10 Musicians Who Died In 2020
1. Little Richard
One of music’s true originals, the great innovator Little Richard was taken from us in 2020. Born in Georgia in 1932, Richard got his start in gospel music, and took from it the melodic and performative showmanship on which he would help structure American rock ‘n’ roll.
Richard’s first hit was “Tutti Frutti”, performed with a mischievous energy that remains fresh today. The classics kept coming, with “Long Tall Sally”, “Good Golly Miss Molly”, and “Lucille” becoming instant rock standards. Richard’s falsetto style and on stage exuberance were huge influences on The Beatles and The Rolling Stones among many, many more.
He was also one of the first LGBT stars, and while Richard’s own sexuality is much disputed (not helped by some unfortunate comments made late in his life), his flamboyant performances, often in drag, were incredibly bold for their day. Richard crossed barriers of sexuality as well as race through sheer force of personality.
His contributions to popular music and society at large are hard to exaggerate. A complicated figure to be sure, but a true rock ‘n’ roll great, and one of the most important musical forces of the 20th century.