Little Richard in Wollongong 1957
| Little Richard, Wollongong 1957 | Bee Gees, Wollongong 1963-66 | The Vamps 1965-77 | Kahvas Jute & Chariot 1970-2005 | Cold Chisel @ Gong 1976+ | The Expression 1981-85 | Finch, Bulli, 2020 | The Leftards - Gong punk 2017+ |
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| The Big Show, Rock & Roll, with Little Richard..., concert program 1957. Source: Museum of Applied Arts and Science, Sydney. |
The Australian tour
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| Little Richard arriving at Sydney airport, 1 October 1957. Source: Sydney Herald, 12 October 1957. |
The actual and proposed 1957 tour itinerary was as follows:
- Tuesday, 1 October - Crown Theatre, Wollongong
- Wednesday, 2 October - Newcastle Stadium
- Thursday, 3 October - Brisbane Stadium
- Friday & Saturday, 4 & 5 October - Sydney Stadium
- Sunday, 6 October - Masonic Hall, Broken Hill
- Monday, 7 October - Wayville Stadium, Centennial Hall, Adelaide
- Tuesday 0 Thursday, 8, 9 & 10 October - Melbourne Stadium
- Friday & Saturday, 11 & 12 October - Sydney Stadium [both shows cancelled by Little Richard]
Description of dates
* 1 October - Little Richard arrives in Sydney and immediately travels by car to the Crown Theatre, Wollongong, for a show that evening. Upon the death of Little Richard on 9 May 2020, the Wollongong ABC Radio Facebook page posted a notice asking if there was anyone who attended the show in 1957. The following brief responses were received:
- Carol Dawn Blackley - My husband Bill said he went to see Little Richard at the Crown Theatre in Kiera Street, Wollongong. Not sure what year it was though.
- Nola Leonard - I was there and it was absolutely fabulous. A night to remember all these years later.
- Robert Woolsey - I was at the old Crown Theatre that night, all those years ago. Great.
- Lynne Ball - [It] was a fantastic show !!
- Ann Lawler - [I saw the show] in Sydney. Loved it.
- Mike Davey - I was at the show at the Crown Theatre.
- Kay Parker - I was there and I have the program.
- Lois Jones - Yes [I saw Little Richard].
It is likely that following the show, the entourage travelled overnight to Newcastle, approximately hours north of Wollongong, via Sydney.
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| Crown Theatre, Wollongong. |
* 2 October - Newcastle Stadium. Whilst travelling on the Stockton ferry across Newcastle harbour, Little Richard has an epiphany. He throws his valuable rings in the Hunter River and decides that he is going to pursue a career as a preacher. He announces: "Rings are graven images ... if you want to live for the Lord, you can't rock 'n' roll too." Despite this, at that stage he was still looking to complete the Australian tour.
- Newcastle Morning Herald, 3 October 1957:
Singer Dragged Over Footlights
Screaming teenage admirers of an American negro rock 'n' roll exponent, Little Richard, dragged him across the footlights and trampled him in a mob on the floor of Newcastle Stadium at the latest Big Show last night. Attendants had to remove an over-excited teenager's foot from Little Richard's face before they could help him to his feet and rescue him from the mob. Took Off Coat. Little Richard virtually invited himself to be dragged off the stage at the second performance of the show. He had been on stage only a few minutes before he peeled off the coat of a blue costume, akin to a pair of pyjamas, he was wearing. "Singing" bare-chested in his pants, with the top of his underpants showing, and removing his red-and-white shoes, he appeared to tear small pieces from the coat and threw them into the audience. Later, he threw a belt and gestured as though about to throw a ring and watch. When he quivered and rolled and dropped to the floor near the footlights during the initial "songs," teenagers reached across the footlights apparently trying to help themselves to pieces of his pants. A tug-o'-war, which at first seemed jocular, then began between the teenagers on one side and members of Little Richard's band on the other for possession of the perspiring "body." Two girls scrambled on to the stage from the audience, evidently to help get the "singer" over the footlights, and before stadium attendants could get through the mob. Little Richard was lying on the floor in front of the stage being trampled. Little Richard was helped back to the stage, disappeared momentarily into the wings and returned to continue his act.
Once again, following the Newcastle performance, the group travels overnight to Brisbane, approximately 8 hours north.
* 3 October - Brisbane Stadium.
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| Little Richard, Brisbane Stadium, 3 October 1957. |
* 4 & 5 October - Sydney Stadium.
- Sydney Morning Herald, 5 October 1957:
Pandemonium Over Strip-Singer
Pandemonium broke loose at Sydney Stadium last night when Negro rock 'n' roll shouter, Little Richard, stripped partly on the stage piano. Hundreds of screaming teenagers fought with each other to souvenir a shirt, tie, belt, socks and three sets of underwear which Little Richard stripped off and threw to them. After the show ended squeaking girls mobbed the singer and knocked over a police sergeant who tried to hold them back. Little Richard's strip act was the climax to a frantic ear deafening rock 'n' roll concert which attracted 22,000 people in two shows. Teenagers in leather jackets, bright red shirts, vivid greenish-blue sweaters and white sport coats jived in the bleachers with girls, stamped their feet, clapped and counted throughout both shows.
The Russian Sputnik is launched at 7.30pm on the 4th - it is the first craft to successful enter space and circle the globe. During 1984-5 Little Richard claimed that, whilst in Sydney, the bright light in the sky - i.e. Sputnik - seemed to him to indicate the coming of the end of the earth, and this brought on his decision to abandon music and seek out Christ in order to secure his future and the future of others.
* 6 October - Masonic Hall, Broken Hill.
