Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Who was Sister Rosetta Tharpe?

Sister Rosetta Tharpe (born Rosetta Nubin) was a very distinguished and highly influential singer, songwriter and guitarist. She was the first great recording star of gospel music, and she influenced the early rock and roll stars such as Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.

She was a highly accomplished guitarist, and she had an early influence on British players such as Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Keith Richards. Johnny Cash was a big fan of hers, and Rhiannon Giddens has cited Sister Rosetta as a major influence on her music. Despite all of this, Rosetta rarely gets the credit she deserves in music history.

Rosetta died following a stroke, in October 1973, aged 58, and was laid to rest at Northwood Cemetery in Pennsylvania. The headstone erected decades after her death reads, “She would sing until you cried, and then she would sing until you danced for joy. She kept the church alive and the saints rejoicing.”