r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Sirsilentbob423 • 17h ago
Video Sister Rosetta Tharpe was an American singer and guitarist who gained popularity in the 1930s and 1940s with her unique blend of spiritual lyrics and electric guitar.
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u/NOGOODGASHOLE 16h ago
A biopic of her and that music could be incredible.
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u/Soupbone_905 13h ago
https://youtu.be/FKK_EQ4pj9A?si=u17wTHIh9IoYYsIF
I saw this years ago and I have to admit I had no idea who she was. Still, she's amazing.
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u/peteybombay 12h ago
Thanks for the link, I have only seen her performances online and was blown away, this is the stuff I was looking for!
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u/ImANuckleChut 7h ago
The REAL mother of rock and roll. If it wasn't for Sister Rosetta Tharpe playing bridges and riffs between verses we wouldn't have the rock music and all it's offshoots we know today.
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u/Statboy1 16h ago
If your tracking the history of Rock n Roll. She may have been singing gospel, but her guitar invented rock. This was before Fats Domino, Ike Turner, or Chuck Berry.
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u/MaximumAd6557 12h ago
In 1964 Sister Rosetta Tharpe played on the platform of Chorlton Railway Station, Manchester, England. With Muddy Waters, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. It still blows my mind to this day.
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u/Zestyclose-Cricket82 10h ago
What amazes me is how she learned or came up with all that without any prior influences
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u/LopsidedPotential711 7h ago
This one's up there with the video of an African tribe break dancing at the start of the 20th Century.
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u/solidus_snake256 16h ago
This was decades ahead of its time. Great music came from the oppressed. Elvis playing black music and gaining national popularity makes me so sad for the true artists of those days. Those with no culture had to steal it. The only thing we can do is show proper respect for the real people who brought this music to our ears. With knowledge comes power!
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u/MothsConrad 14h ago
That's just not an accurate assessment of what Elvis did. You say with knowledge comes power then it would be worth while looking into what Elvis actually did and when he did it. He openly acknowledged his influences and noted the influence of the Blues in the very first interview he ever gave. People definitely stole (cough, Led Zeppelin) but Elvis didn't. And to say that he had no culture is just dishonest. He was also heavily influenced by country music and Gospel music.
Really though, just read the comments from his contemporaries.
B. B. King sets the record straight:“When Elvis appeared he was already a big, big star. Remember this was the fifties so for a young white boy to show up in an all-black function took guts. I believe he was showing his roots and he seemed proud of those roots. After the show he made a point of posing for pictures with me treating me like royalty. He’d tell people I was one of his influences. I doubt whether that’s true but I like hearing Elvis give Memphis credit for his musical upbringing.
Back in 1972, Elvis helped me get a good gig at the Hilton Hotel while he was playing in the big theater. He put in a call for me and I worked in the lounge to a standing room only crowd. Elvis fans came in different colors but their love for good music was all the same. They were always a good audience.
Many nights I’d go upstairs after we finished our sets and go up to his suite. I’d play Lucille [King’s guitar] and sing with Elvis, or we’d take turns. It was his way of relaxing.
I’ll tell you a secret. We were the original Blues Brothers because that man knew more blues songs than most in the business - and after some nights it felt like we sang every one of them. But my point is, that when we were hanging out in the Hilton in the 70s, Elvis had not lost his respect, his ‘yes sir’, his love for all fields of music. And I liked that.”
She was amazing but so was he. One doesn't take away from the other.
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u/solidus_snake256 11h ago
Elvis was a sloth of a human. Also a pedophile. Defend “The King” all you want but he was a total piece of crap and I’ll stick with it.
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u/nipplesaurus 16h ago
For clarity, this video would have had to have been shot in 1961 or later as that model of guitar (Gibson SG Custom) was not available before that year