Why Everyone Should Know Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s Name

Other than the fact she was born in 1915 in Cotton Plant, Arkansas, much of Little Rosetta Nubin’s early childhood remains a mystery. Her parents were musicians and worked as cotton-pickers. A guitar prodigy at age four, the little girl who would someday become Sister Rosetta Tharpe was already a star. By six, Tharpe was touring churches across the south with her mother, who was a singer, mandolin player, deaconess-missionary, and women’s speaker for the Church of God in Christ.

With a powerful voice, scalding guitar solos, and an ability to not only step outside the box but completely reinvent it, Sister Rosetta Tharpe was the boom of thunder years before musicians like Elvis Presley would strike.

Take a trip down YouTube’s memory lane and prepare to have your musical mind blown. In 1964, Tharpe took the stage in front of a small audience who braved the rain to witness this incredible woman perform. Filmed and presented to audiences around the world, Tharpe’s historical performance is one of the earliest recordings of Rock & Roll as we know it.

No Small Legacy

A Black musician being featured on television was not an easy feat during Tharpe’s era. Let alone a Black, bi-sexual woman? Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s talents transcended the prejudices of her time, and we should all be thankful they did.

Blending Gospel lyrics with passionate guitar riffs and wiggling hips, Tharpe shocked many audiences at the churches she performed at, but it wasn’t long before she’d gained fans in and out of the pew. In 1938, Tharpe recorded her first album when she was just 23, and four songs, “My Man and I,” “Rock Me“, “That’s All” and “The Lonesome Road”, were instant successes that catapulted Tharpe to fame.

Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis are just a few of the musicians to give Tharpe’s “Rock Me” praise as one of their earliest influences.

Over the next couple of decades, Tharpe would face marital issues, a falling out with the Gospel community over the nature of some of her performances, and deal with the constant oppression that came with being one of the few women in a male-dominated profession.

A Man’s World

Could Tharpe play like a man? Yes, she could. In fact, she was their ultimate teacher.

When she wasn’t busy breaking stereotypes and writing hits, Tharpe showed off her incredible skills in guitar battles at the Apollo.

In 1947, 14-year-old Tharpe-fan Little Richard joined her on stage for his first public performance outside of a church. Tharpe was so impressed she paid him for his show, which inspired Little Richard to pursue a career as a musician.

Her thrilling guitar riffs, energetic performances, and soulful, thought-provoking lyrics have been cited as the influence behind such acts as Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix, Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Meat Loaf, Bob Dylan, Karen Carpenter, and many more. This is why Tharpe’s name should be front and center in any discussion about the pioneers of Rock & Roll, and really modern music as a whole.

In the 1960s Tharpe toured Europe with Muddy Waters, where it is rumored a single performance in 1964 was attended by a young Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and Jeff Beck, and is considered a major influence behind the British blues scene that would go on to dominate the rest of the decade.

Led Zeppelin and Sister Rosetta Tharpe were both fans of another early pioneer of rock music, musician Blind Willie Johnson, and had hits with their covers of Johnson’s classic hit, “Nobody’s Fault but Mine.”

Musicians from Van Morrison to Randy Travis have performed covers of her songs, further showing that the reach of Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s influence is truly astounding.

A Legacy at Risk

In 2008, a fire at Universal Studios destroyed the recordings of hundreds of artists, Tharpe’s original recordings included. If you (or your grandparents) own a Tharpe record, know that it is as precious as gold. As time goes on, the few sound recordings and video clips that remain of Sister Rosetta Tharpe will disappear, meaning telling her story is as important now as it was back then. We still talk about Elvis, and people continue to tour Graceland, yet in 2008 a concert was held to raise money so that Sister Rosetta Tharpe could finally receive a marker for her grave, 35 years after her death.

It’s too late to change a lot of things. Markers and inductions only mean so much years later. So, what can we do?

Learn her name, talk about how amazing she was, and go listen to her music.

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