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Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Message Music: Michael Mwenso Dives Deep Into The Meaning Of Music

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World Cafe Words and Music Podcast

Message Music: Michael Mwenso Dives Deep Into The Meaning Of Music

XPN

Michael Mwenso guides us in exploring the deeper meaning of music, including tracks by Aretha Franklin, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Ethel Waters.

Message Music Wtih Michael Mwesno

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The Black Roots Of Rock And Roll: Part 1

Sister Rosetta Tharpe performs onstage with the Lucky Millinder Orchestra, circa 1938. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images hide caption

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Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

World Cafe Words and Music Podcast

The Black Roots Of Rock And Roll: Part 1

XPN

Join us as we explore how black artists invented and influenced rock music – where it started, and where it's going.

The Black Roots of Rock and Roll: Part 1

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Turning The Tables: Celebrating Eight Women Who Invented American Popular Music

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NPR

Turning The Tables

Turning The Tables: Celebrating Eight Women Who Invented American Popular Music

Jazz at Lincoln Center

This year, Turning the Tables focused on music's "founding mothers." Watch the season-opening concert at Lincoln Center Out of Doors, featuring Rhiannon Giddens, Lizz Wright and more.

Turning The Tables: Celebrating Eight Women Who Invented American Popular Music

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How One Of Music's Biggest Stars Almost Disappeared, And How Her Legacy Was Saved

Brittany Howard, Questlove and Felicia Collins pay tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe during the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in 2018. Theo Wargo/Getty Images For The Rock and Ro hide caption

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Theo Wargo/Getty Images For The Rock and Ro

Turning The Tables

How One Of Music's Biggest Stars Almost Disappeared, And How Her Legacy Was Saved

Rosetta Tharpe was a huge star in her era and set the template for rock and roll. So why was she absent from popular consciousness after her death — and why did it take decades to revive her legacy?

'The Most Elaborate Wedding Ever Staged': Rosetta Tharpe At Griffith Stadium

Sister Rosetta Tharpe, circa 1950. In 1951, she got married in a baseball stadium and performed a concert in front of thousands of fans. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images hide caption

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Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Turning The Tables

'The Most Elaborate Wedding Ever Staged': Rosetta Tharpe At Griffith Stadium

In 1951, gospel star Rosetta Tharpe got married in front of thousands of fans at a baseball stadium. In some ways, says biographer Gayle Wald, it set the template for today's stadium rock concerts.

'The Most Elaborate Wedding Ever Staged': Rosetta Tharpe At Griffith Stadium

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Sister Rosetta Tharpe Gets Her Day In The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame

Sister Rosetta Tharpe onstage with her guitar in 1957. Chris Ware/Getty Images hide caption

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World Cafe

Sister Rosetta Tharpe Gets Her Day In The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame

XPN

The late gospel singer and guitarist will get an overdue recognition for her crucial influence on early rock and roll, joining a class of inductees that includes Bon Jovi, Dire Straits and The Cars.

Sister Rosetta Tharpe Gets Her Day In The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame

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Kate Bush, Radiohead, Sister Rosetta Tharpe Nominated For Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame

Kate Bush, Radiohead and Sister Rosetta Tharpe are all first-time Rock Hall nominees. Evening Standard/Getty Images, Danny Clinch, Chris Ware/Getty Images hide caption

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Evening Standard/Getty Images, Danny Clinch, Chris Ware/Getty Images

The Record

Kate Bush, Radiohead, Sister Rosetta Tharpe Nominated For Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced its nominees for the class of 2018, presenting one its more sonically diverse group of first-time nominees.

Wade In The Water: 5 Jazz Takes On Spirituals

The gospel/folk singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe was accompanied by a jazz orchestra on her debut recording. Chris Ware/Getty Images hide caption

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A Blog Supreme

Wade In The Water: 5 Jazz Takes On Spirituals

WFIU

The songs were a byproduct of slavery in the U.S. But after being passed along by generations of African-American musicians, they were later embraced by a variety of improvisers, including Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Grant Green and John Coltrane.

Music News

Sister Rosetta Tharpe: Etched In Stone At Last

Sister Rosetta Tharpe was one of the most influential gospel-rockers of the '30s and '40s. But until recently, her grave remained completely unmarked, bereft of a proper memorial. Now fans can finally pay their respects to a woman who was strumming guitar windmills before Pete Townsend was born.

Sister Rosetta Tharpe: Etched In Stone At Last

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All Songs Considered

1,000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die

So much to hear. So little time. We talk with NPR reviewer Tom about his new book, 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die: A Listener's Life List and listen to some of the music he selected.

1,000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die

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Music Interviews

A Sister Rosetta Tharpe Biography

Gale Wald has written a biography of gospel singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Tharpe became well known for playing her electric guitar while performing gospel music in secular night clubs. Wald talks with Tony Cox about the book.

A Sister Rosetta Tharpe Biography

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Music Interviews

The Gospel of Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Sister Rosetta Tharpe was gospel's first national star and the first gospel musician to play night clubs like the Cotton Club. A new biography is in the works, and musicians continue to record albums and play concerts that pay tribute to the legend. Hear Ross Reynolds of member station KEXP and the Museum Experience Music Project.

The Gospel of Sister Rosetta Tharpe

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