
The story of the black, gay origins of rock n' roll. It explodes the whitewashed canon of American pop music to reveal the innovator – the originator – Richard Penniman. Through a wealth of archive and performance that brings us into Richard's complicated inner world, the film unspools the icon's life story with all its switchbacks and contradictions.

Little Richard
Self (archive footage)

John Waters
Self

Mick Jagger
Self

Billy Porter
Self

Tom Jones
Self

Paul McCartney
Self (archive footage)

Nona Hendryx
Self
Valerie June
Self

Nile Rodgers
Self
Fredara Hadley
Self

Alan Freed
Self (archive footage)

Elvis Presley
Self (archive footage)

Salvador Dalí: Génie tragi-comique
Salvador Dalí: Génie tragi-comique

Ronald Reagan: The Great Communicator
Ronald Reagan: The Great Communicator

Einstein and the Bomb
Einstein and the Bomb

Adam Sandler: Funny Guy
Adam Sandler: Funny Guy

When My Sorrow Died: The Story of Armen Ra and The Theremin
When My Sorrow Died: The Story of Armen Ra and The Theremin

Andreas Dresen - Ein Leben für den Film
Andreas Dresen - Ein Leben für den Film

Christopher Reeve, Superman Forever
Christopher Reeve, Superman Forever

Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo
Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo

Are We Going Backward?
Are We Going Backward?

The Comeback
The Comeback

The Man Who Was Too Free
The Man Who Was Too Free

The Garden That Doesn't Exist
The Garden That Doesn't Exist