THE DOORS AND LITTLE RICHARD: A LITTLE-KNOWN CONNECTION

 

Most of the songs by other artists that The Doors played at their concerts belonged to the blues or rhythm and blues genres.

However, there were a few exceptions. One of these is the track that we will discuss in this article.

Only one recording exists of the band's early live gigs: the show recorded at the “London Fog” in May 1966. At this Los Angeles venue the group performed a cover of an amazing rock 'n' roll classic.

We are talking about "Lucille" (link here) a famous song written and performed by Little Richard, who also played the piano on the recording. It was recorded in mid-1956 and released in February 1957.

It was a significant commercial success: reaching 21st place in the US (1st place in the chart dedicated to African American artists) and 10th place in the UK.

Alongside other Little Richard masterpieces, "Lucille" will go down in contemporary music history as a major influence on seminal groups such as the Beatles.

This classic rock 'n' roll song is arranged by Little Richard with an insinuating mid-tempo and a stunning vocal performance.

At the "London Fog" The Doors interpreted this composition with passion and intelligence (link here).

The Californian band's rendition of the song moves into Rhythm & Blues territory. This makes the performance more technically manageable and more in line with mid-1960s musical tastes and trends.

Morrison replaces the vocal part sung in the original version with his own unique style and expressiveness, although he had not fully matured yet as a singer.

Anyway, it would have been impossible for anyone to replicate Little Richard's extremely high, powerful and abrasive notes.

Rather than attempting to replicate the original, Morrison cleverly makes the best out of his own deep, voluptuous voice, loaded with dark charm.

In the second half of the song, Morrison's voice becomes more assertive and aggressive. This foreshadows what will happen three months later, in August 1966, during the recording of The Doors' debut album, "The Doors", released in January 1967.

Note that the group adds some rhythmic passages that are not present in the original (at min. 1:30 and min. 1:53, for example).

These quick transitions diversify the tune's progression, making it more interesting and compensating for the absence of a solo (in the original, this was entrusted to the dark, rough sound of the baritone saxophone).

This cover is not the only one that establishes a link between The Doors and Little Richard.

In fact, it was Little Richard who introduced an ornamental element to subsequent generations of musicians that would later become common in many musical genres.

The crazy, almost angry screams that are a hallmark of countless pop-rock, rock and hard rock songs were first introduced to a nationwide audience by Little Richard with the birth of rock 'n' roll in the mid-1950s.

Morrison would use these screams extensively throughout The Doors' career, both live and in the recording studio.

While this vocal element is present in the work of many artists, it is particularly evident in Morrison's style of singing, providing an additional link between The Doors and Little Richard.

This great pianist, composer and, above all, singer was a major figure in rock 'n' roll and the 1950s. He was still active in 1966, when The Doors performed on stage at the "London Fog" the famous song we discussed in this article.

By this time, Little Richard's fame had faded, but his influence lived on in the music he had inspired: Pop rock and Rock.

P.S.: My book "The Doors Through Strange Days"- The most comprehensive journey ever made through The Doors' second LP, is available on Amazon.com, .uk, .mx, .it, etc.

Here’s a link:

Amazon – “The Doors Through Strange Days”