Greg Tucker
The image of Rock ´N´ Roll is often associated with raunchy, sweaty, demonic white men with long hair. What if I told you that it was invented by a polite, put-together, god fearing black woman with a short up-do? Well, it was; Sister Rosetta Tharpe is regarded as the Godmother of Rock ´N´ Roll as she created and continued to pioneer the gritty and soulful sounds you hear to this day in Rock music. As a child she was always surrounded by the sweet sounds of music. Not only did she grow up in the church, Tharpe was blessed with the opportunity to travel and perform with her mother´s travel Gospel troupe, picking up the guitar at just 4 years of age. As an adult, she was able to further develop her gifts performing throughout the south; she even sang at New York City´s infamous Cotton Club Revue back in 1938. Sister Rosetta Tharpe took the world by storm as she was both an amazing singer and guitarist which was rare for any female artist at that time. What's rarer: An artist who could be successful in both gospel and secular music circuits, which did not sit well with gospel lovers (mostly Christians). What's even rarer: an openly queer artist being able to have success in any musical circuit at that time. Tharpe didn't stop there, she took it even further when she began to blend Gospel and Blues, creating a new sound that made other artists go back to their drawing boards. Sister Rosetta Tharpe passed away at the age of 58 in 1973. Although she was no longer physically present, her legacy lives on in the voices of the greats; Aretha Franklin, Chuck Berry, Johnny Cash, Nina Simone and Elvis Presley who then went on to inspire a host of other greats. As she is often overlooked when it comes to discussing the biggest influences in music, Sister Rosetta Tharpe is quite literally an unsung hero.
1 Comment
Mr. Keenan
3/30/2022 07:54:00 am
Thank you, Greg, for shining light on the life and music of Sister Rosetta Tharpe. I'm delighted to see young people take an interest in musical giants from the past.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
April 2024
Categories
All
|