Danny Jones Penniman is the son of the father/founder/architect of rock and roll, Richard Wayne Penniman’s Little Richard’. He was adopted at 14 because his biological mother couldn’t afford to take care of all the children she bore.
Danny Jones follows in his foster father’s musical footsteps as he is reportedly a rapper. His last known appearance on social media dates to 2019 and since then there’s been little or nothing known about him.
Danny Jones Penniman was Adopted at the Age of 14
In 1984, 14 years after the birth of Danny Jones, he was adopted by the legendary musician, Little Richard. Danny was born in 1970 in South Central Los Angeles, to a woman named Creola Jones.
He grew up with 6 sisters and 3 brothers but they were from a poor background and his mother couldn’t afford to take care of all the kids.
However, he became close to the performer from a very young age when Little Richard became his mother’s friend. They attended the same church – Seventh Day Adventist and had a brother-sister relationship. Danny’s biological mum was very friendly to the rock and roll artiste and this encouraged him to make a lot of visitations to their home in South Central, Los Angeles.
When the adopted son of the Tutti Frutti singer was in second grade, Richard came visiting and got all the kids in a frenzy. In 1982, when Danny’s father passed on, Wayne Penniman performed at the funeral.
With how difficult it was for Creola to take care of 10 kids as a single mother, she asked the rockstar to take charge of Danny and he agreed. The adoption was not formally documented but was more of a word of mouth and ‘gentleman handshake’.
Adopted father and son then moved to his two-room suite in Hyatt and soon began to follow Richard on tours and to shows. Along the line, they moved to the Hilton in downtown Nashville, into a house that had everything a luxurious home could boast of.
Although Richard was married for a few years to Ernestine Harvin, they did not have any kids and she was his only wife till his death. The only child Little Richard had in his life was Danny Jones Penniman whom he adopted.
He was With his Foster Father Till his Dying Days
Danny Jones’ father was regarded as the ‘Godfather’ of rock and roll as he began his career in music in year 1947 at about the age of 15. He was fluent in genres including rhythm and blues, gospel, and soul.
Wayne Penniman had a serious accident that grounded him from a lot for years. The Hall of Famer even had hip surgery in 2009 but it didn’t help matters as he continued to battle with the left hip for years. It affected his performance and was only able to perform sitting down.
With all he faced, Little Richard became a recluse and his health deteriorated greatly. He however became a changed man and a better Christian.
By 2016, it was reported that the musician was in a bad state health-wise. After suffering many health challenges including a cardiac arrest in 2013, his family members began to gather around him to keep him company.
On May 9, 2020, Richard Wayne Penniman died from bone cancer-related issues. He battled with a 2-month-old illness before he died at the age of 87. He was in his hometown of Tullahoma when the unfortunate incident happened and his adopted son, Danny, made the announcement.
Little Richard was a dedicated Christian who even toured to win souls to Christ. However, he was most recognized for his undeniable contribution to music. The Tullahoma, Tennesse-born had over 20 albums released from his debut till the 2000s and was a great influence to many singers and musicians.
Danny Jones Penniman Follows in His Father’s Footsteps
Danny took a liking to music from a very early age and was inspired by his foster father’s career to start his. Although he wasn’t into rock and roll like Little Richard, he was still influenced by the contributions his father gave to the hip-hop genre.
Now, the 55-year-old is known as a rapper although his discography hasn’t been published. Given that he toured with Wayne Penniman during his career, it is not surprising that he would pick up on the habit.
Not only was he a regular at his adopted father’s shows and studio sessions, but he was also very close to the Second Coming singer and learned a lot from him, his musical prowess was obviously one such.
