Macon to celebrate the ‘architect of rock ‘n’ roll’ on his 85th birthday

Next week, Macon celebrates the 85th birthday of the self-proclaimed “architect of rock ‘n’ roll,” Richard Wayne Penniman, best known as Little Richard.

Several events will be held Tuesday in his birthplace to commemorate the occasion and honor his legacy, according to a release from the Macon-Bibb County Convention & Visitors Bureau, now called Visit Macon. Little Richard was born in Macon on Dec. 5, 1932.

▪ The public is invited to tour the former home of Little Richard, which will become a community resource center located at 416 Craft St. in the Pleasant Hill neighborhood. There will be a short program including remarks from the mayor and other community leaders. The event begins at 11 a.m.

▪ Visit Macon is partnering with the Tubman Museum to host a birthday celebration from 4-6 p.m. at the Tubman Museum. The event will highlight Little Richard’s contributions to music and the Macon community. It is free and open to the public.

Macon’s own “AJ the DJ” will provide dance music, and there will be contests for best impersonator, best costume and best dancer, with live entertainment from the band American Blvd.

“I am very excited to help coordinate this historical event for such an icon and trailblazer in the music industry,” Andy Ambrose, executive director of the Tubman Museum, said in the release. “On behalf of the Tubman Museum we will be presenting him with The Tubman Vanguard Award to be sent to him at a later date.”

▪ Visit Macon is partnering with Rock Candy Tours to transform Visit Macon’s Soul Sights Tour into a Rock Candy Little Richard Feature Tour at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. this Saturday. Tickets are $8 for adults and $7 for seniors, Macon residents, military and children. Tours will leave from the Visit Macon, Downtown Visitor Information Center.

As a tribute to his music, Visit Macon is partnering with the Tubman Museum, Rock Candy Tours, Bibb County and The Creek to “cut the cake for Little Richard as a thanks for his decades as an ambassador for Macon music,” Gary Wheat, president/CEO of Visit Macon, said in the statement.