Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Godmother of rock and roll
Sister Rosetta Tharpe gained popularity in the 1930s and 1940s with her gospel recordings, characterized by a unique mixture of spiritual lyrics and electric guitar. Often referred to as the Godmother of Rock & Roll, she influenced early rock-and-roll musicians including Little Richard, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Eric Clapton.
Tharpe was among the first popular recording artists to use heavy distortion on her electric guitar. Her guitar-playing technique is said to have had a profound influence on the development of British blues in the 1960s. Her European tour with Muddy Waters in 1964, with a stop in Manchester on May 7, is cited by British guitarists such as Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Keith Richards.
At the Manchester show, Sister Rosetta Tharpe plays “Didn’t It Rain” at a rain-soaked train station. The performance by Tharpe was described as follows:
She straps on an electric guitar and blows everybody away.
Lots of people, myself included, were looking around for the bloke playing lead guitar - and it's not [anyone else], it's her.
It was absolutely mind-blowing - a great song and a great gospel singer belting it out.
You can see this performance in the video below.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. Her 1944 release “Down by the Riverside” was selected for the National Recording Registry of the U.S. Library of Congress in 2004.
Tharpe performs “This Train” live in the video below.