The Beatles were always open about the artists who shaped them. But within that broad field of influence, there was a select few they spoke about in near-devotional terms – figures without whom they almost certainly would not have become the band that changed the world.
Like almost every forward-thinking musician of their generation, The Beatles were profoundly shaped by the American rock ‘n’ roll explosion of the late 1950s. Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly and Gene Vincent all fed into what the Fab Four would become. But for John Lennon in particular, one American figure loomed larger than most: Little Richard.
Arguably the most pioneering performer of that era, Little Richard brought a wildness and physicality to rock ‘n’ roll that nobody else had quite managed – and it was a quality The Beatles would absorb and carry into their own music.
In The Life and Times of Little Richard: The Authorised Biography, Lennon recalls the moment he first heard ‘Long Tall Sally’ in 1956 – and how it immediately complicated his absolute devotion to Elvis.
“Elvis was bigger than religion in my life,” he said. “Then this boy at school said he’d got this record by somebody called Little Richard who was better than Elvis – we used to go to this boy’s house after school and listen to Elvis on 78s: we’d buy five ciggies loose and some chips and go along.”
The new record stopped him in his tracks. “When I heard it, it was so great I couldn’t speak.”
‘Long Tall Sally’ – frenetic, bluesy, barely contained – can be heard as a direct precursor to early Beatles classics like ‘Twist and Shout’. Hearing it for the first time, Lennon found himself torn in a way he had never expected. “You know how you are torn,” he said. “I didn’t want to leave Elvis, but this was so much better. We all looked at each other, but I didn’t want to say anything against Elvis, even in my mind. How could they both be happening in my life?”
Lennon would not have to wait long to meet his new hero. The Beatles first encountered Little Richard while still establishing themselves on the northwest circuit, supporting him at the Tower Ballroom in New Brighton in 1962. The night was sufficiently successful that the following month the band secured a 15-night support slot with Richard in Hamburg – the city that did more than anywhere to shape them into the band they would become.
Richard himself later reflected on the curious dynamic of that period. “I toured with The Beatles right before they made their first hit, and I was the star of the show,” he recalled. “You wouldn’t believe it. They had never made a record at the time, and I was with them for 15 days, and that was right before they got their start.”
In Lennon, Little Richard found a kindred spirit – personally and artistically. The two remained close friends until Lennon’s murder in December 1980.
