Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1536125
"one of the pioneers of not only rock and roll music, but a pioneer of authenticity and expression and creativity." "I would also say thank you for how you impact the culture," Miller added. "And thank you for being a voice for the people that were scared to feel like they couldn't be themselves." Little Richard's wardrobe was his way of shocking outward expression beyond his songs, lending a hand in telling his bold story. "He wasn't afraid of color. He wasn't afraid of silks. He wasn't afraid of patterns. He wasn't afraid to wear a good old boot. He wasn't afraid of having a big ol' tie. I mean, just dramatic, but on point at all times. And so that's what I like to do," Marshall noted. Hart puts forward that the clothes were part of what characterized Little Richard as one of a kind: "They're bold, they're sparkly, they are unique, they are androgynous in ways, they are feminine in ways, masculine in ways. " Miller refers to his garments as a way of Little Richard going against the grain, and doing what was not typical of someone having grown up in the church. "I feel like that was him really pushing the pedal of I'm going to make a statement, and I am the statement." In that same final 2017 church appearance, he's wearing rhinestone studded cowboy boots, a paisley suit, and a blue silk polka dot shirt, against other speakers on stage in muted blacks and neutrals. Until the end, he was ready to stand out and make himself known. There is an ever-constant presence of Little Richard recognizable in modern artistry. "I think what they're doing stylistically stands on a path that Little Richard paved," Hart mentions. "He didn't have that blueprint to follow to be a star and celebrity," Marshall said. "I think by him passing away, leaving his mark on this world, it made it easy for me as a creator to come through, to be able to leave my mark on the world." They aren't the only ones who feel that way. Just as this story and photoshoot were coming together, there was another group of queer artists out there thinking about the deep layers of Richard's identity, and how it shaped his firebrand style and in fact, the world. Superstars Elton John and Brandi Carlile, to be exact, who released their single "Little Richard's Bible" this April. "Penniman and Macon go together" is the first line of the song, which slyly references his "black mascara thicker than molasses" and "pompadour piled high to the sky" as part of the unique brand of this deeply Christian, sometimes queer Black man from the Deep South. In press appearances, the duo paid homage to how they too, were inspired by him, but how he was an "enigma," which was the impetus for writing the song. Carlile, who has been out as a lesbian for her entire career in Americana and country music, simply shares gratitude: "Thanks, Little Richard, because the fact that you had to live that way means that me and Elton didn't. We just appreciate it." John, whose bold style has always been synonymous with his artistry as a gay icon, lamented how Richard never got awarded for how innovative he was, but was fundamental to John's development. "Without him, I wouldn't exist," he noted emphatically. "That piano playing, that exuberance, that flamboyance… that's inbred in me." The legacy that he leaves, heard locally and around the world, is proof that the only way to challenge opposition and naysayers is by living free and unapologetically, as he did. Here's to all those who continue to carry the torch. " O n e o f t h e p i o n e e r s o f n o t o n l y r o c k a n d r o l l m u s i c , b u t a p i o n e e r o f a u t h e n t i c i t y a n d e x p r e s s i o n a n d c r e a t i v i t y ." 54 maconmagazine.com | June/July 2025 Photo models Arsanti Simmons, DeMarcus Beckham, Quitman Alexander. Styling assistance by Isiah Miller.