* 7 October - Wayville Stadium, Centennial Hall, Adelaide. Sputnik flies over south-eastern Australia around 7pm Adelaide time.
- Adelaide Advertiser, 8 October 1957:
Centennial Hall All "Shook Up"
The Centennial Hall was all "shook up" last night with the syncopated din of rock-n'-roll. While clap-happy "cats" stomped, swayed and swung to Little Richard's rhythmic racket, a grey-haired old lady clapped her hands to her ears-and them there. Scores of fans jumped mad, milling rush when Little Richard cast his cloak into the crowd.
* 8, 9 & 10 October - Melbourne Stadium. At the second Melbourne show, Johnny O'Keefe introduced the show: "Here he is, ladies and gentlemen, the king himself, Little Richard." He came on stage wearing a white robe and carrying a Bible. He then proceeded to preach for 20 minutes, opening by saying: "Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, I'm not going to sing for you because I understand the end of the world is coming. I'm going to talk to you about the Lord."
- Melbourne Herald, 9 October 1957:
Big Show was a riot (WELL ALMOST)
Surely Melbourne audiences have never seen or heard such violent movement and noise as the Big Show brought to the Stadium last night. From beginning to end, it was blaring sound, frantic rhythm, and frenzied body contortions. Although sometimes harsh on the ears, the entertainment was always good to watch. Little Richard, the star of the show, made his entrance in a green, jewelled turban and a canary yellow suit, partially covered by a crimson cloak. By an amusing and quite decent strip tease, he was soon entertaining the early show audience wearing only his green turban and a pair of pyjama trousers. A near riot broke out in the ring-side seats as Little Richard threw the clothes he was shedding to the crowd."Flip flop . . ." It took attendants some time to break up a group of fighting teenagers trying to gain possession of the first pair of pyjama trousers the showman tossed away. Police told him not to do the strip tease in the second session. Beginning with the popular "Long Tall Sally," Little Richard shook and sang his way through his repertoire which even included a Rock 'n Roll version of "By the Light of the Silvery Moon."
- The Age, Melbourne, 9 October 1957:
Negro Singer Has Colorful Debut
Negro singer Little Richard thumped at the grand piano, yelled into the microphone, threw his cloths over the footlights... and 7000 rock 'n' roll fans shrieked their approval. Little Richard was making his first appearance at the Stadium. Uniformed police attended last night's performances, but there were no serious disturbances. Stadium officials stepped in when Little Richard threw his tie, shirt, and a spare pair of pyjama trousers at the audience. They broke up a near brawl as fans struggled to snatch each article as it flew over their heads. Little Richard slipped off the stage half way through his last number and police hustled him out a side door before the screaming teenage audience could get near him. He had made an impressive entry, wearing a brilliant red coat over a canary yellow suit, topped off with a bright green turban. But he discarded all the trimmings until he was left with only pyjama pants and the turban.
* - Interview with Little Richard in Australia. He describes his reason for retiring from show business and becoming an evangelist. Likely taken in front of a crowd in Melbourne. Broadcast 11 October 1957.
Little Richard interview, Australia, 11 October 1957. YouTube, duration: 3.43 minutes.
Whilst on the plane from Melbourne to Sydney, Little Richard had feared the plane was going to burst into flames, if not for "the angels who were holding it up." He went on to cancel his final two concerts.
* 11 & 12 October - Sydney Stadium [both shows cancelled by Little Richard].
Little Richard, Long Tall Sally, December 1956. Duration: 2.15 minutes.
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References
1957 Australian tour with Little Richard, Gene Vincent and the Bluecaps, Eddie Cochran, Alis Lesley & Johnny O'Keefe and the Dee Jays, Concerts Wiki [website], n.d.
Apter, Jeff, The Wollongong stage that launched OZ rock n' roll, Illawarra Mercury, 7 July 2013.
Baker, Ainslie, Listen Here - Little Richard, The Australian Women's Weekly, 20 April 1960.
Bannister, Roland, Bop Bopa-a-li a whop bam boo! How Little Richard made rock and roll history in Newcastle, Hunter Living Histories [website], 6 May 2019.
Cronshaw, Damon, How Little Richard threw his rings from Stockton ferry in Newcastle harbour, Newcastle Herald, 13 April 2019.
Doyle, Peter, Signs and wonders: Peter Doyle reflects on the portent-filled tour of Little Richard in Australia during 1957, Meanjin, 65(3), September 2006, 15-24.
Jenkins, Jeff, The day Little Richard found God in Australia, Rhythms, Australia's Roots Music Magazine, 11 May 2020.
Lennon, Troy, Rocker Little Richard had a religious experience in Australia, The Daily Telegraph, Sydney, 12 October 2017.
Little Richard / Gene Vincent / Eddie Cochran 1957 Australian Tour, Australian rock and pop tours of the 50s and 60s [website], 10 January 2013.
Marchant, Jenny and Cox, Dan, Why Little Richard's Australian tour put Newcastle on the map, ABC Radio [podcast], Newcastle, 19 June 2019. Duration: 4.29 minutes.
Sexton, Paul, Slippin; & Slidin': Little Richard renounces rock n' roll .... temporarily, Udiscovermusic [blog], 12 October 2019.
Tochka, Nicholas, Rock and roll and nuclear weapons: how the Cold War shaped Little Richard, The Conversation, 11 May 2020.
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|
Little Richard, Wollongong 1957 |
Bee Gees, Wollongong 1963-66 |
The Vamps 1965-77 |
Kahvas Jute & Chariot 1970-2005 |
Cold Chisel @ Gong 1976+ |
The Expression 1981-85 |
Finch, Bulli, 2020 |
The Leftards - Gong punk 2017+ |
Last updated: 25 December 2020
Michael Organ
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