Tharpe, Rosetta, 1915-1973

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Sister Rosetta Tharpe (born Rosetta Nubin, March 20, 1915 – October 9, 1973) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. She gained popularity in the 1930s and 1940s with her gospel recordings, characterized by a unique mixture of spiritual lyrics and electric guitar. She was the first great recording star of gospel music, and was among the first gospel musicians to appeal to rhythm and blues and rock and roll audiences, later being referred to as "the original soul sister" and "the Godmother of rock and roll". She influenced early rock-and-roll musicians including Little Richard, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Eric Clapton.

Tharpe was a pioneer in her guitar technique; she was among the first popular recording artists to use heavy distortion on her electric guitar, opening the way to the rise of electric blues. Her guitar-playing technique had a profound influence on the development of British blues in the 1960s. Her European tour with Muddy Waters in 1964, with a stop in Manchester on May 7, is cited by British guitarists such as Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Keith Richards.

Willing to cross the line between sacred and secular by performing her music of "light" in the "darkness" of nightclubs and concert halls with big bands behind her, Tharpe pushed spiritual music into the mainstream and helped pioneer the rise of pop-gospel, beginning in 1938 with the recording "Rock Me" and with her 1939 hit "This Train". Her unique music left a lasting mark on more conventional gospel artists such as Ira Tucker Sr., of the Dixie Hummingbirds. While controversial among conservative religious groups due to her forays into the pop world, she never left gospel music.

Tharpe's 1944 release "Down by the Riverside" was selected for the National Recording Registry of the U.S. Library of Congress in 2004, which noted that it "captures her spirited guitar playing and unique vocal style, demonstrating clearly her influence on early rhythm-and-blues performers" and cited her influence on "many gospel, jazz, and rock artists". ("Down by the Riverside" was recorded by Tharpe on December 2, 1948, in New York City, and issued as Decca single 48106). Her 1945 hit "Strange Things Happening Every Day", recorded in late 1944, featured Tharpe's vocals and resonator guitar, with Sammy Price (piano), bass and drums. It was the first gospel record to cross over, hitting no. 2 on the Billboard "race records" chart, the term then used for what later became the R&B chart, in April 1945. The recording has been cited as a precursor of rock and roll, and alternatively has been called the first rock and roll record. In May 2018, Tharpe was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an Early Influence.

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Duke Ellington recordings collection Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library, Harvard College Library
referencedIn Center for Popular Music Vertical Files Center for Popular Music, Middle Tennessee State University
creatorOf Tharpe, Rosetta, 1915-1973. This train [Multimédia multisupport] / Sister Rosette Tharpe, chant. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
creatorOf Tharpe, Rosetta, 1915-1973. This train [Multimédia multisupport] / Sister Rosette Tharpe, chant. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
referencedIn Bobbye S. Ortiz Papers, (bulk, 1919-1993 and undated, 1950-1990) David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library
creatorOf Walker-Hill, Helen. Collection. 1887- Columbia College Chicago
creatorOf Tharpe, Rosetta, 1915-1973. How far from God [Multimédia multisupport] / Rosetta Tharpe, comp. ; Rosetta Tharpe, chant ; Sammy Price trio, groupe voc. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
referencedIn Reitz, Rosetta, 1924-2008. Rosetta Reitz papers, 1929-2008. Duke University Libraries, Duke University Library; Perkins Library
creatorOf Tharpe, Rosetta, 1915-1973. How far from God [Multimédia multisupport] / Rosetta Tharpe, comp. ; Rosetta Tharpe, chant ; Sammy Price trio, groupe voc. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
referencedIn American Vaudeville Museum collection, 1845-2007, (bulk 1910-1940) University of Arizona Libraries, Library Special Collections
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith American Museum of Vaudeville corporateBody
associatedWith American Museum of Vaudeville corporateBody
associatedWith Cullen, Frank, 1936- person
associatedWith Cullen, Frank, 1936- person
associatedWith Decca Records (Firm) corporateBody
associatedWith Dodge, Joseph Jeffers person
associatedWith McNeilly, Donald, 1945- person
associatedWith McNeilly, Donald, 1945- person
associatedWith Ortiz, Bobbye S. person
associatedWith Price, Sammy person
associatedWith Reitz, Rosetta, 1924-2008. person
memberOf Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum corporateBody
associatedWith Walker-Hill, Helen person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Philadelphia PA US
Cotton Plant AR US
Subject
Occupation
Singers
Composers
Guitarists
Activity

Person

Birth 1915-03-20

Death 1973-10-09

Death 1973

Americans

English

Information

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