Sister Rosetta Tharpe was born a star. The child prodigy was known for bringing down the house at her family’s church with her vocals and various instruments.
She was tall, good-looking, with a stunning voice. Why don’t more of us know her name?
White supremacy. Tharpe pioneered rock music topping the charts with hits like “My Man and I,” “The Lonesome Road,” and “That’s All.”
She changed everything, but their fav stole Tharpe’s entire style.
Elvis, widely considered the “King of Rock n Roll,” imitated her guitar style, influencing countless later rockers like Little Richard, Tina Turner, Duke Ellington, and Cab Calloway.
Many people think of “rock n’ roll” as white music, which couldn’t be further from the truth.
Rock music has ALWAYS been ours, and Tharpe’s musical genius proves that. Her remarkable guitar-playing style, powerful voice, and electrifying musical genius took the genre into unprecedented territory, setting the stage for Rock ‘n’ Roll and R&B to thrive.
Like Sister Rosetta Tharpe, our people have always been the blueprint. White supremacy loves taking from us, but you can’t outdo the doer. We must keep developing and sharing our talents, despite their thievery.