Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Sister Rosetta Tharpe (born Rosetta Nubin, March 20, 1915 – October 9, 1973) was an American singer 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.

Birth and Death Data: Born March 20, 1915 (Cotton Plant), Died October 9, 1973 (Philadelphia)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1938 - 1956

Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, guitar, songwriter

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 26-50 of 171 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca 70345 10-in. 2/18/1942 I want a tall skinny Papa Lucky Millinder Orchestra vocalist  
Decca 70852 10-in. 6/10/1942 What He done for me Sister Rosetta Tharpe instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Decca 70853 10-in. 6/10/1942 I want Jesus to walk around my bedside Sister Rosetta Tharpe instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Decca 70854 10-in. 6/10/1942 All over this world Sister Rosetta Tharpe instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Decca 70855 10-in. 6/10/1942 Pure religion Sister Rosetta Tharpe instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Decca 71523 10-in. 11/26/1943 Let that liar alone Sister Rosetta Tharpe instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Decca 71524 10-in. 11/26/1943 The devil has thrown Hirn down Sister Rosetta Tharpe instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Decca 71525 10-in. 11/26/1943 Sleep on darling mother Sister Rosetta Tharpe instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Decca 71526 10-in. 11/26/1943 God don't like it Sister Rosetta Tharpe instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Decca 71570 10-in. 12/15/1943 I want to live so God can use me Sister Rosetta Tharpe instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Decca 72015 10-in. 4/21/1944 Don't you see my handwriting on the wall Sister Rosetta Tharpe instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Decca 72016 10-in. 4/21/1944 What's the news Sister Rosetta Tharpe instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Decca 72377 10-in. 9/11/1944 Nobody knows, nobody cares Sister Rosetta Tharpe instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Decca 72378 10-in. 9/11/1944 Jesus taught me how to smile Sister Rosetta Tharpe instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Decca 72379 10-in. 9/11/1944 Forgive me Lord and try me one more time Sister Rosetta Tharpe instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Decca 72380 10-in. 9/11/1944 What is the soul of man? Sister Rosetta Tharpe instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Decca 72396 10-in. 9/26/1944 Singing in my soul Sister Rosetta Tharpe instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Decca 72397 10-in. 9/26/1944 I claim Jesus first Sister Rosetta Tharpe instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Decca 72398 10-in. 9/26/1944 Strange things happening every day Sister Rosetta Tharpe instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Decca 72399 10-in. 9/26/1944 Two little fishes and five loaves of bread Sister Rosetta Tharpe instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Decca 73274 1/11/1946 Don't take everybody to be your friend Sister Rosetta Tharpe instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Decca 73275 1/11/1946 Tell the world to sing Sister Rosetta Tharpe instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Decca 73276 1/11/1946 How far from God Sister Rosetta Tharpe instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Decca 73277 1/11/1946 When I move to the sky Sister Rosetta Tharpe instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
Decca 73548 5/2/1946 Jesus is here today Sister Rosetta Tharpe instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
(Results 26-50 of 171 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Tharpe, Sister Rosetta," accessed November 25, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/210105.

Tharpe, Sister Rosetta. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 25, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/210105.

"Tharpe, Sister Rosetta." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 25 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/210105

Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license

Feedback

Send the Editors a message about this record.