Sister Rosetta Tharpe

The Grandmother of rock ´n roll

Sister Rosetta Tharpe se destacó como cantante de “gospels”, y por su técnica con la guitarra eléctrica, convirtiéndose en precursora del rock-and-roll, e influenciando a cantantes como Chuck Berry y Elvis Presley. En 1939 convertía a This Train en un hit y en 1964 tocaba, junto a Muddy Waters, en Manchester ante un público enfervorizado. Tharpe puso a los spirituals como protagonistas y ayudó en el ascenso del pop-gospel. En vocabulario: foray y para saber: gospel music. Al final un video para practicar nuestro inglés con la vida de la gran Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Gospel music can be traced to the early 17th century, with roots in the black oral tradition…

The advent of radio in the 1920s greatly increased the audience for gospel music…

Sister Rosetta Tharpe (March 20, 1915 – October 9, 1973) was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and recording artist. She attained popularity in the 1930s and 1940s with her gospel recordings, characterized by a unique mixture of spiritual lyrics and rhythmic accompaniment that was a precursor of rock and roll. She was the first great recording star of gospel music and among the first gospel musicians to appeal to rhythm-and-blues and rock-and-roll audiences. She influenced early rock-and-roll musicians, including Little Richard, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis.

Rosetta Tharpe

Tharpe was a pioneer in her guitar technique; she was among the first popular recording artists to use heavy distortion on her electric guitar, presaging the rise of electric blues. Her guitar playing technique had a profound influence on the development of British blues in the 1960s; in particular a European tour with Muddy Waters in 1964 with a stop in Manchester on 7 May is cited by prominent British guitarists such as Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Keith Richards.

Willing to cross the line between sacred and secular by performing her music of "light" in the "darkness" of nightclubs with big bands behind her, Tharpe pushed spiritual music into the mainstream and helped pioneer the rise of pop-gospel, beginning in 1938 with the recording "Rock Me" and with her 1939 hit "This Train". While she offended some conservative churchgoers with her forays into the pop world, she never left gospel music.

Vocabulario

foray: attack, incursion.

"The garrison made a foray against Richard's camp"

Para saber

Gospel music is a genre of Christian music. Gospel music can be traced to the early 17th century, with roots in the black oral tradition. The original gospel songs were written and composed by authors such as George F. Root, Philip Bliss, Charles H. Gabriel, William Howard Doane, and Fanny Crosby. Gospel music publishing houses emerged. The advent of radio in the 1920s greatly increased the audience for gospel music. Following World War II, gospel music moved into major auditoriums, and gospel music concerts became quite elaborate.

"This Train" (5, 31)

"This Train", also known as "This Train Is Bound for Glory", is a traditional American gospel song first recorded in 1922. Although its origins are unknown, the song was relatively popular during the 1920s as a religious tune, and it became a gospel hit in the late 1930s for singer-guitarist Sister Rosetta Tharpe. After switching from acoustic to electric guitar, Tharpe released a more secular version of the song in the early 1950s.

Comentarios

“I'm an old man, and i can remember singing this as a child growing up in Mississippi. Without Black music there would be no rock, period. Here the two cultures are linked, especially so in the 50s and 60s. It's really weird to listen to people in places in the Northeast try to sink this stuff. It's literally part of us.”…

"Down by the Riverside" (2, 52)

"Down by the Riverside" is a spiritual. Its roots date back to before the American Civil War, though it was first published in 1918 in Plantation Melodies: A Collection of Modern, Popular and Old-time Negro-Songs of the Southland, Chicago. Because of its pacifistic imagery, "Down by the Riverside" has also been used as an anti-war protest song, especially during the Vietnam War.

"Strange Things Happening Every Day" (2, 55)

It was most famously, and influentially, recorded by Sister Rosetta Tharpe in late 1944, becoming a hit record in 1945. Released as a single by Decca Records, Tharpe's version featured her vocals and resonator guitar, with Sammy Price (piano), bass and drums.

Para practicar

The Godmother of Rock’n’Roll – Sister Rosetta Tharpe

“I met her in a jazz club in 1964 and I'm proud to say she was a guest at my wedding in September 1964. I loved the documentary I learned a lot about her I didn't know…”

Artículos relacionados

The Contours fue uno de los primeros grupos afroamericanos de soul incorporados por Motown Records… Do You Love Me

Niño prodigio, nació en Wisconsin de padres italianos y polacos. Liberace fue el músico mejor pagado… Liberace

The Thrill Is Gone se convirtió en un gran éxito para B.B. King… The Thrill is Gone