"Little Richard: I Am Everything" Documentary Review

When one thinks of queer music icons, which come to mind first? Elton John? Freddie Mercury? Lady Gaga? And when you think of the King of Rock N’ Roll, who comes to mind? Elvis, right? And what about Little Richard? It’s in part because he’s often forgotten as a queer music artist and a great influence on rock n’ roll that director Lisa Cortés wanted to create this documentary following the black rock n’ roll legend’s life and legacy. “It’s crazy that no one’s ever done a story on him,’” Cortés said of Little Richard, given the “complicated life that he had swinging between the secular and the profane,” (Source). That quote truly sums up the trajectory of Little Richard’s life. What Little Richard: I Am Everything shows is an amazing music career, but also a life struggling to accept himself while serving as a beacon for acceptance for so many people.    

Watch the trailer before diving into the rest of this blog!

In preparation for directing the documentary, Cortés read Little Richard’s biography “The Life and Times of Little Richard to help capture the important moments of his life “in his voice.” The steps taken to prepare for the film certainly show, as the documentary displays a vibrant and compelling representation of Little Richard’s life and legacy through clips from the man himself over the years. The interview segments of him recounting his own story in front of the piano were the strongest clips, but many of the accounts from Little Richard came from talk show interviews over his career. 

People attribute many people as the template of the rock and roll icon, primarily Elvis Presley, but Little Richard: I Am Everything boldly says that title actually belongs to Little Richard. He himself describes himself as “the one who started it all.” And he isn’t wrong. This documentary shows the truth of that, and it’s as compelling as it is frustrating.  

The documentary opens up with an amazing clip representing Little Richard that ends with him saying “I let it all hang out, every bit. The love the gentleness, the tenderness, the kindness. You ain’t supposed to hide it. You got it. God gave it, show it to the world.” This is a message that perfectly represents him as a performing artist. He had this infectious on-stage energy and presence that could get even the grumpiest of people to tap their feet.  

Narratively, the documentary is put together well, showing the overview of his legacy and how Little Richard himself molded it over the years. There are interview slots or performances from fellow musicians such as Billy Porter, Mick Jagger, Valerie June, and musicians he played with over the years. There are also many quotable insights from scholars, record executives, filmmakers, and other cultural figures.  

One of the most important clips of the documentary comes within the first five minutes featuring Little Richard admitting that he was gay all his life, but his Christian upbringing and values got in the way of expressing that directly. When looking at his energetic, flamboyant performances, you start to get a picture of a person who used music as an outlet to be himself in a way he couldn’t necessarily be in his personal life.  

Little Richard, 1958.

We get to see his roots, growing up with 12 siblings in Macon, Georgia, having to sleep on pallets on the floor. Interestingly enough, he didn’t take to the piano right away, having trouble remembering the keys. He was first introduced to gospel music in Pentecostal churches, but he was often told to sing softly because he was “too much.” That view of being “too much” was exacerbated by the way he’d dress, wearing his mother’s pins and makeup. His father was a very strict minister, and as a teenager, he was kicked out of the house by his father for being gay. 

After being kicked out, he was taken in by the owners of the speakeasy/gay club Ann’s Tic-Toc. This is where he eventually played, and also was introduced to artists that would later influence his career including Sister Rosetta Tharpe who once brought him on stage to sing “Strange Things Happening Every Day.” 

That experience motivated him to leave Macon to start building his music career. He eventually became a part of the touring Chitlin Circuit where many queer women performed. Something fascinating revealed in this section is that Little Richard was performing in drag as Princess LaVonne during a few performances. At the time, homosexuality and cross-dressing were illegal, but because of these late-night shows (as part of an act rather than walking around publicly) and it being done in these safer clubs where you had to know the way in, it was a haven for queer people to express themselves in a time when it was not legal.  

The documentary also provides insight into how Little Richard created his look, which was heavily influenced by Billy Wright, an openly gay singer with a pompadour, pancake makeup, mascara, and a pencil mustache. It was also thanks to Wright that Little Richard got his first record deal. Additionally, it was thanks to the queer artist Esquerita that he learned to play piano. Both artists helped him discover who he was and the way he wanted to present himself. 

Little Richard, 1984.

Some great quotes that stuck out to me during the documentary... 

• “He spit on every rule there was in music” - John Waters (filmmaker) 

• “Queerness is not just about sexuality but about a presence in a space that is different from what we require or expect, different from the norm.” - Zandria Robinson (scholar) 

• “The first songs that you love that your parents hate is the beginning of the soundtrack of your life... Little Richard gave me the fuel to rebel early.” - John Waters (filmmaker) 

• “Nobody could follow him. So he had to close the shows everywhere he played.” 

