.- . . 1 Little Richard In the late ?505, accepts adulation from tans. few more ounds, a ew more years, but still, pretty much the same as when he?d scream, am the most beautiful thing in show busi- ness!? Little 'Rich- Richard on ?God wants you to give up rock and roll!? ard lay in bed in room 115 of the Motel Puyallup, saying that, oh, my, his body ached, thathe had been on the road 18 weeks, that he had been,.,oh, yes, sick with this back problem, that needed rest. oh, yes, rest, rest, rest, and, by the way, had you seen him last night on om Snyder? Times staff columnist This was all taking place last Wednesday! afternoon. Little Richard had been up all the previous night in New York City because they wouldn't leave. him alone after the Snyder appear- ance. ?Oh, they all just want to talk and talk to me, es!? - It was at the fairgrounds, the newspaper ads said, that Little Richard would be the evening?s spedial guest of the Rev. Bobby Schambach, Sr., ?under the world's greatest gOSpel tent . . . bring the sick, diseased 8: afflicted for special prayer . . . Bible days are here again.? In the motel room, Little Richard was talking to the two men traveling with him. One identified himself as Little Richard?s business manager and sometime piano player. The other was introduced as his sound engineer. They didn?t say anything, just nodded when Little Richard told them how tired he was. So it appeared there was general agreement that Little Richard, who?s either 45 or 48 he won't tell needed rest. But then, well, .Little Richard started talking about this and that. Hadn?t he just said that .. . Little Richard talks much the same way he used to sing. "Most of his lyrics sound like they were just made up on the spot," one biography said about his son 5, ?strings of non sequiturs lurching along, with Ric ard knocking them ?out as they pop into his head Now Little Richard was back talking about the Tom Snyder appearance. - ?Oh, my! I counted 120 kids, no, hundreds of kids outside the N.B.C. studios! All waiting for me with albums and wanting autographs! Hundreds of kids, mostly white, but a few black kids! It took me half an hour to get to mv car! Oh, they loved me! ?They all know that I am a living legend! I am the architect of rock and roll! They haven?t forgotten me! Isn?t that beautiful!" . Then Little Richard again said he had to rest. Then he said he was glad to be here, the home of Jimi Hendrix. ?Yes, Jimi Hendrix started with me as my guitarist as a young man! He had left home! And Bil? ly Preston was my organist at age of 14! James Brown started with us before he ever made a - . ?1Give up rock and will? Little Richard exhorts. record! And Joe Tex! ?The Beatles did my stuff! Paul, John, George, Ringo! They was little boys in Hamburg (Germany) at the Star Club when I was there! Paul trained from me! He had never met a famous person until me! He got all that from me!" That would be as in his hit, ?Long Tall Sally": ?We're gonna have some fun tonight . . . Then Little Richard mentioned again about resting up. Then somehow he began talking about Otis Redding. ?He was killed in a plane crash! And look how much I have traveled and nothing has happened to me! Why do you think that is! God changed me! I am an apostle!" - rest. . 9 brief biography of Little Richard. He was born Richard Penniman, in Macon, (33., one of 12 children. At age 7, he was singing in1 the streets. At 14, he was lead singer in his church on. In 1955, while working at the Greyhound bus station in Macon washing dishes, Little Richard sent off a tape of a song he had recorded. It was called ?Tutti Frutti." A record company liked it, but toned down the risque lyrics. The result was the classic, ?Tutti Frutti au rutti, Tutti Frutti au rutti A w0p bop bop a wop ham boom!" The song sold half a million copies and Little Richard was a star. A string of hits quickly followed, including, ?Slippin? and Slidin?,? ?Rip It Up," ?Reddy Teddy," ?The Girl Can't Help It,? "Lucille,? ?Send Me Some Lovin',? ?Jenny Jenny," ?Keep A Knockin' and ?Good Golly Miss Molly.? Said a reference book published by Rolling Stone magazine, . . . Little Richard opened whole continents of energy and expression for others to explore. Those who came after the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Creedence Clearwater and countless others carry his legacy in every song.? But in the late ?50s, at the peak of his career, Little Richard suddenly retired. One version is that he saw the Russian Sputnik satellite in the sky and took that as a sign from heaven to quit. Another is that he had a powerful conversion experience during a harrowing airplane ?ight over Australia. This week, Little Richard explained that he simply decided to go attend a theology school because he needed education. . needed to know how to count the money I was making," he said. ?But they tell so many lies abojut me! They put things in their books that I never sai 1" Whatever happened, it wasn?t until 1964, when the Beatles tepped the charts using many of Little Richard?s musical licks, that he made a comeback. By then, he was pegged as an oldies act. Into,the mid-70$, Little Richard performed. his ?505 hits in manic stage shows. Six years ago, Little Richard again quit rock and roll and stopped playing his classic hits. He publicly proclaimed that he had given up sinning for the gOSpel. Then Little Richard really and truly decided to .