Richard Wayne Penniman (born December 5, 1932), known as Little Richard, is an American musician and singer-songwriter.

An influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades, Penniman’s most celebrated work dates from the mid-1950s, when his dynamic music and charismatic showmanship laid the foundation for rock and roll. His music also played a key role in the formation of other popular music genres, including soul and funk. Penniman influenced numerous singers and musicians across musical genres from rock to hip hop; his music helped shape rhythm and blues for generations to come, and his performances and headline-making thrust his career right into the mix of American popular music.

Penniman has been honored by many institutions. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of its first group of inductees in 1986. He was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. In 2015, Penniman received a Rhapsody & Rhythm Award from the National Museum of African American Music for his key role in the formation of popular music genres, influencing singers and musicians across genres from Rock to Hip-Hop, and helping to bring an end to the racial divide on the music charts changing American culture significantly. Little Richard’s “Tutti Frutti” (1955) was included in the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress in 2010, which stated that his “unique vocalizing over the irresistible beat announced a new era in music”. Little Richard was born Richard Wayne Penniman on December 5, 1932, in Macon, Georgia. He was the third of twelve children of Leva Mae (née Stewart) and Charles “Bud” Penniman. His father was a church deacon who sold bootlegged moonshine on the side and owned a nightclub, the Tip In Inn. His mother was a member of Macon’s New Hope Baptist Church. Initially, Penniman’s first name was supposed to have been “Ricardo” but an error resulted in “Richard” instead. The Penniman children were raised in a neighborhood of Macon called Pleasant Hill.In childhood, he was nicknamed “Lil’ Richard” by his family, because of his small and skinny frame. A mischievous child who played pranks on neighbors, Penniman began singing in church at a young age.