The Life and Times of Little Richard: The Quasar of Rock

Rating:
Summary: a great book
Review: i enjoyed this book.it details so much.this man is the true king of rock-n-roll.and he has always been upfront about different subjects.he has had an enormous impact on the music world.this book tells of racisim and the constant battle for respect and truth.this man is a true original.

Rating:
Summary: a shabby scrapbook
Review: Little Richard is such an important figure in 20th-century music that it is crucial that there be a biography of him out there. However, this biography is more a scrapbook than a polished work. Oftentimes, you can't tell when the author, Richard, or an acquaintance is speaking. There is no analysis of the events in Richard's life. This book pales in comparison to texts on Billy Strayhorn, Josephine Baker, etc. This book drags on about concert after concert after concert. Besides, Richard is in his homophobic phase at the time of the book's writing and there is no attempt to put his self-loathing into context. I needed to learn more about Richard, so I am glad this book exists. However, this was a poor piece of autobiography and I am surprised that the author did not take the time to fine tune his work.

Rating:
Summary: Long Overdue Biography of a King
Review: The Homewood, IL reviewer (07-08-01) suggested that the author rushed this work. It's been well-documented in print and on radio interviews that the book took many years to write - in fact the author made several trips from England to California to speak one-on-one with The Quasar himself, his former Managers, sidemen, songwriters, and on and on.
What the reviewer is probably most bothered by is the discography section. Yes, it was poorly edited and lacking in some important details - but it's been suggested that the sessiongraphy was conceived to include a running commentary by Little Richard and to account for, perhaps, one-third of the book. It's understandable that such an approach benefits only deep fans and historians, so the proverbial "bottom line" was apparently applied to the project.
Life & Times...is the author's first book and he displayed a fine writing ability, with a colorful descriptive sense. At times, his hyperbolic approach can make the unitiated uneasy, but considering the bombastic style of the subject, it fits.
Although some parts of his career remain in mystery even after this book release, the better-known periods recieve a thorough review: his childhood years involving sexual confusion and a growing awareness that he had something special to offer the music culture; the swingin' R & B years when R & R was confined to clubs; the R & R Revival period when he made a successful "comeback" and convinced many that he had the greatest voice all along; the struggle with drugs in the early '70s leading to an almost overnight clean-up and a rediscovered spirituality.
Richard was not singing Rock and Roll when the hardcover came out in September, 1984. It is believed that this work created a strong enough interest in his career, that a critically acclaimed "Contemporary Christian" album "Lifetime Friend" and a memorable appearance in Paul Mazursky's movie "Down and Out in Beverly Hills" (which included a Richard Top 50 hit for '86) led to his return to Rock in '89. (Which made some folks, who thought he was better situated in the non-secular world, uncomfortable). But there is no doubt that this book filled a major void in the rock music press.