Little 'Little Richard'?

[trof]

A friend sent me this email link.
It's purported to be Little Richard as a child.
What do you think?
Yes?
No?

Take a look.
http://www.wimp.com/oldschool/

[some guy]

1. Probably not.

He was born in 1932, according to Wiki, and started performing in 1945.

I didn't see any references to film at the early age.

[trof]

2. I dunno. Those dates would kinda fit with the Van Johnson era.

???

[some guy]

5. others have confirmed.

I kind of agree, I'm not good at determining ages for people; I didn't recognize the film (or actors), so that wasn't a help for me, except to put the time frame within the film at between 1941-1945.

I did think there would have been mention of a film role if it was him, though. And there wasn't until 1956.

[Suich]

3. Here ya' go!

http://amusicology.wordpress.com/2011/06/09/little-richard-unfails-musicology/

:)

[LiberalAndProud]

4. I guess not.

It turns out that this is Frank “Sugar Chile” Robinson (b. 1938) a little-known boogie-woogie pianist who was only 8 when he appeared in No Leave, No Love. He was dubbed a prodigy at an early age, which earned him the opportunity to perform with legends such as Lionel Hampton and Count Basie. He left show business at the age of 14 to pursue his education, an intriguing choice given his talent and popularity. He went on to earn a PhD in psychology. He is still alive, resides in Detroit, and plays the piano publicly from time to time.
http://amusicology.wordpress.com/2011/06/09/little-richard-unfails-musicology/

[trof]

7. Yeah, just found that. More on Sugar Chile:

(BTW, I bet it was 'Chile' as in 'child', not 'chilly'.)

Frank Isaac Robinson (born 28 December 1938),<1> known in his early career as a musician as Sugar Chile Robinson, is an American blues and boogie-woogie pianist, singer, and later psychologist, whose career began as a child prodigy.

Robinson was born in Detroit, Michigan. At an early age he showed unusual gifts singing the blues and accompanying himself on the piano. He won a talent show at the Paradise Theatre in Detroit at the age of three, and in 1945 played guest spots at the theatre with Lionel Hampton, who was prevented by child protection legislation from taking him on tour with him. However, he performed on radio with Hampton and Harry "The Hipster" Gibson, and also appeared as himself in the Hollywood film No Leave, No Love, starring Van Johnson and Keenan Wynn. In 1946, he played for President Harry S. Truman at the White House, shouting out "How'm I Doin', Mr President?" - which became his catchphrase - during his performance of "Caldonia". He began touring major theatres, setting box office records in Detroit and California. In 1949 he was given special permission to join the American Federation of Musicians and record, his first releases on Capitol Records, "Numbers Boogie" and "Caldonia", both reaching the Billboard R&B chart. In 1950, he toured and appeared on television with Count Basie, and appeared in a short film 'Sugar Chile' Robinson, Billie Holiday, Count Basie and His Sextet. The following year, he toured the UK, appearing at the London Palladium. He stopped recording in 1952, later explaining:<1>

"I wanted to go to school... I wanted some school background in me and I asked my Dad if I could stop, and I went to school because I honestly wanted my college diploma."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_Chile_Robinson

[LiberalAndProud]

6. Thanks for this. It sent me on a little google tour.

The movie got *panned* in the NYT.

http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9806E3D91039E23ABC4052DFB667838D659EDE

It's a fun read.