Black Music Month Celebrates: Rosetta Tharpe

If anyone were to ever ask you who is the matriarch of Rock & Roll, the mother that gave birth to music as we know it to this day, you would tell them Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Most young people today aren’t familiar with that name and more importantly, they are unfamiliar with the fact she is the reason why the world of music exist today such as we know it.

Rosetta Nubian was born on March 15, 1915 in Cotton Plant, Arkansas. Musicianship was in Rosetta’s blood from birth. Her mother Katie and her father Willis were both singers that also played a variety of instruments. In her youth, Rosetta’s father parted ways with the family, but Rosetta was close with her mother Katie who maintained an active church life of which her and Rosetta were heavily involved in as singers for the choir. This led to the family traveling a lot and making a big name for Rosetta who was noted for having a great voice and being a talented singer, as well as a guitar player. When Rosetta was 19 years old she met and married preacher Thomas Thorpe, though the marriage was short lived Rosetta kept a variation of her ex-husbands last name and adopted the name Rosetta Tharpe.

As Rosetta blossomed into adulthood she started making quite a name for herself everywhere she went. It was rare in the 1930s to see a young Black woman in public as a well rounded and multifaceted musician, so Rosetta was becoming quite the trail blazer. By the age of 23, the British owned Decca Records had taken notice of Rosetta’s talent and gave her the opportunity to record her own records. The opportunity certainly delivered favorably. The four gospel records she recorded for them: "Rock Me", "That's All", "My Man and I" and "The Lonesome Road" all became overnight sensations that were instant hits. Rosetta was one of the earliest gospel artist to achieve commercial success in mainstream music.

By the 1940’s Rosetta had signed a record deal with Swing music artist Lucky Millinder and even joined his band. It was here that Rosetta had fused her gospel based melodies with mainstream music. In return Rosetta’s music was not only a hit with the Black community, but White fans as well, making her an all around sensation. It was also here that Rosetta’s music stirred up a lot of controversy. The gospel crowd wasn’t exactly in agreement with her fusion with secular music, though mainstream fans were on board and her music received a largely positive reception.

As World War 2 approached and progressed, Rosetta’s music was making new strides. Her songs became a playlist of comfort for troops overseas, particularly her song “Strange Things Happening Every Day” with Decca Records boogie woogie pianist, Sammy Price. It was on this record that she showed off how amazing her guitaring was, especially at a time when it was stereotypically not normal for a female to be enjoyed as a guitarist.

The rest of Rosetta’s life and career saw it’s fair share of highs and lows. She broke a lot of ground, toured the world and touched more lives than she could have ever imagined. Even when her health was in declined and she reached the final days of her life she continued her passion. On October 9, 1973 passed away from a stroke. Though her life ended, her legacy lives on to this day. The greatest and most impactful artist from music history such as: Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Johnny Cash, Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner and Jerry Lee Lewis have all listed Rosetta as one of their biggest inspirations for being the artist they grew to become. She was a trail blazer who broke down barriers for women and African Americans and she paved the way for Rock & Roll artistry as we know it today.

Black Music Month celebrates: Sister Rosetta Tharpe.