Sister Rosetta Tharpe, is a pioneer of twentieth-century music. Tharpe attained great popularity in the 1930s and 1940s with her gospel recordings that were a unique mixture of spiritual lyrics and rhythmic/early rock accompaniment. She became gospel music’s first crossover artist and its first great recording star.
Playing her electric guitar under the eaves of an abandoned train station in rainy Manchester, England, Sister Rosetta Tharpe performed Didn’t It Rain. Dubbed The Godmother of Rock & Roll, Tharpe performed on a 1964 Blues and Gospel Train tour through Europe that also included the great Muddy Waters. Her slightly impromptu performance was a standout for many who watched on 7 May, 1964.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe – Didn’t It Rain
