THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Here it is! The great lost Little Richard album.
Following 1971’s King Of Rock And Roll, Little Richard did something no one would have expected — he allowed his up-til-then, unrecognized country-rock leaning to emerge. Further, unlike its predecessor, all 14 songs on Southern Child were written or co-written by Richard. While there is the funk, rock and soul one would expect from Richard during this period, Southern Child was a predominantly country-rock affair. And while Little Richard had proven he could master any genre, the label decided to shelve the album, leaving it unissued until the tracks appeared on a long-out-of-print retrospective in 2005.
Recorded in the Spring of 1972 in Los Angeles, the album was recorded, mixed, mastered and handed in to the label. It was given a catalog number and cover art was designed, but Reprise opted instead to release The Second Coming in its place. Both albums were recorded with Bumps Blackwell in the producer chair, at around the same time, but the reasons Southern Child was left behind are lost to time. Perhaps the label felt Little Richard’s audience wouldn’t follow him into unfamiliar musical territory regardless of their artists’ desire to explore.
Now finally, Southern Child appears for the first time the way Little Richard intended it. The album’s 10 tracks are augmented by four bonus tracks on CD. One will never know why the label chose not to release the record after clearly prepping its release, but — now, his tenure at Reprise can be fully documented with the release of Southern Child.”
