Historic Account Blog of Thursday, 2 February 2023
Source: Ras Tbc Ofoe
Sister Rosetta Tharpe (1915 - 1973)
Superstar and innovator of gospel music.
Her early recordings made in the late 1930s feature her on her National Triolian 14 Fret guitar, pictured here, accompanying herself playing in Open Bb tuning, playing blazing runs.
She later switched to electric guitar, and is seen with a white SG-type guitar when she was filmed in England in the early 1960s.
A huge influence on rock pioneers, she was called "The Godmother of Rock 'n' Roll" in the recent BBC/PBS documentary.
Her music is very exciting, full of power and vivacious energy.