Little Richard "King Of Rock 'N' Roll: The Complete Reprise Recordings" is now available on Rhino Handmade (see here).

Three years after the earthmoving 1955 sessions for "Tutti Frutti," Rock 'n' Roll legend Little Richard had a brush with death that left him indebted to God. He swore off his jewelry-and-mascara evil ways and enrolled in Bible school in Huntsville, Alabama. But by the end of the '60s, having met The Beatles and witnessed Elvis' comeback special, Richard was ready to record again -- and not just rehashes of his early singles.

Richard's friend Mo Ostin signed him to Reprise, and the singer hunkered down in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to record what would become one of the greatest comeback albums in rock history, 1970's "The Rill Thing". A collection of originals and covers of Hank Williams and Beatles tunes, the album was a brilliant update of the classic Little Richard sound, but it sold poorly.

Resolved to try again, Little Richard recorded a more overtly commercial effort in 1971's "King Of Rock 'N' Roll," another example of the artist's diverse taste in repertoire (The Rolling Stones, John Fogerty, Hoyt Axton). He also worked with Quincy Jones on the $ movie soundtrack, contributing two songs clearly inspired by Isaac Hayes' Shaft.

The following year Little Richard took a completely different route, adopting a stripped-down, back-to-basics approach to what would become 1972's "The Second Coming". The sessions also produced ten songs for an album to be titled Southern Child, which, for reasons unknown, was never released. The tracks make their debut on this set.

Rhino Handmade's three-disc anthology "King Of Rock 'N' Roll: The Complete Reprise Recordings" collects his early-'70s work for Reprise, including the albums "The Rill Thing" (1970), "King Of Rock 'N' Roll" (1971), "The Second Coming" (1972), and the never-issued "Southern Child" (1972). Also included are the 1972 $ soundtrack cuts, as well as assorted rarities and unreleased tracks from his Reprise sessions.

Little Richard "King Of Rock 'N' Roll: The Complete Reprise Recordings" is available as an individually numbered limited edition of 2,500 copies on Rhino Handmade (feat. 54 Tracks, 20 Unreleased, 3 Discs).

Little Richard "King Of Rock 'N' Roll: The Complete Reprise Recordings" CD-box set: ORDER IT NOW.