Tag Archives: Little Richard

Fine tuning

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As we are about to send out updated press releases, Brian Smith’s Boom Boom photo book cover has had a little more time spent on it, in particular cleaning up the edges of the cut-out images which had been done only roughly until now. If you are wondering who is who on the cover, that’s Screaming Jay Hawkins on the far right with Brian Smith himself joining in the fun, taken by one of Brian’s mates; I wanted to sneak Brian onto the cover if we could!  Little Richard in the centre is a star more people might recognise. I realised a few days ago we ought to try and get John Lee Hooker onto the front too, so tweaked things to enable this and fitted him next to Little Richard.  On the left is Buddy Guy. The main cover photograph is of Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson. Several of these images were taken inside the Twisted Wheel Club, one of Brian’s regular haunts

Vintage Rock

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Vintage Rock magazine have given Brian Smith‘s upcoming blues photo book Boom Boom Boom Boom a nice plug in their current issue (September), majoring on his Little Richard photographs in tribute to the singer. It is currently on the news-stands if you are venturing out to the shops, or can be ordered direct from the publishers using the links below. Thanks to Steve Harnell for the scan. Brian has now finished his detailed proofing of the book layout so we are getting all this sorted out now. We have also had a really nice foreword for the book done by a famous British blues singer and will be revealing details of that very soon. If you have not yet read about the book, you can do so on the site.

Buy direct and get an issue delivered to your door: bit.ly/32UxeIP

Find the mag in shops with the store locator: bit.ly/2FYBUVc

Little Richard

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Little Richard Oasis Club 014 copy.jpg

Just a few days on from bemoaning the death of Millie, a proper pop star, than another of the acts Brian Smith photographed in the Sixties passes away, this time a proper rock and roll trailblazer, Little Richard.  Brian was lucky enough to catch a performance at one of Manchester’s most famous venues of the time, The Oasis Club, in 1964.  Just seeing his pictures makes you jealous, as Richard seems in amazing form while the crowd are in awe judging by some of their expressions. Local group The Dakotas got to back him, all under the shadow of a huge Beatles mural decorating the back of the stage.  Which is a tad ironic given how much they owed to Richard amongst others!  Brian also caught the filming of Little Richard by Granada TV for one of their highly regarded pop specials of the time.

This great shot from the Oasis shows Little Richard working the crowd at the height of his set, and would have made the final selection for the book of Brian’s pics we’re wrapping up – except some of the others are even better!

Richard leaves a musical legacy only a few could equal even back in the Sixties, but his contributions to rock music’s development are unlikely ever to be surpassed in the future.