Most People Don’t Know That Little Richard’s Gravesite Is Found Right Here In Alabama
By Lisa Battles|Published December 15, 2023
×
Lisa Battles
Author
Lisa has traveled the U.S. for over a decade, seeking out and sharing the stories of its most interesting places, people, and experiences. A journalism graduate of Auburn University, she has been a content strategist, editor, and writer for more than 25 years. Lisa has worked in community news, PR, and marketing with a focus on tourism, hospitality, and economic development. Besides following her curiosity around every corner, she's a devoted dog mom of two and advocate for animal welfare.
As Forrest Gump would say, Alabama and star power go together like peas and carrots. Far more rooted in reality than Forrest and his fictional town of Greenbow, Alabama, our list of famous athletes, authors, actors, and musicians is a long one.
Since we’re talking “stars,” I’d be remiss to not include our space explorers and rocket scientists. That brings me to the Rocket City, which holds a little-known, unique celebrity tie to Alabama – Little Richard’s gravesite in Huntsville.
Little Richard was first known as Richard Wayne Penniman, to some later as Brother Richard Penniman, and eventually to millions worldwide as the "Architect of Rock 'n' Roll." His star began to rise in 1955 with a string of hits, starting with "Tutti Frutti," followed over the next two years with "Long Tall Sally," "Slippin’ and Slidin," "Rip It Up," "Ready Teddy," and others.
Born in Macon, Georgia, on December 5, 1932, Richard was the third of 12 children. As he grew up, the family lived in several homes in Macon's Pleasant Hill neighborhood. In 2019, one of the homes became The Little Richard House Resource Center. Supposedly, he lived in this home when he recorded his first big hit, "Tutti Frutti." The Georgia Department of Transportation relocated and renovated the home to another site within the neighborhood during an interstate improvement project that impacted residents. The planning team worked with neighbors on ways to mitigate the intrusion, and many requested the home be saved and restored.
The new facility is not a museum but rather a resource for residents. Anyone in the Pleasant Hill neighborhood and community as a whole can visit the center to find information and connections to improve their lives and future goals. The county accepted responsibility for the center's upkeep, and supporters organized a Friends of the Little Richard House Resource Center foundation to continue raising funds for programming.
Advertisement
While this is a wonderful legacy for Georgia, you may still be wondering why Penniman's final resting place is in North Alabama. The entire backstory is somewhat complex, and yet the main reason connects to his time at what was then Oakwood College in 1957. Late that year, just as his music career was peaking, he cut an Australian tour short and chucked it all to pursue the ministry. He chose to follow that calling with studies at this Seventh-day Adventist school.
Even after Penniman enrolled at Oakwood, some of his songs, like “Good Golly Miss Molly,” continued to chart. Meanwhile, he renounced rock 'n' roll and threw himself into his studies. He also made appearances at churches and tent meetings, sharing his testimony and singing gospel music. That evolved into taking quartet singers from Oakwood on the road with him. Seven years later, he returned to secular music, a move that became a recurring duality throughout his career and personal journey in faith.
Advertisement
In 1970, Little Richard developed additional Alabama connections in the northwest corner of the state when he showed up to record at the legendary FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals. There, he recorded his album, "The Rill Thing."
It was during that time when he met studio musician Travis Wammack, who co-wrote his last Billboard 100 hit, "Greenwood, Mississippi." Years later in the mid-1980s, he recruited guitarist Wammack and bassist Jesse Boyce to play in his touring band.
In 1984, Penniman authorized a biography that chronicled his life and career to that point., "The Life and Times of Little Richard: The Quasar of Rock," by Charles White.
After a long illness disclosed to be bone cancer, Penniman passed on May 9, 2020, at a relative's home in Tullahoma, Tennessee. His burial was 11 days later after a private ceremony at Oakwood University Memorial Gardens Cemetery. This is the only cemetery of its kind in that it is connected to a religious university. According to an Al.com reporter Matt Wake around the time of Penniman's passing, a family representative said the logistical circumstances during the COVID-19 pandemic also impacted the decision on this site for interment. People often visit and leave flowers to pay respects to the legendary luminary.
Did you know about this unique celebrity tie to Alabama? I admit I didn’t until watching a documentary about Little Richard released in 2023. I was surprised to learn of his attending school here and even more so to learn Huntsville was his final resting place. I’ve always been a fan of his music, not to mention the generations of artists he influenced. It’s now on my list of places to visit and pay respects. It seems fitting that the site is only 2.5 miles from the city’s dazzling new music venue, The Orion Amphitheater, which opened almost exactly two years to the date of his burial. If you choose to catch a show there, you might consider visiting the grave of a person who influenced just about any modern artist you’ll see.
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
