Little Richard To Retire From Touring At End Of Year

Little Richard, 69, plans to retire at the end of the year. "This is my last tour," he told the New York Post in a long interview. "I'm retiring at the end of the year. I'm going to be 70 years old on December 5. I've been making music since I was 8 years old, and I'm tired now. I've never taken a vacation. I work every day, year in, year out. I think that when you get tired it's time to move over. Since this is the end, I'm gonna give everything I've got in every show I have left."

"I give 100 percent on stage," he maintains. "You want to see Little Richard, the Architect of Rock 'n' Roll, and have a good time, hurry because this is it. This is going to be a historic event. I'm going back to the South for rest. I'm from Georgia, and I want to rest there. Los Angeles isn't restful at all. I haven't decided what I'm going to do, but I won't be traveling for rock."

One of his last shows was August 4 at the Westbury Music Fair in Westbury, Long Island on a bill with Chuck Berry. However, Richard has had a long standing rift with his fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Famer.
"We've got a big problem with him," he told the paper. "Well, you know, everywhere he plays, he wants to be the star. Do you understand? I like him, I respect him. He is a great pioneer of music, a great legend. When he has a party, I go, but he's not the friendliest man in the world