Liberal Arts Blog — Sister Rosetta Tharpe — “The Godmother of Rock and Roll”
Liberal Arts Blog — Thursday is the Joy of Music Day
Today’s Topic: Sister Rosetta Tharpe (1915–1973) — “The Godmother of Rock and Roll” (Chuck Berry)
Tharpe combined gospel singing and electric guitar playing in a way that inspired Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Johnny Cash. Three of her biggest hits were “This Train,” “Rock Me,” and “Strange Things Happening Every Day.” The legend has it that when asked about her influence on rock and roll she responded “Oh, these kids and rock and roll — this is just sped up rhythm and blues. I’ve been doing that forever.” Today, a few clips plus some biographical notes. Experts — please chime in. Correct, elaborate, elucidate.
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES — a musical prodigy started performing at age 6
1. She was born in Cotton Plant, Arkansas. Both her parents were cotton pickers and musicians. Her mother was “a singer and a mandolin-player, deaconess-missionary, and women’s speaker for the Church of God in Christ, which was founded in 1894 by Charles Harrison Mason, a black Pentecostal bishop, who encouraged rhythmic musical expression, dancing in praise and allowing women to sing and teach in church.”
2. “Billed as a “singing and guitar playing miracle,” she accompanied her mother in performances that were part sermon and part gospel concert before audiences across the American South.”
3. On October 31, 1938, aged 23, Tharpe recorded for the first time — four sides for Decca Records backed by Lucky Millinder’s jazz orchestra.The first gospel songs recorded by Decca, “Rock Me”, “That’s All”, “My Man and I” and “The Lonesome Road”, were instant hits, establishing Tharpe as an overnight sensation and one of the first commercially successful gospel recording artists.” (Photo above is from 1938).
NB: “Her song “Strange Things Happening Everyday” recorded in 1944 with Sammy Price, Decca’s house boogie-woogie pianist, showcased her virtuosity as a guitarist and her witty lyrics and delivery. It was the first gospel song to appear on the Billboard magazine Harlem Hit Parade. This 1944 record has been called the first rock and roll record.” In 2017, an article in the NPR Magazine declared: “Rock ’n’ roll was bred between the church and the nightclubs in the soul of a queer black woman in the 1940s named Sister Rosetta Tharpe.”
“STRANGE THINGS HAPPENING EVERY DAY” — “If you want to view the climb you must learn to quit your lyin”
1. Oh, we heard church people say They are in the holy way There are strange things happening everyday Oh, the last man, judgment day When they drive him all away There are strange things happening everyday
2.If you want to view the climb You must learn to quit your lyin’ There are strange things happening everyday If you heal right through the lies You can live right all the ties There are strange things happening everyday
3. Jesus is the holy light Turning darkness into light There are strange things happening everyday He gave the blind man sight When he praised Him with all his might There are strange things happening everyday
NB: Refrain: Everyday (everyday) Everyday (everyday) There are strange things happening everyday Everyday (everyday) Everyday (everyday) There are strange things happening everyday
Sister Rosetta Tharpe-Strange Things Happening Every Day
“ROCK ME” — “Wash my soul with water from on high”
1.”Now won’t you hear me singin Hear the words that I’m saying Wash my soul with water from on high Why the world of love is around me Even forced to buy me But oh, if you leave me, I will die
2. “You hold me in the bosom Till the storms of life is over Rock me in the cradle of our love Only feed me till I want no more Then you take me to your blessed home above Make my journey brighter You make my burning brighter Help me to do good wherever I can”
3. Oh, let thou praise and thrill me Thou loving kindess fill me Then you hold me Hold me in the hollow of the hand You hold me in the bosom Till the storms of life is over Rock me in the cradle of our love Only feed me til I want no more…”
Sister Rosetta Tharpe — Rock Me — Gospel
“THIS TRAIN” — “no jokers, no tobacco chewers, and no smokers”
1. “This train is a clean train, this train This train is a clean train, everybody’s riding in Jesus’ name This train is bound for Glory, this train Everybody riding here got to be holy But this train, don’t pull no liars, this train you got to get off. This train, don’t pull no liars, no false pretenders, and not bad b.. because this train is a clean train This Train !”
2. “But this train, don’t pull no wankers I said this train don’t pull no wankers, this train no no no no no don’t pull no wankers, no crap shooters and no whiskies drinkers… It’s a clean train This Train! You know, this train don’t pull no jokers, this train This train don’t pull no jokers, ah ah this train Hey, this train don’t pull no jokers, no tobacco chewers and no cigar smokers ’Cause this train is a clean train, I said this train.”
3. “This train is on the way to Glory, this train. Yeah this train, is on the way to Glory, ohhh this train. You know this train is on the way to Glory everybody riding it it got to be holy holy ’Cause this train is a clean train, This Train!”
Sister Rosetta Tharpe — This Train
BACKGROUND
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sister_Rosetta_Tharpe
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strange_Things_Happening_Every_Day
Last three years of posts organized thematically:
PDF with headlines — Google Drive
YOUR TURN
Time to share the coolest thing you learned in the last week related to music. Or the coolest thing you learned in your life related to music. Say your favorite song or songs. Or your favorite tips for breathing, posture, or relaxation. Or some insight into the history of music….Or just something random about music… like a joke about drummers, jazz, rock….or share an episode or chapter in your musical autobiography.
This is your chance to make some one else’s day. And perhaps to cement in your memory something important you would otherwise forget. Or to think more deeply than you otherwise would about something that matters to you.
