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	<h1 class="mt-20 mb-0" data-webtasks-id="ebbc64ec-2ed2-41f4">Sister Rosetta Tharpe</h1>

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	<div class="caption mt-5 mt-md-0" data-webtasks-id="b11d1074-8d1c-47a5">Also known as: Rosie Etta Atkins</div>
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	</div><!--[BEFORE-ARTICLE]--><span class="marker before-article" data-webtasks-id="e66befe0-282d-4dbd"></span><div class="md-sentinel--spy-target" data-webtasks-id="4c885a36-342a-4e0c"></div><section id="ref1" data-level="1" data-has-spy="true" data-webtasks-id="d2e48482-644e-4a68"><p class="topic-paragraph" data-webtasks-id="61a90d98-9859-4449"><strong data-webtasks-id="46380d7e-33c6-4e12"><span id="ref1313207" data-webtasks-id="23b44ca1-7c6d-41ef"></span>Sister Rosetta Tharpe</strong>, likely née <strong data-webtasks-id="4230a990-0b85-48fd">Rosie Etta Atkins</strong>, (born March 20, 1915, Cotton Plant, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Arkansas-state" class="md-crosslink autoxref" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="31d1a7f9-d0d8-4b12">Arkansas</a>, U.S.—died October 9, 1973, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Philadelphia" class="md-crosslink autoxref" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="ecf422af-332c-4a05">Philadelphia</a>, Pennsylvania), American <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/guitar" class="md-crosslink autoxref" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="ab40424a-5365-47a0">guitar</a> player and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/gospel-music" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="b523105e-8055-4136">gospel</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/blues-music" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="ee42c90a-d8ce-40c8">blues</a> singer who was popular in the 1930s and ’40s. She sang traditional gospel songs with contemporary <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/jazz" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="c5fb8e2a-71f1-47ab">jazz</a> tempos that she played on her <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/electric-guitar" class="md-crosslink autoxref" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="28eb752c-4543-4b8e">electric guitar</a>. With these performances she introduced gospel into nightclubs and concert <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="venues" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/venues" data-type="MW" data-webtasks-id="3f603617-4d42-4d81">venues</a>. Her work influenced early <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/rock-and-roll-early-style-of-rock-music" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="99d292aa-ff11-4ea6">rock and rollers</a> such as <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Chuck-Berry" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="8b94400a-f2f7-480c">Chuck Berry</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jerry-Lee-Lewis" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="a5b0da59-3574-49f0">Jerry Lee Lewis</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Little-Richard" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="ccd28d87-710a-41e5">Little Richard</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elvis-Presley" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="468859a5-7c9b-40ff">Elvis Presley</a>.</p><!--[P1]--><span class="marker p1" data-webtasks-id="c7ab5304-ca4d-44a0"></span><!--[AM1]--><span class="marker AM1 am-inline" data-webtasks-id="520e2e0d-fcbc-4bd8"></span><!--[MOD1]--><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline" data-webtasks-id="624eb32a-bff2-47fb"></span><p class="topic-paragraph" data-webtasks-id="9a8476b7-e06a-4d76">Tharpe was the daughter of farm labourer Willis Atkins and singer, mandolin player, and evangelist Katie Harper Atkins (later Katie Bell Nubin or “Mother Bell”). Because no official birth certificate was issued, there is uncertainty regarding her <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/given-name" class="md-crosslink autoxref" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="45076a57-2421-4991">given name</a>, and at various times she was called Rosa, Rosie Etta, and Rosabell before becoming known to the world as Sister Rosetta Tharpe (the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/surname" class="md-crosslink autoxref" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="2af74144-05fd-4032">last name</a> of her first husband). She began <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/singing" class="md-crosslink autoxref" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="d6b43af3-2481-4a15">singing</a> and playing the guitar when she was four. At age six she and her mother sang gospel songs with an evangelist troupe that traveled throughout the South. In the 1920s the two settled in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Chicago" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="674d15ef-0171-4404">Chicago</a>, where they continued to perform in churches and at other religious gatherings, often attracting large crowds in the gospel <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="community" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/community" data-type="MW" data-webtasks-id="10223fff-defa-4894">community</a>. As she grew older, Rosetta was influenced by the jazz and blues she heard in Chicago, and she began to blend those elements into her gospel performances.</p><!--[P2]--><span class="marker p2" data-webtasks-id="a18216a5-0ef4-4a66"></span><!--[AM2]--><span class="marker AM2 am-inline" data-webtasks-id="d7a0d188-efaf-4a9d"></span><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/pop-culture-quiz" data-webtasks-id="ad6994eb-a9c2-4208">
















































