meant to them.
"To join Little Richard." —Bob Dylan, writing his life's ambition in his high school yearbook
"Little Richard is one of the true founding fathers of rock & roll and a huge influence and inspiration to every musician I know, including me." —Joe Walsh
"I could do Little Richard's voice, which is a wild, hoarse, screaming thing, it's like an out-of-body experience. You have to leave your current sensibilities and go about a foot above your head to sing it. You have to actually go outside yourself... A lot of people were fans of Little Richard so I used to sing his stuff but there came a point when I wanted one of my own, so I wrote 'I'm Down.'" —Paul McCartney
"Little Richard is a great originator. He was right there at the start, a thrilling performer." —Chuck Berry
"The first rock 'n' roll record I listened to was 'The Girl Can't Help It,' by Little Richard." —Rod Stewart
"Elvis [Presley] inspired my sideburns, but Little Richard inspired me for vocals. He had the purest, most joyous rock ’n’ roll voice." —Lemmy
"When I was a kid, my aunt brought round an old record player she didn't want and there were some 45 singles in there and they were by Bill Haley & The Comets, Elvis Presley and Little Richard. And the first song that really hit me was the Little Richard one — it was 'Good Golly, Miss Molly.' As a kid, I didn't know what it was — I'd never heard that kind of music before, it was just electric, it was instant, just his voice. ... It's a great song, it's the roots of rock 'n' roll, it's where everything comes from." —Rob Halford
"The first Little Richard song I heard was ‘Tutti Frutti.' No, it was the one from the movie The Girl Can’t Help It. Little Richard was doing rhythm and blues, but with horns. It was different than Elvis Presley, and so I preferred it. Why would you like Elvis if you had the real stuff?" —Van Morrison
"When I heard his voice, I was knocked out. I just love the way Little Richard sings. ... Here’s Little Richard is where the whole thing started. It’s chock full of great songs, and even as young as I was when I first heard it, I said, ‘Fuck man, this is the shit!’ I think I probably dug it out of my sister’s record collection. It was one of those moments when you put something on and you just go nuts. There’s never been anything like Little Richard." —Sammy Hagar
"I had heard so much about the audience reaction that I thought there must be some exaggeration. But it was all true. He drove the whole house into a complete frenzy. There's no single phrase to describe his hold on the audience. I couldn't believe the power of Little Richard on stage. He was amazing. Chuck Berry is my favorite, along with Bo (Diddley), but nobody could beat Little Richard's stage act. Little Richard is the originator and my first idol." —Mick Jagger
"The most exciting moment of my life was appearing on the same stage as Little Richard." —Keith Richards
"I want to do with my guitar what Little Richard does with his voice." —Jimi Hendrix
"When I was in high school I wanted to be like Little Richard." —Paul Simon
"Little Richard's records were the best Rock 'n' Roll records." —Elton John
"After hearing Little Richard on record, I bought a saxophone and came into the music business. Little Richard was my inspiration." —David Bowie
"There would have been no Deep Purple if there had been no Little Richard." —Jon Lord
In Memoriam: 2020 Deaths