The Upsetters were a band that played with American musician and poet

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...

from 1953 to the early 1960s. They would continue to tour and record through the late 1960s as a backing band with

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

and as a solo group as well. They have been credited by

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

and others with first putting the '

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

' in the

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

beat.

Background

In 1953, Little Richard, dissatisfied with his solo career, formed a road band starting with Wilburt "Lee Diamond" Smith on

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

, who became the leader, Nathaniel "Buster" Douglas on electric guitar, Charles "Chuck" Connor on drums, and Olsie "Bassy" Robinson on bass guitar. Little Richard and the band did many club performances from 1953 to 1955. Little Richard did not record his first hit "

Tutti Frutti Tutti frutti (from Italian ''tutti i frutti'', "all fruits"; also hyphenated tutti-frutti) is a colorful confectionery containing various chopped and usually candied fruits, or an artificial or natural flavouring simulating the combined flavou ...

" with the Upsetters, but he recorded it with studio musicians who had worked with

Fats Domino Antoine Dominique Domino Jr. (February 26, 1928 – October 24, 2017), known as Fats Domino, was an American pianist, singer and songwriter. One of the pioneers of rock and roll music, Domino sold more than 65 million records. Born in New O ...

, after he told

Art Rupe Arthur Newton Rupe (born Arthur Goldberg; September 5, 1917 – April 15, 2022) was an American music executive and record producer. He founded Specialty Records, known for its rhythm and blues, blues, gospel and early rock and roll music reco ...

, founder of

Specialty Records Specialty Records was an American record label founded in Los Angeles in 1945 by Art Rupe. It was known for rhythm and blues, gospel, and early rock and roll, and recorded artists such as Little Richard, Guitar Slim, Percy Mayfield, and Lloyd P ...

, that he liked Fats Domino's music. He recorded a number of songs with the Upsetters such as "

Keep A-Knockin' "Keep A-Knockin' (But You Can't Come In)" is a popular song that has been recorded by a variety of musicians over the years. The lyrics concern a lover at the door who will not be admitted; some versions because someone else is already there, but ...

", "

Ooh My Soul "Ooh! My Soul", sometimes spelled "Oh My Soul", is a 1958 song by Little Richard. It first appeared on a May 1958 single, then on his eponymous second album. It was subsequently recorded by the Beatles in 1963 for the BBC, and by Big Brother ...

"and " Every night about this time" however most of his big hits in his prime were recorded with a studio band which included

Lee Allen Lee Allen may refer to: *Lee Allen (wrestler) (1934–2012), wrestler and coach * Lee Allen (baseball) (1915–1969), baseball historian *Lee Allen (musician) (1927–1994), saxophone player *Lee Allen (artist) Lee Allen (1910 – May 5, 2006), bor ...

and

Earl Palmer Earl Cyril Palmer (October 25, 1924 – September 19, 2008) was an American drummer. Considered one of the inventors of rock and roll, he is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Palmer was one of the most prolific studio musicians of al ...

Films

The band appeared in a few rock n' roll movies such as: ''

The Girl Can't Help It ''The Girl Can't Help It'' is a 1956 American musical comedy film starring Jayne Mansfield in the titular role, Tom Ewell, Edmond O'Brien, Henry Jones, and Julie London. The picture was produced and directed by Frank Tashlin, with a screenplay ...

'', ''

Don't Knock the Rock ''Don't Knock the Rock'' is a 1956 American musical film starring Alan Dale and Alan Freed. Directed by Fred F. Sears, the film also features performances by Bill Haley & His Comets, Little Richard, The Treniers, and Dave Appell and the App ...

'', and ''Mister Rock and Roll''. They did not actually play, nor did Little Richard sing, but they lip synched to their hits "

", "

Long Tall Sally "Long Tall Sally", also known as "Long Tall Sally (The Thing)", is a rock and roll song written by Robert "Bumps" Blackwell, Enotris Johnson, and Little Richard. Richard recorded it for Specialty Records, which released it as a single in March ...

", "

Ready Teddy "Ready Teddy" is a song written by John Marascalco and Robert Blackwell, and first made popular by Little Richard in 1956. Little Richard sang and played piano on the recording, backed by a band consisting of Lee Allen (tenor saxophone), Alvin " ...

", "

", and "

She's Got It "She's Got It" is a 1956 song by Little Richard, written by John Marascalco and Little Richard. It was originally called "I Got It" (and Richard had also recorded a version with that title), but the lyrics were rewritten for the film ''The Girl Ca ...

" from 1956 to 1957.

Little Richard trades Rock N' Roll for Gospel

During a concert in Australia in late 1957, Little Richard decided it was time to quit rock n' roll and devote himself to God, after he saw the Russian satellite 'Sputnik 1' fly overhead. He believed it was a sign from God to give up Rock & Roll. Specialty Records released three albums after he quit - "

Here's Little Richard ''Here's Little Richard'' is the debut album by American musician Little Richard, released on March 4, 1957. Promoted as "six of Little Richard's hits and six brand new songs of hit calibre", the album compiles many of the A-sides and B-sides fro ...

"(1957), "

"(1958), and "

The Fabulous Little Richard ''The Fabulous Little Richard'' was the third album from Little Richard, and the end of his rock and roll period. Released seventeen months after he had left the Specialty Records label, Richard had returned to religion and turned his back on the ...

" (1959). The band continued until the mid-1960s. They had songs including "Hattie Malatti" and "Mama Loochie" (1958), both sung by the band's lead sax player Wilburt Smith under the alias "Lee Diamond and the Upsetters".

References

*http://rockhall.com/inductees/little-richard/bio/

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...

*http://www.biography.com/people/little-richard-9383571

External Links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Upsetters, The (American band) Musical groups from Georgia (U.S. state) Musical groups established in 1953 African-American rock musical groups