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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

September 27, 2019 • 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?

Mahalia Jackson sings at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1957. Mary Lou Williams heard her there and said she felt "cold chills run up and down my spine." Bob Parent/Getty Images hide caption

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Bob Parent/Getty Images

Turning The Tables

Gospel Queen On The King's Highway

September 26, 2019 • A contemporary of Rosetta Tharpe, gospel singer Mahalia Jackson had one of the great big, gorgeous voices of the 20th century, the echoes of which can still be heard in popular music today.

Trauma, Transcendence And The Bridge Called Rosetta Tharpe's Voice

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Turning The Tables

Trauma, Transcendence And The Bridge Called Rosetta Tharpe's Voice

September 26, 2019 • For many, Rosetta Tharpe's music represented a kind of healing, and the way she played inspired listeners — including writer Alice Randall — to find sweetness in the bitter of life.

Robert Hunter's Words Helped Bring Life To The Grateful Dead

Robert Hunter, performing at Red Rocks Amphitheater on Aug. 9, 2002. Larry Hulst/Getty Images hide caption

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Larry Hulst/Getty Images

Robert Hunter's Words Helped Bring Life To The Grateful Dead

September 25, 2019 • Robert Hunter was more than another gear spinning within the perpetual motion machine of the Grateful Dead — his songwriting helped define the group's narratives and bloom its philosophies.

'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

September 25, 2019 • 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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'I Will Survive' Saves Marginalized People A Spot On The Dance Floor

Gloria Gaynor originally recorded "I Will Survive" as a B-side, but swiftly after its release in October 1978 it became a worldwide hit. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images hide caption

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Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

American Anthem

'I Will Survive' Saves Marginalized People A Spot On The Dance Floor

September 24, 2019 • Recorded after a traumatic period in the singer's life, Gloria Gaynor's disco hit quickly found its true audience: LGBT communities, survivors of domestic violence and others pushed aside by society.

'I Will Survive' Saves Marginalized People A Spot On The Dance Floor

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Turning The Tables

She Can Make That Guitar Talk

September 24, 2019 • Sister Rosetta Tharpe was a superstar of the pre-rock era, traveling the country in a customized bus and performing for tens of thousands, but never got press to match her stardom. What if she had?

Remembering The 'Fast And Furious' Music Of Christopher Rouse

Composer Christopher Rouse, photographed in New York City in 2005. Jeffrey Herman/Boosey & Hawkes hide caption

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Jeffrey Herman/Boosey & Hawkes

Deceptive Cadence

Remembering The 'Fast And Furious' Music Of Christopher Rouse

September 23, 2019 • Conductor Marin Alsop and composer Nico Muhly recall their friend and colleague who wrote deeply expressive music.

The World Of Rosetta Tharpe: A Turning The Tables Playlist

Rosetta Tharpe performs in 1938. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images hide caption

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Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Turning The Tables

The World Of Rosetta Tharpe: A Turning The Tables Playlist

September 23, 2019 • Without Sister Rosetta Tharpe, we wouldn't have rock and roll as we know it now. Our playlist features some of Tharpe's best songs, as well as music from her influences and inheritors.

The Ties That Bind: Bruce Springsteen And The Wide Divide

Bruce Springsteen performing in 2012 during a campaign rally for former President Barack Obama in Des Moines, Iowa. Brooks Kraft/Corbis via Getty Images hide caption

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Brooks Kraft/Corbis via Getty Images

Opinion

The Ties That Bind: Bruce Springsteen And The Wide Divide

September 23, 2019 • A Springsteen concert "created a civic space in which two antithetical sentiments could coexist and communicate with each other," writes A.O. Scott. The Boss turns 70 years old today.

Portraying Celia: The Role Of A Lifetime (Or Two)

Aymée Nuviola portrayed Celia Cruz in the Cuban telenovela Celia. Courtesy of NBC Telemundo hide caption

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Courtesy of NBC Telemundo

Turning The Tables

Portraying Celia: The Role Of A Lifetime (Or Two)

September 21, 2019 • How do you inhabit the world's most well-known Latin singer? For singers and actresses Aymée Nuviola and Jeimy Osorio, playing Celia Cruz meant staying in touch with pain, joy and destiny.

Why Is American Classical Music So White?

Antonin Dvorak predicted that American classical music would draw from African American traditions. A new article wonders why American classical music has remained so white. Karen Chan/Getty Images/EyeEm hide caption

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Karen Chan/Getty Images/EyeEm

Deceptive Cadence

Why Is American Classical Music So White?

September 20, 2019 • Early American composers could have shaken off their European sound and mined the rich trove of African American music. They didn't. And one historian believes we're worse off because of it.

Angélique Kidjo Celebrates Celia Cruz: 'Everything About Celia Is Self-Determination'

Angelique Kidjo's Celia celebrates the music of Celia Cruz. Laurent Seroussi/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Laurent Seroussi/Courtesy of the artist

Turning The Tables

Angélique Kidjo Celebrates Celia Cruz: 'Everything About Celia Is Self-Determination'

September 19, 2019 • Celia Cruz always embraced salsa's African roots — and West African musician Angélique Kidjo embraced her right back. Kidjo recently sat down with Alt.Latino to talk about Cruz's influence on her.

Angélique Kidjo Celebrates Celia Cruz: 'Everything About Celia Is Self-Determination'

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