This page is a discography for American musician Little Richard (1932–2020). Described as "the architect of rock and roll", Little Richard was a pioneering singer-songwriter whose career also encompassed rhythm and blues, soul, and gospel. He began his recording career with RCA Victor in 1951, releasing his first singles. He attained international success following his signing to Specialty Records in 1955 and the issue of his first LP album two years later. Although his last album was released in 1992, Little Richard continued to tour into the 21st century.
Studio albums Title Album details Peak chart positions US Here's Little RichardReleased: March 1957 Label: Specialty Format: mono LP13 Little RichardReleased: 1958 Label: Specialty Format: mono LP76 The Fabulous Little RichardReleased: 1958 / March 1959 Label: Specialty Format: mono LP— Pray Along with Little Richard, Volume 1Released: 1960 Label: End Format: mono LP— Pray Along with Little Richard (Vol 2)Released: 1960 Label: End Format: mono LP— The King of the Gospel SingersReleased: c. November 1961 Label: Mercury Format: stereo LP— Little Richard Is Back (And There's A Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On!)Released: August 1964 Label: Vee-Jay Format: mono LP136 Little Richard's Greatest HitsReleased: c. January 1965 Label: Vee-Jay Format: mono LP— The Explosive Little RichardReleased: January 1967 Label: Okeh Format: mono LP— The Rill ThingReleased: August 1970 Label: Reprise Format: stereo LP— The King of Rock and RollReleased: 1971 Label: Reprise Format: stereo-mono LP — The Second ComingReleased: 1972 Label: Reprise Format: stereo LP— Right Now!Released: 1974 Label: United Format: stereo LP— Little Richard LiveReleased: 1976 Label: K-Tel Format: stereo-mono LP (all studio)— God's Beautiful CityReleased: 1979 Label: Word Format: stereo LP— Lifetime FriendReleased: 1986 Label: WEA Records Format: stereo LP— Shake It All AboutReleased: 1992 Label: Disney Format: stereo LP— Little Richard Meets Masayoshi TakanakaReleased: 1992 Label: Eastworld Format: stereo LP— Southern ChildReleased: 2005 (recorded 1972) Label: Reprise; later released by Rhino Handmade. Format: stereo LP / CD set— "—" denotes releases that did not chart.
Live albums +TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart position US US R&B The Incredible Little Richard Sings His Greatest Hits - Live!Released: 1967 Label: Modern Format: stereo LP — — Little Richard's Greatest Hits: Recorded Live!Released: July 1967 Label: Okeh Format: stereo LP 184 29 "—" denotes releases that did not chart.
Compilation albums 1958 Little Richard (with Buck Ram and his Rock 'n Ram Orchestra) (RCA Camden CAL 420) 1960: Little Richard Sings: Clap Your Hands (Spinorama M-119) 1963: Sings Spirituals (United Records US-7723) 1963: His Biggest Hits (Specialty SP-2111) 1964: Sings the Gospel 1968: The Wild and Frantic Little Richard 1967: Rock N Roll Forever 1968: Little Richard's Grooviest 17 Original Hits (Specialty SPS-2113) 1968: Forever Yours (Roulette) 1969: Good Golly Miss Molly 1969: Little Richard 1970: Every Hour with Little Richard (RCA Camden CAS-2430) 1970: Rock Hard Rock Heavy 1970: Little Richard 1970: Well Alright! 1971: Mr. Big 1972: The Original 1972: Friends from the Beginning – Little Richard and Jimi Hendrix 1972: Super Hits (Trip; gatefold) 1973: Rip It Up 1974: Recorded Live 1974: Talkin' 'bout Soul 1975: Keep a Knockin1976: Sings 1977: Now 1977: 22 Original Hits (Warwick) 1983: 20 Greatest Hits (Lotus) 1984: Little Richard's Greatest (Kent) 1985: 18 Greatest Hits (Rhino) 1985: The Essential Little Richard (Specialty) 1988: Lucille 1991: The Georgia Peach (Specialty) 1996: Shag on Down by the Union Hall Featuring Shea Sandlin & Richard "The Sex" Hounsome 1996: Little Richard's Grand Slam Hits (DIMI Music Group) 2006: Here's Little Richard / Little Richard 2008: The Very Best of Little Richard 2016: California (I'm Comin')
Label overviews 1989: The Specialty Sessions (Ace [UK], 6-CD; a truncated 3-CD version released in US on Specialty) 1996: The Second Coming (Charly [UK]; also released as Dancin' All Around the World – The Complete Vee-Jay Recordings; all previously released, missing alternate take of "I Don't Know What You've Got", and other unreleased material) 2004: Get Down With It: The Complete Okeh Sessions (all studio; Columbia) 2005: King Of Rock and Roll: The Complete Reprise Sessions (Rhino Handmade) 2005: Get Rich Quick – Birth of a Legend, 1951–1954 (RCA Victor, Peacock, Republic material; Rev-Ola) 2015: Directly from My Heart: The Best of the Specialty & Vee-Jay Years (Concord Music Group)
