Sister Tharpe Essay

Gospel Sister

Sister Rosetta Tharpe is one of the most important Gospel female Guitar players that came out of the 1930s because in this time it wasn’t common for women to play instruments especially different for black women during the Great Depression also none as The Golden Age and Post Civil Rights Movement. The first national star for gospel music in the 1940”s, Sister Tharpe music is in the Gospel/Jazz/Rock n Roll (Jackson). You can hear some of Sister Tharpe’s most popular song Like “Shout Sister Shout”. I will be talking about the song “Shout Sister Shout” gospel/Jazz/ Rock n Roll influential artist in the 1930’s.

Before going into the music I would like to give a little information about Sister Tharpe Story on how it all began. She was born on Farm in Cotton Plant, Arkansas to Katie Harper and Willis B. Atkin (Gaye). Katie and Willis both were farm laborers with strong voice that played instrument. They taught Rosetta how to sing and play the guitar. Katie played the piano and mandolin; and Willis played the guitar and the harmonica. Sister Tharpe was six when she moved to Chicago where she was discovered with her mother leaving her dad in Arkansas.

Sister Rosetta Tharpe sang and played the guitar confidently commanding the stage and making the audience feel like she was a part of the family when she grew older. Her performance and skill given to her by her parents help take her to different heights other African American women in that era.
In Sister Tharpe’s, Shout Sister Shout are the timbres or a Swing/Jazz influenced band with clapping, lager horn section, strong and loud Professional vocals and a bass.

This song has a slow to medium tempo and a chorus of what sounds like a male gospel Quote. This song share her since of humor and wisdom blinded with her country morals and christen values. The song you can tell that it was catering to a young audience but the style it was performed. Swinging while praising the Lord sounds like a great combination. The values in the song are to remember what the reasons to live and have a good time shouting your praises to God. In the bible David dances out of his clothing giving God his praise. I really enjoyed this song because it represent a type of teen gospel that brought the God in

swing.
Sister Tharpe’s music has a strong gospel influence came from the church and her mother performing in gospel concerts and connecting with other artist at the age of six in Chicago. At the age of 23, Tharpe moved to New York City where she started to combine gospel music into a rhythmic tempo creating a lasting but controversial image. Not letting the controversy stop her, Tharpe continued to made music that became influential and also attracted some Jazz artist like Gorge pop Forster and Mahalia Jackson.
Shout Sister shout! Contrasts from you traditional gospel singles in the 30’s and 40’s because it didn’t stick to the slow or fast simple timbers of piano, drums, and bass. It was gospel music you swing to but at that time swing music was for worldly people. PBS later produced a documentary on Sister Tharpe’s music career on American Masters, marking Sister Tharpe the “God Mother of Rock n Roll” in 2013 gathered her more fans.
I choose to do my essay on Sister Rosetta Tharpe because she is an artist that I have never heard of That deserves a lot of recondition for being one the first gospel artist that bridged a gap for gospel to rock and put swing in gospel. Changing live of some well none artist white and black. When you have Christian country artist, Elvis and Mr. Totty fruity himself take ques from you. You’re a big deal and people should know about your style of music.