Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations

The origins of "Tutti Frutti"

Season 37 Episode 5 | 1m 41s

Little Richard first originated the famous "awop-bop-a-loo-mop alop-bam-boom" refrain in his hit song "Tutti Frutti" early in his career while performing at the Dew Drop Inn in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The origins of "Tutti Frutti"
Support for American Masters is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, AARP, Rosalind P. Walter Foundation, Burton P. and Judith B. Resnick Foundation, Blanche and Hayward Cirker Charitable Lead Annuity Trust, Koo and Patricia Yuen, Lillian Goldman Programming Endowment, Seton J. Melvin, Thea Petschek Iervolino Foundation, Anita and Jay Kaufman, The Philip and Janice Levin Foundation, Kate W. Cassidy Foundation, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, The Ambrose Monell Foundation, Ellen and James S. Marcus, The Charina Endowment Fund in memory of Robert B. Menschel and public television viewers.
Latest Episodes
All
  • All
  • American Masters Season 38
  • American Masters Season 37
  • American Masters Season 36
  • American Masters Season 35
  • Season 34
  • Season 33
  • American Masters Season 32
  • American Masters Season 31
  • American Masters Season 30
  • American Masters Season 29
  • American Masters Season 28
  • American Masters Season 27
  • American Masters Season 26
  • American Masters Season 25
  • American Masters Season 24
  • American Masters Season 23
  • American Masters Season 22
  • American Masters Season 21
  • American Masters Season 20
  • American Masters Season 18
  • American Masters Season 17
  • American Masters Season 16
  • American Masters Season 14
  • American Masters Season 12
  • American Masters Season 4
  • American Masters Season 3
Discover the intellectual evolution and political legacy of William F. Buckley, Jr.
Discover the life and legacy of former U.S. Senator and diplomat Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
Discover the secrets behind Edward Hopper’s most iconic and enigmatic works.
Mexican muralist José Clemente Orozco led a life filled with drama, adversity & triumph.
El artista José Clemente Orozco (1883-1945) encabezó el movimiento muralista en México.
Experience the groundbreaking sounds of bebop pioneer and virtuoso composer Max Roach.
Trace the life and legacy of labor activist Cesar Chavez through music and the arts.
Follow the 50-year career of First Amendment lawyer and legal expert Floyd Abrams.
Experience the political and personal journey of California governor Jerry Brown.
Extras
Discover the intellectual evolution and political legacy of William F. Buckley, Jr.
William F. Buckley, Jr. grew up in Great Elm, a sprawling estate located in Sharon, Conn.
Yale administration feared Buckley's outspoken criticism of the university.
William F. Buckley, Jr. and his wife Patricia had a brazen, but loving relationship.
William F. Buckley, Jr. ran for mayor of New York City under the Conservative Party.
A Japanese American rapper discovers how art can champion cultural liberation.
Director Brooke Pepion Swaney on working with Lily Gladstone before her rise to stardom.
Against advice, Daniel Patrick Moynihan took a job as Richard Nixon's domestic advisor.
Daniel Patrick Moynihan's book transformed how ethnicity was viewed in America.
In 1965, Daniel Patrick Moynihan released the controversial "Moynihan Report."