Singles Date Side Title LabelCat. no.Chart positions Album US US R&B US AC UKNov.1951 A"Taxi Blues"RCA Victor20/47-4392––––N/A B"Every Hour"––––Feb.1952 A"Get Rich Quick"RCA Victor20/47-4582–––– B"Thinkin' 'Bout My Mother"––––May1952 A"Ain't Nothin' Happenin'"RCA Victor20/47-4772–––– B"Why Did You Leave Me"––––Nov.1952 A"Please Have Mercy on Me"RCA Victor20/47-5025–––– B"I Brought It All on Myself"––––June1953 A"Ain't That Good News"(credit: Duces of Rhythm and Tempo Toppers, lead Little Richard)Peacock1616–––– B"Fool at the Wheel"(credit: Duces of Rhythm and Tempo Toppers, lead Little Richard)––––March1954 A"Always"(credit: Tempo Toppers feat. Little Richard)Peacock1628–––– B"Rice, Red Beans and Turnip Greens"(credit: Tempo Toppers feat. Little Richard)––––Oct.1955 A"Tutti Frutti"Specialty561172–29 Here's Little Richard B"I'm Just a Lonely Guy" (pre-overdub version)–––– The Fabulous Little Richard (with additional backup singer overdubs)March1956 A"Long Tall Sally"Specialty57261–3Here's Little Richard B"Slippin' and Slidin'"332––April1956 A"Little Richard's Boogie"(with Johnny Otis' band)Peacock1658––––N/A B"Directly from My Heart to You"(with Johnny Otis' band)––––N/A (re-recorded for The Fabulous Little Richard)June1956 A"Rip It Up"Specialty579171–30Here's Little Richard B"Ready Teddy"448––Oct.1956 A"Heeby-Jeebies"Specialty584–7–– Little Richard B"She's Got It" –9–15 Here's Little RichardDec.1956 A"The Girl Can't Help It"Specialty591497–9Little Richard B"All Around the World"–13––Feb.1957 A"Lucille"Specialty598211–10 B"Send Me Some Lovin'"543––June1957 A"Jenny, Jenny"Specialty606102–11Here's Little Richard B"Miss Ann"566––July1957 A"Maybe I'm Right"(with Johnny Otis' band)Peacock1673––––N/A (re-recorded for The Fabulous Little Richard) B"I Love My Baby"(with Johnny Otis' band)––––N/AAug.1957 A"Keep A-Knockin'"Specialty61182–21 Little Richard B"Can't Believe You Wanna Leave"–––– Here's Little RichardJan.1958 A"Good Golly, Miss Molly"Specialty624104–8Little Richard B"Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!"––––May1958 A"Ooh! My Soul"Specialty6333515–22 B"True Fine Mama"68––– Here's Little RichardJuly1958 A"Baby Face"Specialty6454112–2Little Richard B"I'll Never Let You Go (Boo Hoo Hoo Hoo)"––––Nov.1958 A"She Knows How to Rock"Specialty652––––The Fabulous Little Richard B"Early One Morning"––––March1959 A"By the Light of the Silvery Moon"Specialty660–––17 Little Richard B"Wonderin'"–––– The Fabulous Little RichardApril1959 A"Kansas City"Specialty66495––26The Fabulous Little Richard B"Lonesome and Blue"––––June1959 A"Shake a Hand"Specialty670–––– B"All Night Long"––––Aug.1959 A "Whole Lotta Shakin'"Specialty680–––– B "Maybe I'm Right"––––Aug.1959 A "I Got It" (similar to "She's Got It")Specialty681–––– N/A B "Baby"–––– Here's Little RichardSep.1959 A "Save Me Lord" (aka "Certainly, Lord")End1057––––Pray Along with Little Richard (Vol 2) B "Troubles of the World"––––Sep.1959 A "Milky White Way"End1058––––Pray Along with Little Richard (Vol 1) B "I've Just Come from the Mountain"––––1959 A "Directly from My Heart to You" (overdubbed)Specialty686––––The Fabulous Little Richard B "The Most I Can Offer" (overdubbed)––––Sep.1961 A"He's Not Just a Soldier"Mercury71884113–––The King of the Gospel Singers B"Joy Joy Joy"––––Jan.1962 A"Ride On, King Jesus"Mercury71911–––– B"Do You Care"––––May1962 A"He Got What He Wanted (But He Lost What He Had)"Mercury71965–––38N/A B"Why Don't You Change Your Ways"––––Dec.1962 A"I'm in Love Again"(credit: The Upsetters)Little Star123–––– B"Every Night About This Time"(credit: The Upsetters)––––Feb.1963 A"Crying in the Chapel"Atlantic2181119––– B"Hole in the Wall"––––May1963 A"Traveling Shoes"Atlantic2192–––– B"It Is No Secret"––––Oct.1963 A"Milky White Way"Coral62366––––Pray Along with Little Richard (Vol 1) B"Need Him"––––1963 A"Valley of Tears"(credit: The Upsetters)Little Star128––––N/A B"Freedom Ride"(credit: The Upsetters)––––April1964 A"Bama Lama Bama Loo"Specialty6928282–20Well Alright! (overdubbed versions) B"Annie Is Back"––––Aug.1964 A"Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On"Vee JayVJ 61212642––Little Richard is Back (And There's a Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On!) B"Goodnight Irene"128–––Nov.1964 A"Blueberry Hill"Vee JayVJ 625–––– B"Cherry Red"––––Feb.1965 A"Cross Over"Vee JayVJ-652––––N/A B"It Ain't Whatcha Do (It's the Way How You Do It)"––––June1965 A"Without Love"Vee JayVJ-665–––– B"Dance What You Wanna"––––Oct.1965 A"I Don't Know What You've Got But It's Got Me - Part I" (first version)Vee JayVJ-6989212–– B"I Don't Know What You've Got But It's Got Me - Part II"–12––Jan.1966 A"Holy Mackerel"Modern45xM 1018––––The Wild and Frantic Little Richard B"Baby, Don't You Want a Man Like Me"––––Feb.1966 A"Do You Feel It (Part 1)"Modern45xM 1019––––The Incredible Little Richard Sings His Greatest Hits - Live!