The first major biography of Little Richard, a rollicking, nuanced celebration of the late singer/songwriter’s life and his role in the history of American music—gospel, soul, rock, and more “Tutti Frutti” • “Rip It Up” • “Good Golly Miss Molly” • “Lucille” • “Long Tall Sally” • “You Keep A-Knockin’” Little Richard blazed the trail for generations of musicians—The Beatles, James Brown, the Everly Brothers, Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, Elton John, Prince . . . the list seems endless. He was “The Originator,” “The Innovator,” and the self-anointed “King and Queen of Rock ’n’ Roll.” When he died on May 9, 2020, The Big Life of Little Richard —a nearly-completed book—was immediately updated to cover the international response to his death. It is the first major biography of Macon, Georgia’s Richard Wayne Penniman, who was, until his passing, the last rock god standing. Mark Ribowsky, acclaimed biographer of musical icons—the Supremes, the Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding—takes readers through venues, gigs, and studios, conveying the sweaty energy of music sessions limited to a few tracks on an Ampex tape machine and vocals sung along with a live band. He explores Little Richard’s musicianship; his family life; his uphill battle against racism; his interactions with famous contemporaries and the media; and his lifelong inner conflict between his religion and his sexuality. The Big Life of Little Richard not only explores a legendary stage persona, but also a complex life under the makeup and pomade, the neon-lit duds and piano pyrotechnics, along with a full-body dive into the waters of sexual fluidity. By 2020, eighty-seven-year-old Little Richard’s electrifying smile was still intact, as were his bona fides as rock’s kingly architect: the ’50s defined his reign, and he extended elder statesmanship ever since. His biggest smash, “Tutti Frutti,” is one of history’s most covered songs—a staple of the pre-Invasion Beatles—and Elvis pivoted from country to blues rock after Little Richard made R&B’s sexual overtones a fundament of the new musical order. Even Hendrix, the greatest instrumentalist in rock history, toured with him before launching a meteoric solo career. Whenever someone pushes the music and culture of rock to its outer borders, one should turn to Little Richard for assurance that anything is possible. Praise for The Big Life of Little Richard “We had the great pleasure of performing with Little Richard. He opened the door for Elvis Presley, James Brown, Chuck Berry, and all the greats that came thereafter. This is a must-read for music lovers.” —Dr. Otis Williams, founding member of The Temptations “Little Richard kicked open the doors to a new world of wonder for everyone from Dylan to Hendrix to Led Zeppelin to Prince—to everything we now take for granted when we think of the most extraordinary music of the late 20th century. Mark Ribowsky tells the whole tutti-frutti story in a-wop-bop-a-loo-bop style.” —Mick Wall, bestselling author of When Giants Walked the Earth: A Biography of Led Zeppelin "Ribowsky rips it up with raucous prose in this affectionate biography of Little Richard.... Richard, Ribowsky astutely writes, combined gospel with the grittiness of blues and then amped it up with his fiery piano playing and singing. This entertaining, fast-paced biography will thrill fans of Little Richard and early rock and roll." —Publishers Weekly “Few artists in the history of rock ’n’ roll personified the raw rhythm and rebelliousness of the musical genre like Little Richard. In The Big Life of Little Richard , author Mark Ribowsky has matched a rockin’ prose style with an in-depth exploration of the man and his musicianship. This book should be in every rock fan’s library.” —John Glatt, author of Live at the Fillmore East and West: Getting Backstage and Personal with Rock’s Greatest Legends "[Ribowsky] follows Richard’s career through a succession of hits, his surprise decision to quit his music career to become a preacher (a move repeated several times), and his latter-day status as a celebrity/provocateur on talk shows and in 1950s rock revivals. Ribowsky effectively conveys the ambiance of the era, bringing in many of the stars and other public figures with whom Richard interacted over the decades.... An easy, bright read about a seminal figure in the soundtrack of modern music." — Kirkus Reviews "[Y]ou’ll have to read Mark Ribowsky’s book to find out more about the salacious bits of Richard’s story. As for the dynamic and flamboyant performer’s late career, the author offers praise and perspective." —360° Sound "Ribowsky cuts through the gossip and mythologizing and delivers a welcome clear-eyed assessment of the larger-than-life character who boasted he was 'King of the Blues—and the Queen, too!'" — Goldmine Magazine Praise for Dreams to Remember: Otis Redding, Stax Records, and the Transformation of Southern Soul “Subtly