Sister Rosetta Tharpe and the Road to Rock and Roll Royalty

Over 100 years after Tharpe was born, her name is still alive.

BY: CLAUDIA MINARDI

Artwork by Kendrick Daye

Before Elvis, before Johnny Cash, before Chuck Berry, there was the Godmother of Rock and Roll. Sister Rosetta Tharpe, born in March of 1915, completely turned the world upside down and changed music as we know it. 

Tharpe (born Rosetta Nubin), from a young age, was enamoured with music. Her parents were cotton pickers in Arkansas and were both singers, her mother a mandolin player. By the time she was four years old, Tharpe was playing guitar. Soon after, she was travelling and performing in Evangelical churches with her mom. 

It wasn’t long before she was gaining attention for her talent, as well as being one of the few  black, female guitarists of her time. Drawing inspiration from “Delta blues, New Orleans jazz, and gospel music,” Tharpe created her own fresh sound. 

In addition to being nicknamed a “singing and guitar playing miracle,” Tharpe was rewriting the music scene in a lyrical sense. Her songs were dipped in religious messages and sprinkled with secular themes. Not everyone approved of this new practice, especially the Evangelical community. 

Nonetheless, Tharpe’s popularity only grew stronger. By 23 years old, she had moved to New York, signed to Decca Records, married, and divorced her first husband, Minister Thomas A. Tharpe. Using her ex’s last name as her stage personality, Tharpe instantly found success after recording four songs. Her first single, “Rock Me,” displayed her revolutionary guitar skills and stunning vocal talent. She was able to release gospel songs and fast, secular-sounding music, captivating both traditional and young, rebellious audiences. 

Artwork by methanestudios via Etsy

Equipped with a Gibson SG guitar, which would later become a rock staple and used by many, most notably Angus Young of AC/DC, Tharpe was the first to play her instrument with a gritty distortion sound. Nearly a decade later, rock and roll icon, Chuck Berry, would be inspired by this very sound and use it in his own songs. 

Her music career continued to blossom. Tharpe frequented New York’s Cotton Club and Carnegie Hall, and from there, she recorded more songs alongside Jazz legend Lucius “Lucky” Millinder and his orchestra. Gaining more and more notoriety as time went on, Tharpe became one of the only two black gospel artists to record V-Disks in the 1940s. 

She later met pianist and gospel singer Marie Knight and was immediately taken by her talent. Together, the two women formed a musical partnership and embarked on several tours. The duo also recorded songs, including “Up Above My Head” and “Didn’t It Rain.”

In 1951, Tharpe married her manager, Russell Morrison. However, this was no ordinary marriage. In fact, more than 20 000 people paid to witness the wedding. Tharpe even performed, recording the event and later releasing it as an album.

Artwork by Charlet Gomez via Buzzfeed

Although it may be mesmerizing to learn about her success, Tharpe’s life was not without hardships. She was a black woman during a time of institutionalized racism. She was constantly encountering barriers that blocked her from the doors of opportunity. While on tour, Tharpe was unable to sleep in a hotel. Instead, she would spend her nights on the bus floor. Due to segregation, she was not allowed inside restaurants and would be forced to retrieve her dinner from the back of the building. 

Being a woman, and a woman of colour especially, in a male-dominated industry was not an easy wave to ride. The guitar was considered a “man’s” instrument and when she would be complemented, it would come in the form of comparing her playing to that of a man’s. To that, Tharpe disagreed, saying, “No man can play like me. I play better than a man.” On top of that, Tharpe’s sexuality was constantly under the microscope. Her relationships with both men and women caused her devoted religious followers to turn on her. 

Tharpe powered through the injustices she had to endure. She became an inspiration for black musicians, women, and members of the LBGTQ+ community.

Her musical career sat on the backburner for a few years as the white, male musicians started to overtake the scene in the United States. Not one to be discouraged, Tharpe took to Europe with Muddy Waters, and in 1964, performed in Manchester. This concert was cited to have heavily inspired countless British guitarists, such as Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, and Jeff Beck. 

Tharpe suffered a stroke in 1970 and, as a result, underwent a leg amputation. Once again, the musician refused to give up and continued performing. Her last concert was cited to be in Philadelphia. Tharpe died October 9, 1973, due to another stroke.

Artwork via Richmond Magazine

However, Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s spirit, her passion, her innovation never died. It was carried on, the torch passed along to countless musicians. Each one was inspired by her talent and determination.

Countless artists have credited Tharpe as an influence in her music, her strength, and the way she challenged the world. Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash have each covered a song by Tharpe, Cash even saying she was one of his favourite singers. 

In 2018, more than 40 years after her death, Tharpe was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Although this should be a call to celebrate, one can’t help but think: why did it take so long? Why were hundreds of musicians inducted for their accomplishments in a genre that would not exist without Sister Rosetta Tharpe? Why were the very people who cited Tharpe as an influence honoured before she was?

An even bigger question one could wonder, especially if they are unfamiliar with the history of rock, is: how come I have never heard of Sister Rosetta Tharpe?

Where is her biopic, her countless biographies, documentaries, and Netflix Original series? 

It could be because she was black. It could be because she was a woman. It could also be because she was not straight, or maybe all three of these “reasons” are the cause of her inhibited notoriety in the 21st century. 

Whatever excuses there are, Tharpe is being rediscovered thanks to the gift of the internet. Many are learning about who she was and how she impacted the world of rock and roll. Over 100 years after Tharpe was born, her name is still alive. 

Artwork via Pinterest

If you are interested in listening to Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s music, or even curious to see her remarkable and confident playing, I encourage you to explore her discography. Here is a video compilation of guitar solos that rendered me speechless. We are living in the digital age, meaning that we can rediscover and honour the artists that history left behind. We can rewrite the roots of rock to accurately reflect the real story. We can finally give the pioneers of music the credit they deserve. 

Sister Rosetta Tharpe: remember her name, remember her impact, remember her perseverance, and remember that she was the world’s first rock star.