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	</a><!--[MOD2]--><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline" data-webtasks-id="e1899f5d-a7c7-4d74"></span><p class="topic-paragraph" data-webtasks-id="c273d9ed-b962-41f4">In 1934 she married a minister, Thomas A. Tharpe, to whose sermons she drew crowds with her singing and playing. The couple separated in 1938 (divorced 1943), and, although she remarried twice, she kept Tharpe as her stage name. Also in 1938 she began performing at the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Cotton-Club" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="d4614938-52b7-4936">Cotton Club</a> in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Harlem-poem-by-Hughes" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="ef51c2c1-c92a-48d5">Harlem</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/New-York-City" class="md-crosslink autoxref" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="03cc41ae-9c27-416f">New York City</a>, where she focused on jazz songs and became a hit with the predominantly white audience. That year she signed a recording contract with <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Decca-Records-Shaking-Rattling-and-Rolling-1688342" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="39f21d27-a181-44b3">Decca Records</a>. Her first single for Decca was “Rock Me,” a version of the gospel song “Hide Me in Thy Bosom,” written by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Andrew-Dorsey" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="0632f6b1-96be-42f5">Thomas Andrew Dorsey</a> (the “Father of Gospel Music”), which she enlivened with blues and jazz undertones. That recording was a big hit for Tharpe, as was her version of Dorsey’s “This Train.” Tharpe’s combination of spiritual songs mixed with blues-style guitar playing and a jazz band accompaniment became her trademark.</p><!--[P3]--><span class="marker p3" data-webtasks-id="cf4cb3c6-f54b-4d8d"></span><!--[AM3]--><span class="marker AM3 am-inline" data-webtasks-id="a7020a45-649c-4cd6"></span><!--[MOD3]--><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline" data-webtasks-id="0a2ce48e-b48f-4163"></span><p class="topic-paragraph" data-webtasks-id="7b61bfee-c975-4b40">In 1941 Tharpe officially joined Lucky Millinder’s swing band, with which she toured throughout the early 1940s. In 1944 she recorded “Strange Things Happening Every Day” with jazz and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/boogie-woogie" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="2c595963-319e-4f62">boogie-woogie</a> pianist <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sammy-Price" class="md-crosslink autoxref" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="16abb325-d88b-4657">Sammy Price</a>. It was the first gospel song to reach the top 10 in <em data-webtasks-id="6cd1f266-5b53-4ed2">Billboard</em>’s “race” (later <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/rhythm-and-blues" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="4061d22b-771b-4460">rhythm and blues</a>) records chart. Some <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/music" class="md-crosslink autoxref" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="6d0bb3d2-bc0e-44c8">music</a> scholars have argued that Tharpe’s rendition of “Strange Things Happening Every Day” can be viewed as the first rock-and-roll song and have branded her the “Godmother of Rock and Roll.” In <em data-webtasks-id="950bdb0f-0359-4f06">Lost Highway: Journeys & Arrivals of American Musicians</em> (1979), historian Peter Guralnick notes that early <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/rockabilly" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="10d1c1d3-528a-4877">rockabilly</a> performer Sleepy LaBeef believed that Tharpe provided “the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="bedrock" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/bedrock" data-type="EB" data-webtasks-id="804d4da0-043f-4724">bedrock</a> for <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/rock-music" class="md-crosslink autoxref" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="3a800271-2e06-4491">rock</a> ’n’ roll” and that Jerry Lee Lewis derived his piano style from Tharpe’s “blithely bluesy guitar work,” especially on “Strange Things Happening Every Day.” Among the other songs for which Tharpe is remembered are “Didn’t It Rain,” “Down by the Riverside,” and “Precious Lord.”