If Sister Rosetta Tharpe had been a secular singer she would be hailed today as the original female rocker, a giant one par with genre defining greats like Hank Williams and Muddy Waters, a figure as revered as her contemporaries Robert Johnson and Mother Maybelle Carter. But because Tharpe played gospel music her innovative sound, her adventurous blending of pop and gospel (almost 20 years before Ray Charles), and her chugging guitar riffs are rarely given the credit they deserve. In this edition of Down in the Flood we gig props where props are due, to the gospel boogie woogie of Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
Download and listen to Down in the Flood 3 (32:12 min., 37 MB)
P.S. Thanks to Eric Lunt at Feedburner for helping me out with the feed formatting.
My idol. She is truly one of the greatest!! The queen of Gospel.
Posted by: Kenn Smith | October 22, 2006 at 02:52 AM
Sister Rosetta rocks! Even for us agnostics. Great show!
Posted by: Jack Bess | November 05, 2006 at 02:06 PM
Gospel music can really inspire people. I have plenty of CDs that send a message that makes me realize what to do next, whenever I feel down or lost.
Posted by: Gospel CDs | April 01, 2010 at 11:31 AM