As Warner Library continues to highlight famous black people of color throughout the month of February, we wanted to shine the spotlight on a ray of sunshine that shined in the music industry starting in the ’40’s: Little Richard.

Richard Wayne Penniman, widely known as Little Richard, began his music career at the young age of 14. After getting his first paycheck from a performance at Macon City Auditorium, it wasn’t long before he left home to pursue a career as a professional performer.

Little Richard went through many different music periods in his life. From performing in drag, to joining the Buster Brown’s Orchestra, to an iconic and wildly successful solo career. He gained a lot of traction in the ’40’s and ’50’s for his talented voice and his iconic look – a pompadour and a pencil mustache. His first single, Every Hour, was released in 1958 and was a hit in Georgia. He was known as the “Architect of Rock and Roll.”

If you are looking to learn more about Little Richard, we have one book in the library on him: Stairway to heaven : the spiritual roots of Rock ‘n’ roll, from the King and Little Richard to Prince and Amy Grant. This book talks about the lives of many rock ‘n roll legends throughout history.