Singer. He was an American R&B, Gospel, Soul, and Rock & Roll Singer as well as a songwriter and pianist. Born in poverty as Richard Wayne Penniman, the third of twelve children, his first name should have been Ricardo, but an error resulted in Richard instead. His initial musical influence was gospel. He attended Hudson High School and joined a teaching band. In 1947, he was overheard singing at Macon City Auditorium and was asked to open the show that day, which he did with the help of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, starting him on his road to a very influential, long and successful career. He got his nickname of "Little Richard" when he joined the "Buster Brown" orchestra in 1950. Over the years, he developed a unique and flamboyant on-stage presence, wearing eyeliner, thick facial makeup, and tall hairdos. As a naïve businessman, his first of many recording contracts was with RCA Victor. With no successful recordings at RCA, his next label was Art Rupe's Specialty Records, where he recorded his September of 1955 hit "Tutti Frutti," which reached #2 on the R&B charts. His first album, "Here's Little Richard," was released by Specialty in May of 1957, and the next year, "Good Golly, Miss Molly" was recorded. Although, at first, he appealed mainly to Black audiences, but with his hits, he "crossed-over" and had hundreds of white fans, for which he met racism in an era of segregation. During the middle of the tour in 1957, he shocked the public by announcing he was following a life in the ministry, attending Bible College, and leaving secular music behind, but he returned to his fans in 1962. He released three gospel albums in the 1960s. He did several foreign tours during his career and made several recordings for animated films. He appeared on television, film, and tracks with other artists, including Jon Bon Jovi, Elton John, and Solomon Burke. His hit songs were being covered by other artists such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. In 1984, he had to take legal action against recording labels for past royalties not received, and the suit was settled out of court two years later. His income was mainly from public performances. In 1986, Little Richard was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the first charter inductees. In 1992, he released his final album, "Little Richard Meets Masayoshi Takanaka". He recorded 26 albums, appeared in 26 films, and recorded on 12 different labels. He was the recipient of a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and performed at President Bill Clinton's inaugural gala. He is listed as number 12 on "Rolling Stone" magazine's list of their 100 greatest singers. He continued to tour, doing 90-minute shows, until his 2013 retirement. His cause of death was cancer. He was married for a short time and he had a son.