“Little Richard: I Am Everything” (2023). Cast: Interviews: John Waters, Billy Porter, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Tom Jones, Sir Lady Java, Lee Angel, Nona Hendryx, Billy Vera, Keith Winslow, Libby Anthony, Zandria Robinson, Fredara Hadley, Jason King, Ashon Crawley, Tavia Nyong’o, John P. Kee. Archive Footage: Little Richard, Pat Boone, Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, Bo Diddley, James Brown, David Bowie, Elton John, Prince, Boy George, Chuck Berry, Ike Turner, Jerry Lee Lewis, Billy Preston, Dick Clark, Alan Freed, Arsenio Hall, George Harrison, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Janis Joplin, Keith Richards, Elton John, Living Color, Charles “Bud” Penniman, Ernestine Penniman, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Ma Rainey, Billy Wright, Esquerita, Lloyd Price, Brother Joe May, Marion Williams, Ruth Brown, Arthur Rupe, David Brenner, Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin, David Letterman, Joan Rivers, Tom Snyder. Director: Lisa Cortés. Web site. Trailer.

Innovators are indeed a rare breed. They have ways of seeing things that many of us lack or haven’t yet developed. When they ply their abilities, they come up with inspiring, original conceptions that often attract huge followings and many imitators. And yet, despite these gifts and accomplishments, they sometimes don’t receive the credit or recognition they truly deserve, an unfortunate development, to be sure. Thankfully, though, these oversights can – and often are – corrected by those who see the genius of these individuals and take steps to make sure that others recognize it as well. Such is the case of a talented musician known for his outrageous, energized performances and provocative compositions who came into his accolades later in life than he probably should have as seen in the insightful documentary, “Little Richard: I Am Everything.”

Richard Wayne Penniman – professionally known as Little Richard (1932-2020) – burst onto the pop music scene in the mid-1950s with an unrestrained, frenetic style that set him apart from other aspiring and established performers at the time. Born in Macon, Georgia into a conservative religious family and a culture that still overtly discriminated against the African-American community, the artist who eventually emerged from this background was decidedly different from those with whom he grew up. While it’s true that his music incorporated elements from his gospel-based upbringing, Little Richard would go on to establish a unique style all his own.

In part, Richard drew from and subsequently fused an array of musical influences, including those from his experiences singing in church, as well as the styles of such artists as Ike Turner, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Ma Rainey, Billy Wright Lloyd Price, Brother Joe May, Marion Williams, Ruth Brown and Esquerita, to name a few. By combining these diverse elements, he created a sound all his own.

But Richard’s musical style is only part of the story of his success. He embellished this distinctive sound with an original and outrageous stage presence that truly set him apart. As a flamboyant gay Black man at a time when society at large was considerably less accepting than it is today, both ethnically and in terms of openness about one’s sexual orientation, his concerts were a counterculture clarion call, an artistic assault on the conventional nature of the times. Yet, despite highly vocal concerns that he was corrupting the youth of his day, Richard’s uninhibited performance style and on-stage gyrations struck a chord with an awakening younger generation that was beginning to question the overly staid, conformity-driven values of the time. What’s more, his music and concerts were attracting attention among listeners across racial lines, something almost unheard of at the time. Hits like “Tutti Fruitti,” “Good Golly Miss Molly” and “Long Tall Sally” achieved tremendous followings and even led to cover versions performed by White artists seeking to cash in on this wildly popular new sound.

Richard’s colorful off-stage persona backed up his on-stage presence, too. He was just as unorthodox in his personal lifestyle as in his professional pursuits and didn’t try to hide it, all of which added to his mystique among followers. He embodied a sense of personal freedom and resolute liberation to which many of the era’s repressed were enthusiastically drawn. Richard was indeed becoming a cultural icon, even if his ways weren’t particularly acceptable to pillars of society.

Consequently, even though Richard was a rising star – one that led to considerable radio airplay and even concert movie appearances – there was a price to pay: He was roundly criticized for his antics and values by those in “respectable” capacities. He suffered from unbridled discrimination and was arrested on occasion. He received a mere pittance in royalty payments for his recordings. And, despite his immense popularity, the watered-down covers of many of his biggest hits by performers like Pat Boone and Elvis Presley sold more copies than his own versions. These factors somewhat overshadowed his successes, keeping him from attaining the recognition he should have received.

Richard was personally conflicted at times, too. For example, even though he had apparently embraced his rather hedonistic lifestyle for many years, there were times – such as in the early 1960s and on several occasions thereafter – when his strict religious upbringing caught up with him, impinging on his conduct and leading to internal personal conflicts. It even caused him to change tracks musically, abandoning his secular works in favor of religious recordings.

Richard was also conflicted about his sexuality at times, having had relationships with women and even marrying once. But Richard’s involvement with a wide range of male partners was widely known, and he made little effort to hide it. Yet his comfort level with this aspect of his life wasn’t always as self-assured as he led others to believe, perhaps as a result of his religious upbringing and the strictures against such “unacceptable” behavior. He struggled with this issue on and off over the years throughout his life, even denouncing it at one point and labeling himself a former gay man.

Like many in the music business, Richard also became heavily involved in drug use, including marijuana, cocaine and PCP. These habits took quite a toll on his health, as well as his finances and artistic output. He later lamented his addictions, but he managed to recover from them to resume his career.

Despite these challenges, however, Richard always seemed to land on his feet, bouncing back into the limelight, both in the US and overseas. But, even though he was able to reclaim his success as an artist and was part of the inaugural class of inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, he never publicly received the credit he deserved as an innovator of the rock ʼn roll genre.

