Little Richard shatter racial divisions in the music industry. Little Richard was born Richard Wayne Penniman on December 5, 1932, in Macon, Georgia. He was the third of twelve children of Leva Mae (née Stewart) and Charles "Bud" Penniman. His father was a church deacon who sold bootlegged moonshine on the side and owned a nightclub, the Tip In Inn. His mother was a member of Macon's New Hope Baptist Church. Initially, Little Richard's first name was supposed to have been "Ricardo" but an error resulted in "Richard" instead. The Penniman children were raised in a neighborhood of Macon called Pleasant Hill.
Richard Wayne Dirksen Richard Wayne Dirksen Richard Wayne Dirksen (February 8, 1921 - July 26, 2003) was an American musician and composer, who served as Organist and Choirmaster of the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., from 1977 to 1988. Previously he was Assistant Organist and Choirmaster from 1942 to 1964. In 1969, Dirksen was named the cathedral's Precentor, giving him administrative oversight of all worship services until his retirement in 1991. Dirksen composed extensively, mostly choral and organ works, and his music continues to be regularly featured on broadcasts from the Cathedral. His 1974 opus, "Vineyard Haven", has been called "widely acclaimed