Thursday, December 4, 2008

Sister Rosetta Tharpe

I discovered this while surfing Youtube.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe-Strange Things Happening Everyday... Recorded in 1944, this song has been considered by some the first rock and roll song, you be the judge




  It never ceases to amaze me just how far the internet has come
since I first started using it in the late 80s.  
 
 I was unaware of Sister Rosetta Tharpe until this morning and
I've been around for quite a while. I thought I'd share this with
the rest of you. I just have a quick wikipedia reference here but feel 
free to do your own research and add to this.



From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rosetta Tharpe (March 20, 1915 – October 9, 1973) was a pioneering Gospel singer, songwriter and recording artist who attained great popularity in the 1930s and 1940s with a unique mixture of spiritual lyrics and early rock accompaniment. She became the first great recording star of Gospel music in the late 1930s and also became known as the "original soul sister" of recorded music.

Willing to cross the line between sacred and secular by performing her inspirational music of 'light' in the 'darkness' of the nightclubs and concert halls with big bands behind her, her witty, idiosyncratic style also left a lasting mark on more conventional gospel artists, such as Ira Tucker, Sr., of the Dixie Hummingbirds. While she offended some conservative churchgoers with her forays into the world of pop music, she never left gospel music.

Birth name Rosetta Nubin
Born March 20, 1915
Origin Cotton Plant, Arkansas
Died October 9, 1973 (aged 58)