Little Richard - 5 Classic Albums Plus

Little Richard began his recording career in 1951, signing to RCA Victor, and moved to Peacock Records in 1953. He attained international success after signing with Specialty Records in 1955.

Here's Little Richard is the debut album from Little Richard, released on March 1957. He had scored six Top 40 hits the previous year, some of which were included on this recording. It was his highest charting album, at 13 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart. The album contained two of Richard's biggest hits, "Long Tall Sally", which reached #6 in the U.S. Pop charts, and "Jenny, Jenny", which reached #10 in the U.S. Pop charts. Little Richard (released as Volume 2 in the UK) was the eponymous second studio album by Little Richard, released in 1958.

The Fabulous Little Richard was the third album from Little Richard, and the end of his rock and roll period. Released seventeen months after he had left the Specialty Records label, Richard had returned to religion and turned his back on the music that made him famous. Though he would briefly rescind that decision in 1962, and sporadically throughout his career, this album marked the end of his peak period. In order to make the record more accessible to listeners, over half of the tracks featured an overdubbed female backing group. The record was put together including out-takes and other leftover studio tracks, which saw Richard in a somewhat more mellow styling.