The story of the black, gay origins of rock n' roll. It explodes the whitewashed canon of American pop music to reveal the innovator – the originator – Richard Penniman. Through a wealth of archive and performance that brings us into Richard's complicated inner world, the film unspools the icon's life story with all its switchbacks and contradictions.
Cast
Little Richard
Self (archive footage)
John Waters
Self
Mick Jagger
Self
Billy Porter
Self
Tom Jones
Self
Paul McCartney
Self (archive footage)
Nona Hendryx
Self
Valerie June
Self
Nile Rodgers
Self
Fredara Hadley
Self
Alan Freed
Self (archive footage)
Elvis Presley
Self (archive footage)
Pat Boone
Self (archive footage)
John Lennon
Self (archive voice)
Keith Winslow
Self
Crew
Lisa Cortés
Director, Producer
Nyneve Laura Minnear
Editor
Jake Hostetter
Editor
Keith Walker
Director of Photography
Graham Willoughby
Director of Photography
Mike Powers
Executive Producer
Amy Entelis
Executive Producer
Courtney Sexton
Executive Producer
Gus Wenner
Executive Producer
Jason Fine
Executive Producer
Dee Rees
Executive Producer
Anita May Rosenstein
Executive Producer
Robert Friedman
Producer
Liz Yale Marsh
Producer
Caryn Capotosto
Producer
Jarobi Moorhead
Co-Producer
Tamar-kali
Original Music Composer
Jonathan Finegold
Music Supervisor
Hunter Hanson
Music Editor
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