"Tutti Frutti," a song that would become a cornerstone of the rock and roll era, originated from an unexpected moment of frustration and improvisation during a recording session in September 1955. Little Richard, whose birth name was Richard Penniman, had been recording for RCA and Peacock Records since 1951, but his earlier efforts had not yielded the commercial success his producers had hoped for. His unique, anarchic performance style was proving
difficult to capture on tape, leading to a pivotal lunch break that would change music history.
During this break at Cosimo Matassa's J & M Studio in New Orleans, Little Richard, feeling his exuberant style wasn't being fully realized, began pounding on a piano. He launched into a ribald song he had written and composed, a piece he had been performing live for several years. This impromptu performance, characterized by its energetic refrain and hard-driving sound, immediately caught the attention of producer Robert "Bumps" Blackwell. Blackwell recognized the song's immense hit potential but also understood that its explicit lyrics would need significant revision for broader public consumption.
From Obscenity to Iconic Catchphrase
The original lyrics of "Tutti Frutti" were far from the version that would become famous. Little Richard's initial rendition included lines such as "Tutti Frutti, good booty / If it don't fit, don't force it / You can grease it, make it easy." These verses, which some accounts suggest contained descriptions of anal sex, were deemed too risqué and sexually explicit for release. Blackwell, recognizing the need for "lyrical purity," quickly enlisted local songwriter Dorothy LaBostrie to revise the text.
LaBostrie, described by Blackwell as a "prolific writer" who "didn't understand melody," was tasked with sanitizing the song while Little Richard continued to play in his characteristic style. The controversial lines were replaced with the now-iconic, more ambiguous refrain: "Tutti Frutti, aw rooty! Tutti Frutti, aw rooty!" The phrase "aw rooty" was a slang expression meaning "all right." Despite the revisions, the first verse of the new lyrics, "I got a girl, named Sue / She knows just what to do. / She rocks to the east, she rocks to the west / But she’s the girl that I love best," still carried a degree of double entendre, with the verb "to rock" having potential meanings ranging from dancing to sexual activity.
The Recording Session and Immediate Success
The recording session for "Tutti Frutti" took place on September 14, 1955, at Cosimo Matassa's studio. Little Richard handled vocals and piano, backed by Matassa's studio band, which included Justin Adams on guitar, Frank Fields on bass, Lee Allen on tenor saxophone, Alvin "Red" Tyler on baritone saxophone, and Earl Palmer on drums. Due to time constraints, a new arrangement couldn't be developed, so Little Richard recorded the revised song in just three takes, taking approximately 15 minutes, using his original piano part.
Released in November 1955 as Specialty #561, with "I'm Just a Lonely Guy" as the B-side, "Tutti Frutti" was an immediate sensation. It quickly entered the Billboard Rhythm and Blues chart, where it held the No. 2 position for six weeks. The song also crossed over to the pop charts, reaching No. 17. In the United States, it climbed to No. 21 on the Billboard Top 100 and eventually sold over three million copies. In the UK, it made it into the top 30 in 1957 as the B-side of "Long Tall Sally." This aggressive song, with its twelve-bar blues chord progression, loud volume, powerful vocal style, and distinctive beat, laid the foundation for Little Richard's career and introduced many characteristic musical features that would define rock and roll itself.
Authorship and Royalties
The songwriting credits for "Tutti Frutti" list Dorothy LaBostrie, Richard Penniman (Little Richard), and a third name, Lubin. The identity of "Lubin" has been a subject of debate; some sources suggest it was a pseudonym used by Specialty label owner Art Rupe to claim royalties, while others refer to songwriter Joe Lubin. LaBostrie herself claimed that Little Richard "didn't write none of 'Tutti Frutti'," stating she was inspired by a new ice cream flavor and wrote the song, along with the B-side "I'm Just A Lonely Guy" and a spiritual, "Blessed Mother," all on the same day. However, Phil Walden, co-founder of Capricorn Records, recalled seeing Little Richard perform an "off-color" version of the song as a teenager before it was recorded, suggesting Richard had a hand in its original form. Regardless of the exact division of creative labor, LaBostrie continued to receive substantial royalty checks from the song, averaging $5,000 every three to six months in the 1980s, underscoring the song's enduring commercial success.
