History | Feature Spotlight
Sister Rosetta Tharpe, also known as the “Godmother of Rock and Roll”, is credited as the first gospel recording star. Tharpe’s influence as a guitarist and vocalist on the “rock and roll” genre is understated at best.
Tharpe paved the way for heavy hitters such as Little Richard, Aretha Franklin, and Chuck Berry, inspiring them to blend gospel and soul into pop music. Along with her pioneering electric guitar playing style, Tharpe without a doubt shaped the foundation of rock, leaving an indelible imprint on the genre’s sound and iconography.
Born as Rosetta Nubin in Cotton Plant, Arkansas to religious singing parents, Tharpe began performing in church with a guitar as early as four. At 6, Tharpe and her mother moved to the South Side of Chicago, and from there travelled in an evangelist troupe performing across the South, where she began to hone her skills and passion for music.
By 23, Tharpe began to make a name for herself, performing at major venues such as the Apollo Theater, recording her first songs, and pioneering her unique guitar style. Although her career was on the rise, she did receive criticism from the gospel community for performing at nightclubs and including secular themes in her music. Tharpe’s roots were undoubtedly gospel, but she incorporated blues, jazz, gospel, and her signature electric guitar to create her own sound, a phenomenon that was groundbreaking at the time.
Tharpe was also open with her sexuality within the music industry but kept it private to the public. Her most notable queer relationship was with her partner and protege, Marie Knight. By the time she met Marie, Tharpe had already married twice, with men.
Both she and Knight enjoyed a productive relationship. They toured, collaborated, and performed together in the 1940’s all while in a romantic relationship. In 1950, both women separated as both romantic and professional partners. In 1951, She later married her manager, Russell Morrison with the wedding taking place in Washington, DC to an audience of 20,000+ attendees.
In 1970, Tharpe suffered from a stroke and struggled from diabetes. Within 1970 - 1973, one of her legs was amputated due to health complications. At 58 years old, Tharpe passed away in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania after suffering from another stroke.
Grappling with her church upbringing and trailblazing gospel career that included secular music, Tharpe laid the groundwork for what would eventually be one of the most influential genres in modern history: rock 'n' roll. As stated best by the “Father of Rock 'n' Roll” Chuck Berry, “My whole career has been one long Sister Rosetta Tharpe impersonation”.
As a Black, queer woman, her legacy was revolutionary in combating the norms of what a gospel artist should look and sound like and ultimately redefined what Blackness could be. You can be from the church, you can be a woman, you can be gay, and you can be Black all at the same time!