- 797- 1-- Liltle Richard and his Bible outside the gospel tent in Puyallup. gave up rock and roll for the Rock of Ages,? he said. ?If God can save me, an old homosexual, he can save anybody." Nowdays, Little Richard lives in Riverside, .Calif., with his mother. He preaches for his own ?Youth Ablaze for God Crusade," and, sometimes, for other evangelists. - obby Schambach, Sr., is a 55-year?old evangelist who has been called the ?king? of America?s - healing preachers. He?s heard on 210 radio stations around the world. Traveling around the country with an entourage of 17 people send five semi trucks, he promises and delivers plenty of hand- clapping, foot?stompingreligion. preach in the Old-fashioned style,? the reverend said. guess that?s what they like about me." . A little past 7 presumably rested, Little Richard arrived at the fairgrounds dressed in a tan, three?piece suit. Gone are the days when he?d show up wearing heavy mascara and outrageous mirror- cloth costumes and bill himself as ?the Bronze Liberace!? Miracle revivals are just like you think they are. The stage is full of earnest young men in suits from the. Wayne Newton school of design. The young women are respectful.? In the audience you see old black women who carry Bibles and a lot of hope. You see people in wheelchairs who make you feel lucky. You see young parents who seem to have popped out of an old Saturday Evening Postvcover. You see teenagers who call you, ?Sir." There were 3,600 chairs in the tent, and most of them were filled. The audience sang, shouted ?Amen!? and listened to Bobby Schambach and came forward to be saved and drop their money into large cans. The amountvof contributions was not disclosed, but 50 per cent of it was given to Little Richard for coming there at his own expense, said a crusade spokesman. Little Richard said he does not charge a fee for his Gospel appearances. Little Richard, in turn, gave them a truly amazing testimonial. Pacing back and forth on stage, walking into the crowd, his memories and emotions spilled out. Afterwards, Bobby Schambach would say, know there?s a lot of people under this tent that may feel a little uncomfortable with what you heard. But it?s about time somebody tells it like it is." preached, including remarks he said during an earlier press conference: wanna tell you something! Rock and roll music is not from God! God told me to come to Seattle and let you know that he wants you all to give up rock and roll! Listen carefully, ladies and Here is an edited version of what Little Richard gentlemen, I got so wrapped up in that rock and roll that I became a drug addict! . ?So I started using marijuana! Somebody said, little dab will do ya!? . . . Then we got through that mari'uana, one night I was having an orgy! I chec ed into a hotel and I had this pretty little girl.? ?She was the prettiest girl I ever seen in my life! I said, ?Oh, we?re gonna have a ball tonight, Staff photo by Peter Lit-toe" Slull cholo by Peler ledell going through the All, right here in Hollywood!? ?We checked into that hotel. We thought we was going to tear down that building. That girl came up with some angel dust. Did you know that angels had . nothing to do with that dust? ?We was naked! We was crawling around on the floor, me and this pretty girl and these three boys from Panama! Scared to death! ?Cause the angel dust makes you paranoid! . went from angel dust to pills! I went from pills to cocaine! It looks like diamonds, the kind I used to use. I used to take thousands of dollars a month for cocaine! . ?My handkerchief would be full of blood and flesh where the cocaine was eating up my mem- branes! Isn?t that pitiful? I: would go to Madison Square'Garden in New Yerk and have 35,000 people to hear me. I would go in the back before'they said, ?Here?s Little Richard,? and take me some cocaine! My nose would just be running blood! "Then I started taking cocaine and heroin! Making what you call a speedball! Then I started drinking all kinds of liquors! ?To be famoustis not what you think it is! It?s a lonely life! Everybody comes around trying to beat you out of something! I got so famous ?till I was afraid! . - was making1$10,000 an hour! I sold'over 50 million records! I used to have a limousine, the trunk of my car would be just packed with money. I got so famous I had bodyguards with me! A famous dope addict! don't know how much money I made. I didn?t keep none of it, really. Not a dime, not a penny! I was an alcoholic and a dope addict and a homosexual. I was paying fellows! ?Ladies and gentlemen, listen carefully! I?ve been gay all my life till Jesus changed me! ?When I was a little boy, my dad used to tell me, V?Get out, Richard, and cut some wood!? I hated to cut wood! I Wantedrto be in the house with mother! .I wanted to be just like mama! I put on her shoes and walked all around the house with them! Homosexuality is a isick?ness! want the homosexual to know that Jesus died for you! You must give your life to Jesus!? There was more. . Little Richardftold stories about rock stars who drank blood, who made pacts with the devil so they could become famous. He said punk rock was demonic. He told stories in which he said youths were brutalized by gays. Much of what he said Was greeted with applause and cheers. Then it wasover and Little Richard walked off the stage to a trailer. His clothes were soaked with sweat. Inside the tent, meanwhile, his business manager stood by a cardboard box and sold Little Richard testimonial tapes for 510. There was a steady stream of customers. In the morning, Little Richard ?ew to California. need to rest. I sure do feel tired. I?m going home to Riverside to my mama,? the architect of rock and roll said. ?My mama and I?ve been together for 27 years that we?ve lived together. I wanna eat some of my mama?s pinto beans and rice. My mother, that's everything. That?s my heart." A personal message to readers from Little Richard.