• “He was very, very good at liberating other people through his example. He was not good at liberating himself.” - Jason King (scholar) 

While the entire documentary presents some interesting facts, here are a few I wanted to share that don’t quite fit narratively... 

• “Tutti Frutti” is about anal sex, but producers thought it could be a hit with a few changes to the lyrics. “Good booty” got changed to “oh rootie.” 

• Music made by black people was considered "black music" and would only get played on black stations but independent DJs helped keep the music from being underground and played to white audiences. 

• With segregation still in effect, there would be a night for white people and another for black people. But then the white fans would start crashing the black fan nights, breaking that segregation barrier, uniting people through music. This is in part because Little Richard represented an “upheaval of the existing social system.” His lyrics about graphic sex were dangerous and fun. 

Another really valuable topic covered in the documentary was calling to attention the way black music was viewed and how black artists had to find ways to work around the prejudice. Songs made popular by black artists were often toned down or reworked with white artists.  

There’s a funny comparison in the documentary where it shows Pat Boone’s cover of “Tutti Frutti” and how low energy it is compared to Little Richard’s version. Many artists felt the need to appear less threatening to play the white clubs. Much of his look while personal expression and exaggerated queerness was also a form of armor at the time, to be less threatening.  

Despite this, in the aftermath of Emmett Till and the demonization of rock n’ roll, racist attacks, and discrimination became more frequent, with Little Richard even getting arrested for “singing black music to white kids”, which became something to “protect” white people from. There were also terrible record and royalty deals at the time that kept Little Richard from making money on his songs three years after the album release.  

While much of Little Richard: I Am Everything focuses on his career, it does give airtime to his transition back to his faith to show how that changed him and the music he created for a time. After experiencing what he thought were signs of the world ending, (i.e. he believed that God was speaking to him, which was likely just Sputnik), he decided he’d stop singing and dedicate his life to God. He called his own music “devil music’ and transitioned to gospel music, which sounds dramatically different and restrained from songs like “Lucille.” In that period, he also married a woman in the religious community and continued to condemn his old music. 

1998.

Eventually, however, he needed money (remember, he wasn’t getting royalties for his biggest songs at this point) and returned to his previous persona which led to his connection with The Beatles who just a year later totally took off. By the mid-60s, he was giving a lot of performances in Europe, as many artists of this era were doing. He’d also divorced his wife and was back to the Little Richard persona people knew and loved but upgraded a bit. "Upgrade" meaning "flashier, shinier, and even higher energy." To maintain that higher energy, he started turning to drugs, particularly cocaine. It was the death of his brother that turned him back to his faith, putting the fear of God in him for the life he was living.  

This dark period of his life is difficult to see as he begins to denounce his sexuality, and as said in the documentary, “running away from himself.” He was constantly contradicting himself and who he wanted to present as, but he still kept the infectious energy on stage. It took years for Little Richard to get the flowers he truly deserved. He received an award in 1997 that celebrated his legacy. As he’s brought to tears on stage, you as the viewer can’t help but get misty-eyed.  

The main purpose of this documentary is to showcase Little Richard’s legacy and influence on rock n’ roll, and it fulfills that purpose flawlessly. Without this incredibly talented black queer legend, so many people we see as legends would not have been inspired to play rock n roll in the first place. He was truly the innovator and originator of the genre, paving the way for everything that followed, and it was a delight to see his legacy laid out onscreen in Little Richard: I Am Everything.  

If you are someone like me who knew of Little Richard, knew some of his hits, but knew none of his background, this documentary is an amazing, educational look at his life. It will move you; it will anger you, and it will make you want to listen to all his discography after finishing. Superfans of Little Richard may not find much new to glean narratively, but the talking heads’ insight might validate some of one’s own thoughts or maybe make them look at situations in Little Richard’s life differently. June is Pride Month, and Little Richard: I Am Everything is a wonderful celebration of queer identity and culture. While Little Richard didn’t always feel secure being out and proud, he inspired many, many others to express themselves openly without fear. That is a feat worth celebrating. 

You can check out the documentary for yourself on HBO Max. 

Thanks to the following resource for helping me gather quotes from the director for this review... 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/little-richard-doc-depicts-lifelong-struggle-sexuality-religion-rcna83347 

 Written by Kristen Petronio