Little Richard: King and Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll (BBC Two Saturday 22 April 2023)

Little Richard: King and Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll airs on BBC Two Tonight.

It is arguable that Little Richard was the first to perform rock and roll. Richard Penniman, a black artist from the segregated south of the United States, swept the country in the 1950s. Both the Beatles and the Stones found musical and theatrical inspiration in him. He was influential on a wide range of musicians, including David Bowie, Elton John, Michael Jackson, and Prince.

However, Little Richard felt for a long time that his work was being ignored in favour of white rock ‘n’ roll singers like Elvis Presley and Pat Boone. Furthermore, he renounced rock ‘n’ roll not once, but twice, due to internal conflict between his Christian beliefs and the music style he pioneered, as well as his battles with his own sexuality.

Little Richard’s life was a roller coaster of musical highs and lows, and this documentary, which features interviews with music legends like Ringo Starr, Keith Richards, Nile Rodgers, and Big Freedia, and intimate contributions from friends, bandmates, and the never-before-broadcast words of Little Richard himself, makes a compelling case for why Richard should be crowned king of rock ‘n’ roll.

Little Richard: King and Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll airs Saturday 22 April 2023 at 9.30pm on BBC Two.

Featured Image Credit: BBC Two

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