Ava DuVernay reveals Little Richard tipped her $100 a week as a waitress
Proving that 'The King of Rock & Roll' took interest in young artists across the board, rapper Kwamé also takes to social media to share private memories
Now a heralded movie director, Ava DuVernay, shared a warm reflection about how kind and generous Little Richard was as a man.
Now heralded movie director, Ava DuVernay, shared a warm reflection about how kind and generous Little Richard was as a man, helping her out when she was starting out in life.
Every week, the music legend would tip her $100, back when she was a waitress working her way through school.
READ MORE: Little Richard, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and music icon, dies at 87
On Twitter, DuVernay wrote that the late, great tipped her heavily back when she was waiting tables in Los Angeles. “I served soul food brunch to Little Richard every Sunday for a year while waitressing at Aunt Kizzy’s Back Porch in LA,” she said in the social media post, “I was a college student. He tipped me a crisp $100 bill each week on a $75 breakfast with friends. This was 30 years ago. Helped me so much. God rest his soul.”
I served soul food brunch to Little Richard every Sunday for a year while waitressing at Aunt Kizzy’s Back Porch in LA. I was a college student. He tipped me a crisp $100 bill each week on a $75 breakfast with friends. This was 30 years ago. Helped me so much. God rest his soul. https://t.co/L0vo1tPdBv
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) May 9, 2020
The tweet garnered more than 17,000 retweets and over 100,000 likes as DuVernay responded to a tweet from New York Magazine regarding the death of the Rock ‘n Roll legend.
I served soul food brunch to Little Richard every Sunday for a year while waitressing at Aunt Kizzy’s Back Porch in LA. I was a college student. He tipped me a crisp $100 bill each week on a $75 breakfast with friends. This was 30 years ago. Helped me so much. God rest his soul. https://t.co/L0vo1tPdBv
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) May 9, 2020
Duvernay is not the only Gen X celebrity that can recount how generous he was when it came down to pouring into young people coming up. Rapper and producer, Kwamé Holland dedicated an entire set of his Saturday Tunes Instagram show to him. He remembered his first contact with the legend: Richard requested to meet him.
In the video, Kwamé gives him his props as the “King of Rock & Roll,” but also suggested that he was the architect of all pop music, even Hip-Hop. Days later, while still musing on his mentor he posted again:
And even at one of his last times seeing Little Richard, he was still giving back. In fact, other artists chimed in co-signing the consistency of the singer’s thoughtfulness.
Little Richard died this past weekend due to causes that are yet unknown.
With songs such as “Tutti Frutti,” “Good Golly Miss Molly,” “Rip It Up,” and “Long Tall Sally,” his music became synonymous with his flamboyant piano playing, sexually charged lyrics, and androgynous stage persona.
Born Richard Wayne Penniman, the iconic star was represented in character in films like Why Do Fools Fall In Love and the Robert Townsend biopic, Little Richard.
READ MORE: Kelly Rowland on losing Andre Harrell, Little Richard, and Betty Wright
While many were slow to give him his public accolades, he had no problem setting the record straight.
“I’m very grateful to know that my material is the type of material that entertainers today would like to use,” he once told American Bandstand. “It makes me feel good to know that I’ve been a part of something that is growing and won’t stop.”
Little Richard was known as the architect of Rock and Roll and is credited for his influence of the careers of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, and the late, great Prince.
