Rolling Stone reported his apocalyptic prophesies generated snickers from some audience members as well as cheers of support. In the fall of 1963, Richard agreed to rescue a sagging tour featuring The Everly Brothers, Bo Diddley and The Rolling Stones. Like "Tutti Frutti", it sold over a million copies. Penniman later wrote that Robinson would have sex with men while she sexually stimulated Penniman. He was cited by two of soul music's pioneers, Otis Redding and Sam Cooke, as contributing to that genre's early development. The hit led to the release of the album Lifetime Friend (1986) on Warner Bros. Records, with songs deemed "messages in rhythm", including a gospel rap track. King hit "When Love Comes to Town". He was one of the early creators of rock and roll music in the 1950s. When the concert film documenting the show came out, his performance was considered generally strong, though his fans noticed a drop in energy and vocal artistry.

He returned to playing rock and roll when he was older, and also continued playing Gospel music. "Penniman's performances, like most early rock and roll shows, resulted in integrated audience reaction during an era where public places were divided into "white" and "colored" domains. Little Richard performed a full 90-minute show at the Pensacola Interstate Fair in Pensacola, Florida, in October 2012, at the age of 79, and headlined at the Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas during Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend in March 2013.
137,242 listeners 917,009 listeners In 1957, Penniman was giving a larger singing role in the film, The Girl Can't Help It. At the end of that tour, Richard was given his own TV special for Granada Television titled The Little Richard Spectacular.Many institutions honored Richard. In 2007, Mojo Magazine referred to Little Richard as "bisexual". Penniman admitted that his addictions to cocaine, PCP and heroin were costing him as much as $1,000 a day. Befriending Alan Freed, Freed eventually put him in his "rock and roll" movies such as Don't Knock the Rock and Mister Rock and Roll. Cited on a sexual misconduct charge, he spent three days in jail and was temporarily banned from performing in Macon, Georgia.In the early 1950s, Penniman became acquainted with openly gay musician Billy Wright, who helped in establishing Penniman's look, advising him to use pancake makeup on his face and wear his hair in a long-haired pompadour style similar to his. Penniman appeared in person to receive an honorary degree from his hometown's Mercer University on May 11, 2013.