Friends from the Beginning - Little Richard and Jimi Hendrix

Infobox Album
Name = Friends from the Beginning - Little Richard and Jimi Hendrix
Type = Studio Album
Artist = Little Richard and Jimi Hendrix


Released = 1972
Recorded = June 1964 - April 1971
Genre = Rock 'n' Roll
Length = 34:55
Label = Ala Records
Chronology =Little Richard
Last album = "Southern Child"
(1972)
This album = "Friends from the Beginning - Little Richard and Jimi Hendrix"
(1972)
Next album = "Right Now!"
(1973)

"Friends from the Beginning - Little Richard and Jimi Hendrix" was Little Richard's eighteenth album release containing new material. Although many of the tracks present had been available on albums dating as far back as September 1964, the album did contain five new tracks *not* from the Vee-Jay vaults: "Belle Stars", "Funky Dish Rag", both instumentals probably cut in 1971, and "Why Don't You Love Me?", recorded that same year; plus instrumental reworkings of "Lucille" and "Keep A-Knockin'". Technically there was nothing "new" about the album (albeit long, stereo versions of very common sides) as it contained material over six years old, but the final release of the archived tracks, coupled with the tie-in to Jimi Hendrix as guitarist, meant that the release was a viable one.

[Tracks 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12 Personnel include Little Richard (keyboards?); rest unknown (possibly a mix of Little Richard's 1970s touring band and contemporary studio musicians)] .

Note: "Tutti Frutti" (instrumental) is actually "Long Tall Sally" (instrumental).

History

The files at Vee Jay hold that Richard had seven sessions at the company from June 1964 - c. 1965, remaking seventeen of his old hits (Tutti Frutti, Good Golly Miss Molly et al) and recording thirty brand new ones. Even though Richard had left the company and moved on for several years, many of the unreleased VeeJay tracks were then turning up on 'new' albums up till 1974. Playing guitar on all of the tracks on the album was Jimi Hendrix, then before he became known in his own right, but having had his career and died before this album was released. Despite this, and the album being released in the same period as the movie footage of Little Richard in Sweet Toronto, the album failed to chart.

Track listing

# Whole Lotta Shakin' (3:01)
# Goodnight Irene (2:49)
# Keep a Knockin' (3:21)
# Going Home Tomorrow (3:18)
# Belle Stars (2:54)
# Tutti Frutti (2:56)
# Lawdy Miss Claudie (2:26)
# Why Don't You Love Me (3:12)
# Lucille (2:55)
# Hound Dog (2:24)
# Money Honey (2:26)
# Funky Dish Rag (3:14)

Personnel - tracks 1, 2, 4, 7, 10 and 11

*Little Richard – vocals, piano
*Dewey Terry - guitar
*Glen Willings - guitar
*Jimi Hendrix - guitar
*Don "Sugarcane" Harris - bass, violin

Two unknown drummers and unknown female vocal group - records not kept by Vee Jay

Personnel - tracks 3, 5, 8, 9 and 12

*Little Richard – vocals, piano, organ
*Jimi Hendrix - guitar
*Black Arthur - guitar
*Henry Oden - bass

Rest of personnel unknown - records not kept by Vee Jay

Personnel - track 6

*Little Richard – vocals, pianoRest of personnel unknown - records not kept by Vee Jay

Charts

AlbumWhite, Charles. (2003). "The Life and Times of Little Richard: The Authorised Biography." Omnibus Press. ]

References