It never fails to amaze me how little musical gems can still come my way here and there, beautiful little surprises that for one reason or another I missed previously. This one I wanted to make sure to pass on to you: rock 'n roll pioneer Little Richard's "I Don't Know What You've Got But It's Got Me," from 1965. Why this caught my ear (and heart) was that I generally think of Little Richard, like perhaps most people do, as this kind of larger-than-life, over-the-top character with a bouffant hairdo and wild clothes and makeup pounding on a piano and screaming nonsense lyrics. Very cool, very influential, but sort of schticky, too. The surprise for me in this song is that Richard Penniman was also a gifted soul singer, in the same class as Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Mavis Staples, any of the greats. He gives his all on this recording, and it just bursts with passion and depth and skill. Click below to hear it on YouTube:
Little Richard, "I Don't Know What You've Got But It's Got Me"
By the way, to make this even better, that's Jimi Hendrix on guitar there.
© Copyright 2008- Marianne Spellman