Charles Connor, Drummer for Little Richard and Sam Cooke, Dead at 86

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Pioneering rock drummer Charles Connor — who played with Little Richard, James Brown, and Sam Cooke in the Fifties — had died at age 86.

. “To draw attention to his band and ensure they could perform on stage, he had to show bigots that the band wouldn’t threaten their way of life. Little Richard promoted the band and avoided racial prejudice by insisting the musicians wear thick pancake makeup and act effeminate!”

“I was 20 when Little Richard’s band toured the United States in 1955,” he continued. “We played all the major theaters, including such prestigious venues as the Turner Arena and Howard Theater in Washington, D.C.; the Royal Theater in Baltimore, Maryland; the Apollo Theater in Harlem and the Paramount Theater with Alan Freed in Brooklyn. In New York, the white teenagers saw blacks having so much fun that they would dance in the aisles with them! Man, those were heady times.

During downtime from Little Richard shows, Connor also gigged with James Brown and Lloyd Price. And his profile grew considerably in 1956 when Little Richard broke through to mainstream success thanks to hits like “Tutti Frutti,” “Long Tall Sally,” and “Rip It Up.” Connor didn’t play drums on those studio recordings, but he did appear alongside Little Richard in the moviesto help promote them.

Little Richard stepped away from rock music later in 1957 to focus on his ministry work, but Connor remained busy since Sam Cooke took over as the leader of the Upsetters. He also had the chance to play with Jackie Wilson, the Coasters, Big Joe Turner, and Don Covay. Connor’s career slowed down in the early Sixties so he could focus on his family, but he did gigs around Los Angeles in the Seventies with a new band he dubbed the West Coast Upsetters. In 1994, he received a Certificate of Special Recognition from Congresswoman Maxine Waters. He released his motivational bookin 2008. He was working on a documentary about his life at the time of his death.

 

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Just heard on NPR how John Bonham from Led Zeppelin totally lifted Connor’s intro on “Rock and Roll”. Connor will be missed.

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Charles Connor, Drummer for Little Richard in Rock’s Formative Years, Dies at 86Charles Connor, best known as a drummer for Little Richard in his 1950s heyday, and decades later later a familiar sight to L.A. radio veterans as a security guard at KROQ, died Saturday at age 86.… Rest In Peace
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Charles Connor, Drummer for Little Richard in Rock’s Formative Years, Dies at 86Charles Connor, best known as a drummer for Little Richard in his 1950s heyday, and decades later later a familiar sight to L.A. radio veterans as a security guard at KROQ, died Saturday at age 86.… Rest In Peace
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Charles Connor, drummer for Little Richard, dies at age 86LOS ANGELES (AP) — Charles Connor, known for being Little Richard’s drummer who performed with other music greats including James Brown and Sam Cooke, has died. He was 86. Connor’s daughter, Queenie Connor Sonnefeld, said her father died peacefully in his sleep early Saturday while under hospice care at his home in Glendale, California. The best choice I've made this year was investing in cryptocurrency and forex trading and earning from home. With the help of Brandonkaren11 I've been earning weekly I've never regretted this decision , He worked at KROQ and always was so pleasant on air. 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
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