The Life and Times of Little Richard: The Quasar of Rock

by Charles White

Book Overview

"James Brown called him his idol. Mick Jagger called him the king, Elvis Presley called him the greatest. Otis Redding called him his inspiration. Muhammad Ali called him his favorite singer. Jimi... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0517554984
• Release Date: January 1985
• Publisher: Harmony Books
• Length: 269 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Shocks, then inspires

There are lurid details (sex, drugs, excrement) of Little Richard's life in the book that might be 'too much information.' As I read, I wondered how I would scrub those sordid images from my mind. Words in the book from Little Richard's own sermons provided balance and relief. The book has so many direct quotes from Little Richard, that it actually has the flavor of an autobiography. He was unfalteringly honest and frank. I found this book to be an interesting peek into the mind of someone who is very competitive, as Little Richard was determined to outperform anyone else he was staged with. It also offers insights to the gay community. He is a beautiful man with an incredible voice. When my children were small, I gave them his album of songs for children and he remains one of their (and mine) favorite performers.

One of the Fathers of Modern Pop Music

Little Richard is truly ne of a Kind artist. whatever you see today pretty much is in debt to his importance as a Musician, style maker trend-setter and Original swag that started way back. this Book is very direct and frank and he pulls no punches. fellow legendary artists pay there respects and speak on his importance and what he meant then and now. Little Richard is truly an American Original and he has so much insight and so much to speak on then and now. a must read. He is Rock and Roll Royality.

Shocking but True!

The book gives a good insight into the wild life of Little Richard which rings true but is nonetheless shocking even for an open-minded reader. Yet,I can't help admire the man for giving it his all and the frank disclosure he affords in his book.

Updated story; downgraded sessiongraphy-discography

Despite what VH1-type music channels imply, Little Richard is the most influential rock artist of all time. This book does not fully explore the *musical* reason for that statement, but remains, almost 19 years after its' launch, perhaps the most literate pop music biography.It's amazing that so many rock culture writers apparently have not seriously referenced this book and learned of the importance of LR to RR. For example, book after book on the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix, for example, still use Richard as a quirky, eccentric, gender-bending footnote - yeah, way in the beginning, they dug his flambouyance...McCartney was doing Richard on "Sgt. Pepper", folks.Too bad that in some ways this book mirrors the sometimes confused and misguided career of its' subject - talking strictly about the ever-important recording session section. It surely appears that the current publisher used the original erroneous collation done by someone other than Mr. White. Simply put, there are too many obvious editing mistakes for that section to be taken seriously. I hope Omnibus Press can correct this disappointing feature.On the other hand, this edition adds some wonderful rare photographs and an interesting contribution by "Lifetime Friend" album producer Stuart Colman.

a great book

i enjoyed this book.it details so much.this man is the true king of rock-n-roll.and he has always been upfront about different subjects.he has had an enormous impact on the music world.this book tells of racisim and the constant battle for respect and truth.this man is a true original.