Little Richard: I Am Everything

This is a great and well done rockumentary. Little Richard was such a deeply complex and talented and conflicted individual. This movie, produced by CNN, captures very effectively the many facets of his life a career. Through archival footage, interviews old and new, and storytelling we learn about the musical influence of this trailblazer who impacted the Beatles, Otis Redding, The Rolling Stones, Elvis, Prince, Michael Jackson, and more. We also see the painful conflict regarding Little Richard's deeply complex relationship with himself-with his image, with his sexuality, and his relationship with God. This is a moving film. I loved it.

Sometimes it takes a movie to help set the record straight. And, when it comes to designating who truly is the king of rock 'roll, this documentary from director Lisa Cortes does just that. Richard Wayne Penniman - professionally known as Little Richard (1932-2020) - burst onto the pop music scene in the mid-1950s with a singular, unrestrained, high-energy style that set him apart from other aspiring performers at the time, achieving tremendous success with hits like "Tutti Fruitti" and "Long Tall Sally," among others. However, even though he developed a strong following and a reputation for chart-busting releases, he never quite attained the widespread notoriety of others, like Elvis Presley and Pat Boone, particularly when they covered his hits. He also didn't achieve the financial success that he deserved, thanks to record labels that gave him raw deals. 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, whose leaders spouted inflammatory claims that he was undermining the moral fabric of traditional American culture with 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 openly acknowledged his influence - when they emerged in their own right, many of whom are interviewed in the film in archive footage or recent conversations. The result here is a revelatory examination of someone who set a standard but who never received the degree of recognition he merited until many years after his debut 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 Watters, 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 was a much bigger icon than I ever knew.

Although I am a grown man, I became interested in pop music and popular culture many years after Little Richard had his "heyday". I also got bits and pieces of him, and sometimes he appears on TV and the like. No more.

This documentary highlights his central role in popular culture. In fact, without Little Richard, pop music might not have become what we know it as today.

The documentary shows him as a trailblazer and as an enormous inspiration for all who followed him. Unfortunately, he has little respect and recognition for his enormous efforts.

The documentary also gives us insight into his private life; both religion (which was central), sexual orientation and how friends perceived him.

Last but not least; lots of wonderful music here, and many clips of performances he did. Little Richard gave it his all when he was on stage, and the audience loved him. At a time when pop stars "come and go", it is liberating to get to know who paved the way for many of them.

When Little Richard passed on in 2020 most of the news stories followed the familiar tale of the man as one of the founders of rock in the 50s who found religion, dropped out and then came back to the "devil's music". This film does a good job fleshing out Richard's story and delve deep into his background and the full arc of his life and career.

The CNN film paints a pretty detailed picture of Richards' complicated life. The doc highlights the central tension of his sexuality and 'evils' of rock n roll versus his religious upbringing. He had at least two major breaks from pop music which damaged his career commercially (he never again had a Top 40 single after first leaving rock in the late 50s). Richards' homosexuality was never truly hidden, but he himself was a contradiction by marrying a woman and renouncing his own lifestyle at times. It haunted him until the very end.

Despite his up and down career as a musician, his influence was phenomenal and both docs have testimonials from everyone like Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger to David Bowie. John Waters states that his pencil mustache is his decades long tribute to Richards' trademark 'stache. One of the "villains" of the piece is Pat Boone, who did toned down covers of Richards' songs to greater commercial success with white audiences.

This perceptive documentary on the career and importance of Little Richard transcends the typical pop music tribute in the breadth and depth of its treatment -kudos to director Lisa Cortes.

It concisely covers many topics relevant to his rise as well as the roadblocks that were placed in his way. Being Black, Gay and a rebel added up to his becoming a revolutionary figure in popular culture. And the selection of interviewees, some famous, some less so, but all knowledgeable about facets of his life.

From his earliest influences and colleagues to the early White ripoffs of his songs starting with "Tutti Frutti" by Elvis and Pat Boone, and ultimately by an adoring Paul McCartney, the movie traces a circuitous history of a legendary performer.

His international influences are attested to by McCarthy, Mick Jagger, Tom Jones and many others -all ringing true.

Then later his turning to religion and getting involved with drugs and falling into poverty, ultimately turning against his gay identity. What emerges in this carefully crafted and structured documentary is a complex personality, living up to its title.