<span class="inline-youtube-video d-print-none" data-webtasks-id="3cc43269-84d2-436e"><iframe class="" width="560" height="315" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/Y9a49oFalZE?rel=0" data-webtasks-id="858dd924-68da-41d3"></iframe></span></p><!--[P4]--><span class="marker p4" data-webtasks-id="c0292f41-f57f-45cf"></span><!--[AM4]--><span class="marker AM4 am-inline" data-webtasks-id="4502308c-3749-42f2"></span><!--[MOD4]--><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline" data-webtasks-id="d391461f-a8a9-4c3c"></span><p class="topic-paragraph" data-webtasks-id="550b24d6-ca74-4dc3">In the late 1940s Tharpe returned to her gospel roots. She toured with gospel singer Marie Knight, whose subdued vocal approach provided an effective contrast to Tharpe’s more emotive phrasing. The duo made several successful recordings together, including “Beams of Heaven” (1947) and “He Watches Me” (1948). Their decision to release a number of <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="straightforward" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/straightforward" data-type="EB" data-webtasks-id="27f4ea96-0deb-4e3a">straightforward</a> blues singles backfired, however, alienating many among their core audience of gospel music fans, and Tharpe’s popularity in the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/United-States" class="md-crosslink autoxref" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="f8aaba0a-74df-4a93">United States</a> declined. She spent most of her later years touring in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Europe" class="md-crosslink autoxref" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="2d7b80bb-26db-4db9">Europe</a>. In 1964 she participated in the Blues and Gospel Caravan, which was filmed as a television special. Although suffering from ill health in the early 1970s, she continued to perform up to her death in 1973.</p><!--[P5]--><span class="marker p5" data-webtasks-id="62e7f7cb-f7a1-4ef2"></span><!--[AM5]--><span class="marker AM5 am-inline" data-webtasks-id="6ca3d450-9b96-4eb1"></span><div class="one-good-fact-module" data-webtasks-id="a00cc4cc-8df7-41d3">
	</div><!--[MOD5]--><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline" data-webtasks-id="63ea2f52-2bbf-4063"></span><p class="topic-paragraph" data-webtasks-id="d8343d2f-5952-4a00">Tharpe was inducted into the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Rock-and-Roll-Hall-of-Fame-and-Museum" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="f35b5260-91f1-4a18">Rock and Roll Hall of Fame</a> as an early influence in 2018. Her story is told in <em data-webtasks-id="6a7e2c8f-1d78-4526">Shout, Sister, Shout!: The Untold Story of Rock-and-Roll Trailblazer Sister Rosetta Tharpe</em> (2007) by Gayle F. Wald.</p><!--[P6]--><span class="marker p6" data-webtasks-id="7603ea6d-a6ee-4c65"></span><!--[AM6]--><span class="marker AM6 am-inline" data-webtasks-id="c1da0b63-c052-4323"></span><div class="marketing-INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION" data-webtasks-id="8fd316a8-257f-480c"><div class="container p-20" data-webtasks-id="2bd5c93d-3e5e-43c5">
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The five basic types are bows, harps, lutes, lyres, and zithers. The name chordophone replaces the term <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/stringed-instrument" class="md-crosslink autoxref" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="331ad281-c6bb-48ba">stringed instrument</a> when a precise, acoustically based <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="designation" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/designation" data-type="MW" data-webtasks-id="15106e35-c653-44ca">designation</a> is required. <em data-webtasks-id="f66097e6-2418-4d7d">Compare</em> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/aerophone" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="c0e88baa-b253-43d3">aerophone</a>; <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/electrophone" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="44c8c3f1-ceaa-4219">electrophone</a>; <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/idiophone" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="250c2e48-da08-4ede">idiophone</a>; <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/membranophone" class="md-crosslink" data-show-preview="true" data-webtasks-id="838dbc0a-a80e-4f3f">membranophone</a>.</p><!--[P1]--><span class="marker p1" data-webtasks-id="512917b1-7ddc-4339"></span><!--[AM1]--><span class="marker AM1 am-inline" data-webtasks-id="7fe372bd-0793-41c7"></span><!--[MOD1]--><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline" data-webtasks-id="dbf94fb8-79b0-4fd4"></span></section>


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	<div class="citation font-serif border rounded p-15 mt-20" data-authors="The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica" data-title="Sister Rosetta Tharpe" data-published-date="30 May. 2023" data-url="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sister-Rosetta-Tharpe" data-webtasks-id="3bc3c6f1-77fe-4876">
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