Little Richard credits his own discovery to Sister Rosetta Tharpe, when in a 1945 show in Macon Georgia, she invited him up onstage. He called it “the best thing that ever happened to me.” For two decades before rock ‘n roll had even entered the public consciousness, Tharpe was essentially performing its sound on record and in tours across the US and Europe. Her gospel influenced, rhythm and blues sound in the 40s, became the sound of rock and roll in the fifties, crowning her the “Godmother of Rock ‘n Roll”
Sister Rosetta Tharpe was born Rosetta Nubin, in Cotton Plant, Arkansas on March 20, 1915. Both of her parents were musicians, although very little is known about her father (except that he was a singer.) Tharpe’s mother was active in music with the Church of God in Christ (a charismatic Christian denomination in which music was an integral element) and it was in this Gospel music setting, where Tharpe first began performing, at age 4. From a very young age, she started touring with her mother, singing in evangelical performance groups.
In the late 50’s Tharpe toured abroad, bringing blues and gospel music to Europe, including Britain…these tours would inspire many of the young “British Invasion” artists who would come to the US in the sixties. It was in 1957, where she was famously quoted in London’s Daily Mirror saying: “All this new stuff they call rock & roll, why I’ve been playing that for years now.” And she was right…Sister Rosetta Tharpe was the voice of rock and roll, before rock and roll was even in the larger public consciousness. And certainly before we started calling it that. She also stood out from the crowd for accompanying herself on guitar – and doing it really well. Her voice was undoubtedly a huge element of how she reached her audiences, but her guitar playing remains an integral part of her legacy and how she really earned her reputation as one of the foremothers of rock-n-roll.
Despite her successful career, she died in Philadelphia 1973 with little fanfare or notice. She was buried in a local cemetery, without even a headstone. And for many years, she faded from rock ‘n roll memory. But new efforts to understand the roots of this music have renewed interest in this remarkable artist. And her mark is undeniable; Tharpe was a huge influence on the nascent rock and roll landscape, and she is finally starting to get some of the recognition she so richly deserves. In 2007, She was Inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, and in 2018, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