Privately, though, many of the industry’s biggest stars – such as Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Billy Porter, Tom Jones and Nona Hendryx – maintained that this art form wouldn’t be what it is if it were not for Little Richard. In subsequent interviews, both in this film and elsewhere, these artists publicly acknowledged that Little Richard is the real king of rock ʼn roll, despite contentions to the contrary. That recognition may be coming a little later than expected, but this documentary sets the record straight at last. Better late than never.

Innovation really is something to be commended, and Little Richard clearly embodied that notion. It’s seen throughout his repertoire, as well as those who followed in his footsteps. Yet some have said that his creations are more amalgamations of the works of others than anything truly his own. But isn’t that true to an extent for every artist? They all have their influences, but the ways in which they combine them or build upon them is what makes them stand out as their own, and that’s just what Little Richard did in the style of his music, his costuming, his stage presence and the subject matter of his songs. They’re all his own, and he fashioned the template that came to characterize him and his place in the rock ʼn roll genre.

So what made Little Richard so successful at this compared to many others? Quite simply, he believed in what he was doing, exuding a confidence that made it apparent to everyone that he knew what he was doing and that he knew his style was something all his own. That kind of faith in oneself is, in turn, essential in convincing others to go along with it, as he did with the throngs of followers he attracted to his music. Beliefs like that are an integral element in manifesting one’s vision, a product of the conscious creation process, the philosophy that makes such outcomes possible. It’s unclear whether Little Richard had ever heard of this school of thought, but, based on his achievements, he obviously knew how to make use of its principles to his advantage. And he was unabashedly well aware of that, without reservation, a belief that kept him going for so many years, even helping him bounce back when he experienced setbacks that threatened to derail his career.

An old saying maintains that “fortune favors the bold,” and that belief was apparently one of Little Richard’s core convictions. Consider, for example, the suggestive content of many of his biggest hits, such as “Tutti Fruitti,” a song with clear sexual connotations. The lyrics may not overtly express anything salacious, but they certainly imply a great deal. The fact that a release as controversial as that could achieve such tremendous popularity during a conservative, largely repressed period like the 1950s speaks volumes about the impact such a bold venture had. And Richard didn’t hesitate to record it, release it and capitalize on it. In this case and many others like it, fortune indeed favored the bold.

In many ways, Richard was sending a powerful message to society through his music and personal style, especially to the youth of the time – don’t be afraid to be yourself. This was a message that meant a great deal to him personally, and he was anxious to share it with others. And what better way was there to do this than through an art form that was innately rebellious, one that questioned the status quo and firmly entrenched limitations. These were radical values that Richard firmly believed in, and he was unafraid to express them through his music, his performances and his lifestyle.

Of course, one might question the reasoning behind the emergence of the challenges he drew into his life, developments that seemed to work at cross-purposes with his beliefs and undertakings. It’s almost as if those experiences were expressions of self-doubt in those supposedly cherished values, yet, considering his upbringing, they’re also understandable. That’s significant, too, given that doubt is one of the greatest forces that can undercut the realization of our beliefs in finished form. Perhaps those challenges played a crucial role in helping Richard galvanize himself in the beliefs that he held most dear, presenting him with an opportunity to overcome them and ultimately re-emerge stronger for it. It’s interesting to note that he nearly always returned to his long-held convictions after going through those ordeals, proving to himself that he indeed possessed the capability to be himself and to live his truth – one of the qualities that inherently and fundamentally characterize rock ʼn roll, as well as its king.

Sometimes it takes a movie to help set the record straight. And, when it comes to designating the true king of rock ’n roll, this documentary from director Lisa Cortes does just that. Even though the protagonist developed a strong following and a reputation for chart-busting releases, he never quite attained the widespread notoriety or financial success that he deserved. What’s more, as a flamboyant, openly gay Black musician at a time when those qualities were far from well tolerated, he became a target for ostracism and scorn from conservative circles who lambasted his “decadent” music and “perverted” lifestyle. Yet his blend of colorful performances, mixed with outlandish costumes, pancake makeup and frenetic stage antics and backed by tunes that fused boogie woogie, rhythm & blues and gospel, made him a standout, a style that countless artists drew from – and who have since openly acknowledged influenced their musical careers. The result here is a revelatory examination of someone who set a standard on the music scene. “Little Richard: I Am Everything” features a wealth of historical footage, including many interviews with the artist himself, along with observations from the likes of Mick Jagger, Billy Porter, Paul McCartney, Tom Jones, Nona Hendryx and superfan filmmaker John Waters, as well as an array of music industry, African-American and gay community historians. Viewers are likely to come away from this offering knowing a lot about Little Richard that they hadn’t known previously, enabling them to gain a new appreciation for the rock icon and learning much about the many triumphs and challenges he faced during his colorfully enigmatic life. Audiences are sure to come away from this one proclaiming “Long live rock – and the king who finally gets to wear his much-deserved crown.”

“Little Richard” has received its fair share of accolades, too. This release received a Grand Jury Prize nomination in the Documentary Category at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Likewise, it also earned a well-deserved 2023 Critics Choice Documentary Award nomination for best feature. This is a great watch for both music fans and documentary devotees. The film is available on home media and for streaming online.

To fully and accurately appreciate the significance of an individual’s accomplishments, sometimes it helps to take a step back and reassess, and, where Little Richard is concerned, this film allows us to do just that. There’s more here than what most of us have probably seen before, and that sheds new light on a legend who we thought we already knew. But, for diehard fans of rock ʼn roll, this release is a genuine revelation, one that should rightly cement his legacy in the music world, American pop culture and the hearts of his followers.

Copyright © 2023-2024, by Brent Marchant. All rights reserved.