Early last month, when news broke of American music icon Little Richard’s death at the age of 87, a Hopkinsville native recalled times when she saw the entertainer here in her childhood neighborhood. It was the early 1950s, and Billie Todd was about 10 years old. Her family lived on Beach Street near a Black tourist house run by Edna Lewis, and Little Richard was a guest there.
“I remember seeing him walk up and down the street,” said Todd, who is retired from administrative work at Fort Campbell’s Blanchfield Army Community Hospital.
She assumed Little Richard was walking from Lewis’ place to Brame’s Grocery, a small market in the neighborhood, during overnight stays in Hopkinsville to play in a local club.
Like many famous Black musicians, Richard Wayne Penniman was booked at the Skylark, a nightclub run by Hopkinsville businessman Edward Babbage that was part of the Chitlin’ Circuit. From the 1930s through the ’60s, Black-owned clubs, taverns and theaters in the South hosted African American musicians. The circuit continued until desegregation made it possible for Black entertainers and their audiences to gain entry into some white-owned venues. Hopkinsville was a prime stop on the Chitlin’ Circuit, as KET documented in a 2012 program.
Todd and her friends were too young to see Little Richard, who had a frenetic style at the piano, play at the Skylark. But they recognized him on the street. He was a flashy dresser with a flamboyant style. He’s been recognized as one of the architects of rock ‘n roll music who also influenced many funk and soul musicians.
Todd also remembers Ike and Tina Turner playing on the Chitlin’ Circuit in Hopkinsville. Others who played here included B.B. King, Count Base, James Brown, Ray Charles and Jimi Hendrix, according to longtime residents interviewed for the KET program.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
