36: Sister Rosetta Tharpe: The Godmother of Rock and Roll
- Author
- Toni Davis
- Published
- Wed 17 Sep 2025
- Episode Link
- https://LegacyMakersStoriesofBlackInventorsandIconsPodcast.libsyn.com
Date: September 17, 2025
Legacy Makers: Stories of Black Inventors and Icons
Title and Show Info
Episode #36. Sister Rosetta Tharpe: The Godmother of Rock and Roll
Featuring: Toni Davis (Host & Storyteller).
Summary
🎙️ Sister Rosetta Tharpe: The Godmother of Rock and Roll
🎸✨ Before Elvis, Chuck Berry, and Little Richard, there was Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The groundbreaking guitarist, gospel singer, and true Godmother of Rock and Roll. In this episode, we dive into her powerful story: from church stages to international tours, and how her gospel roots shaped the very foundation of rock and roll.
We’ll explore how Sister Rosetta’s blistering electric guitar riffs and fearless stage presence influenced legends like Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, and Tina Turner — yet why her name was almost lost to history.
Join us as we celebrate one of the most important, and overlooked, figures in music history, an African American woman pioneer who redefined what it meant to rock.
If you love music history storytelling, unsung legends of rock, and the powerful role of women in music, this episode is for you.
#SisterRosettaTharpe #GodmotherofRockandRoll #RockandRollHistory #WomenInMusic
Highlights:
00:57- INTRO.
01:04- ROSETTA NUBIN’S BIRTH.
01:44- HER MOTHER KATIE BELL NUBIN.
01:57- FOUR YEARS OLD PLAYS THE GUITAR AND SINGS.
03:00- CHICAGO.
03:23- TEMPLE CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST.
03:30- SIX YEARS OLD SOLO DEBUT.
04:01- TRAVELING DUO WITH HER MOTHER.
04:32- MARRIES THOMAS J. THARPE AND ADOPTS HIS NAME.
04:48- DIVORCES THOMAS J. THARPE.
04:52- MOVES TO NYC WITH HER MOTHER.
05:02- COTTON CLUB.
05:22- DECCA RECORDS.
05:57- CARNEIGE HALL AND PARAMOUNT THEATRE.
06:11- PLAYS AN ELECTRIC GUITAR AND RECORDS “THAT’S ALL”.
06:36- STRANGE THINGS HAPPENING EVERYDAY.
07:08- MARIE KNIGHT.
07:37- LITTLE RICHARD.
07:58- MARRIES RUSSELL MORRISON.
08:35- 1ST INTERRACIAL DUET AND TOURS WITH THE JORDANAIRES.
08:58- TOURS THE UK.
09:14- THE AMERICAN FOLK, BLUES AND GOSPEL CARAVAN TOUR.
10:07- PRECIOUS MEMORIES.
10:16- GRAMMY NOMINATION FOR BEST GOSPEL SOUL PERFORMANCE.
10:23- STROKE AND AMPUTATED LEG.
10:33- COPENHAGEN. TAKE MY HAND PRECIOUS LORD.
11:09- ROSETTA PASSES AWAY IN PHILADELPHIA.
11:23- BURIED WITHOUT A HEADSTONE AT NORTHWOOD CEMETERY IN PHILADELPHIA.
11:36- ACCOLADES.
14:14- CONCLUSION.
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Links To Additional Resources:
Forebears: Sister Rosetta Tharpe, The Godmother Of Rock 'N' Roll : NPR
About - Sister Rosetta Tharpe - The Westport Library Resource Guides at The Westport Library
Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Wikipedia
Sister Rosetta Tharpe: The Godmother Of Rock’N’Roll | uDiscover
Sister Rosetta Tharpe: A Legacy | Seattle Rep
How One Of Music's Biggest Stars Almost Disappeared, And How Her Legacy Was Saved : NPR
Tharpe, "Sister Rosetta" - Encyclopedia of Arkansas
Rosetta Atkins [Sister Rosetta] Tharpe (1915-1973) | BlackPast.org
Sister Tharpe | Pennsylvania Center for the Book
Sister Rosetta Tharpe | Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Black and Queer Mama of Rock’n’Roll: Sister Rosetta Tharpe - The Oxford Blue
Rock pioneer Sister Rosetta Tharpe's legacy remembered
Rosetta Tharpe (Nubin) (1915 - 1973) - Genealogy
csc-black-history-facts-rosetta-tharpe.pdf
Black History 365: Sister Rosetta Tharpe – Communities That Care Coalition
Sister Rosetta Tharpe: “The Godmother of Rock ‘n Roll” - Produce Like A Pro
Sister Rosetta Tharpe – Music Enthusiast – At the junction of rock, blues, R&B, jazz, pop,and soul
Rosetta Nubin (1915-1973) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree
Sister Rosetta Tharpe - 'Didn't it rain, children' - Project Heaven on Earth
Flashback: Sister Rosetta Tharpe Stages Wedding at Griffith Stadium
'The Most Elaborate Wedding Ever Staged': Rosetta Tharpe At Griffith Stadium : NPR
Flashback: Sister Rosetta Tharpe Stages Public Wedding at D.C.'s Griffith Stadium
Sister Rosetta Tharpe: Godmother of Rock & Roll — Edinburgh Music Review
Sister Rosetta Tharpe Facts | [site:name] | Essence
queer, black & blue: sister rosetta tharpe is muva of them all | AFROPUNK
