Rhythm and Blues, Rock and Roll and Soul music have many fathers but relatively few mothers. One of the greatest "mothers" of them all, and "The Original Soul Sister" was Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
Known as "the original soul sister", Sister Rosetta Tharpe (1915-1973) was among the greatest gospel singers of her generation. She first came to prominence In the 1930's and 1940's, when she became the first artist to cross over from the spiritual to the secular market by incorporating blues and swing into her music and playing nightclubs and theaters, thereby broadening the reach of gospel music. Her flamboyant performances and pioneering work on the electric guitar helped open the doors for others such as Big Mama Thornton, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis and the true father of modern rock and roll, Chuck Berry.
The Rosetta Tharp story
Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Up Above My Head
This Train
Down By the Riverside
Strange Things Happening Every Day - 1944 recording with
Sammy Price on piano
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