Decline and return to Christianity: 1970-1976
Penniman continued his wild partying through the first half of the 1970sand developed a dependency on a variety of drugs. He and his brothers started their own management company, Bud Hole Incorporated. He continued to tour, appeared in an occasional film, and recorded secular music through the first half of the decade. He had four minor hits for Reprise Records between 1970 and 1973 and a single charted briefly for Manticore in 1975. That same year, he played piano on the Top 40 single "Take It Like a Man" from the Bachman–Turner Overdrive hit album Head On and recorded a gospel song entitled, "Try To Help Your Brother". In 1976, he re-recorded twenty of his biggest '50s hits in Nashville for a K-Tel Records album.
In 1977, Penniman reached a crossroad in his life. Two close friends, a brother and a nephew that he loved as a son, died, and he came close to being shot by his long-time friend, Larry Williams, over a drug debt. Even though he and Williams were very close friends, cocaine addiction fueled a rage in Williams when Penniman failed to repay him because he was high. In what he referred to as the most fearful moment of his life, Penniman happened to have the money and Williams spared him.
Penniman repented for his wayward living and returned to evangelism. He also represented Memorial Bibles International and sold their Black Heritage Bible, which highlighted the many black people in the Bible. In 1979, he recorded a gospel album entitled God's Beautiful City, and embarked upon an evangelical campaign across the U.S. During this period, he proclaimed that it was not possible to perform rock and roll music and serve God at the same time.
Comeback and international recognition: 1984-2000
Penniman continued to evangelize to crowds of as few as 250 in small churches to packed auditoriums of 21,000 through the first half of the 1980s. His preaching focused on bringing the races together and lost souls to repentance through God's love, as well as the rejection of his former lifestyle of alcoholism, drug addiction and homosexuality.
In 1984, Charles White's authorized biography of Penniman (The Life and Times of Little Richard) was published, featuring extensive first-person testimony from its subject, and attracting attention for its "juicy anecdotes".Shortly before its publication, Penniman's mother died. Not long before she died he promised her that he would remain a Christian. He thereafter reconciled his role as anevangelist and as a rock and roll artist, stating that he believed that rock and roll music could be used for good or evil.
In an effort to merge his faith with his music, Penniman enrolled his old friend Billy Preston to help him write a song with religious lyrics that sounded like rock and roll. The song was destined for the soundtrack of a new motion picture entitled Down and Out in Beverly Hills, which he would also perform in the film. The result was "Great Gosh A'Mighty (It's a Matter of Time)", which became a hit. The song was included in an album of faith-based material entitled Lifetime Friend, recorded (primarily in England) from 1984 through 1986. Penniman referred to his new style of music as "message music" and "messages in rhythm" which included a track that was an innovative blend of rap and funky rock music.
Near the end of the recording process for Lifetime Friend, Penniman flew back to the United States to appear in an episode of the television show Miami Vice. Following the filming he broke his leg in an automobile accident,[97] which prevented him from attending the first Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on January 23, 1986, at which he was honored as one of the first inductees.
Penniman appeared in the 1986 motion picture Down and Out in Beverly Hills, receiving critical acclaim for his performance. In 1988, he appeared on the tribute album Folkways: A Vision Shared ("The Rock Island Line", backed by Fishbone) and performed the theme song for the Twins motion picture soundtrack with Philip Bailey. He also preached the sermon and sang background vocals on the live, extended version of the 1989 U2/B.B. King hit "When Love Comes to Town". He made many other appearances on film, TV, music videos and record through the latter half of the decade. At an AIDS benefit concert hosted by Cher, in March 1989, Penniman performed his classic, "Lucille", for the first time in 13 years permanently returning to performing his classic brand of rock 'n' roll though not to the hedonistic lifestyle he had ventured after his return to secular music in the early sixties.
Penniman remained active through the 1990s on television, in music videos, commercials, movies, in concert and as a guest recording artist. In 1990, he recorded a rap segment for Living Colour's "Elvis Is Dead" (featuring Maceo Parker on saxophone) and then performed it with the band live on television. He appeared (as a preacher) in music videos for Cinderella's "Shelter Me" and in a new recording of "Good Golly Miss Molly" for the motion picture King Ralph (1991). He recorded an album of classic children's songs in his original rocking style for Disney, as well as the opening theme song for the science mystery cartoon The Magic School Bus. He has also voiced an animated version of himself in an episode of the Hanna-Barbera version of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventures. He recorded duets with Jon Bon Jovi, Hank Williams, Jr., Elton John, Tanya Tucker and Solomon Burke, and new tracks for two motion picture soundtracks:Casper (1995) and Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1998).
Penniman appeared (as himself) in Why Do Fools Fall in Love, as well as in the 1999 film Mystery, Alaska, in which he sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "O Canada". He also guest starred as himself in television shows including Columbo (in an episode entitled "The Murder of a Rock Star"),Full House (in the episode entitled "Too Little Richard Too Late"), Martin (in the episode entitled "Three Men and a Mouse") and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. On June 2, 1995, he appeared on the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live. He portrayed a fictionalized version of himself, officiating the wedding of supercouple Bo Buchanan and Nora Gannon, who were huge fans of 1950s rock and roll music.
In the summer of 1998 he toured Europe with Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis.
Little Richard Early recordings: 1951-1955
Little Richard Return to secular music: 1962-1969
Little Richard Early recordings: 1951-1955
Little Richard Return to secular music: 1962-1969
