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Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Blended spiritual lyrics, bluesy style, and electric guitar.

Founded

March 20, 1915 in Cotton Plant, Arkansas

Full Name

Rosetta Nubin (or possibly Atkins)

Date of Birth

March 20, 1915 in Cotton Plant, Arkansas

Still Alive

Date of Death

October 9, 1973 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Influenced By

Spirituals, Blues

Later Influenced

Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Bonnie Raitt, Aretha Franklin

Sister Rosetta Tharpe performing in an MGM studio in 1961

About The artist

“The spectacle of a black woman wielding so much power as a guitarist could produce an unbalance in a culture which no woman was supposed to play the instrument commandingly.”
Etta James on Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

Did you know...

Sister Rosetta had relationships with men and women, and was open about her sexuality within the music industry. She toured with partner Marie Knight in the 1940s