Sister Rosetta Tharpe Turned 100

She was crossover before “crossover” was even really a concept. In the music of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, in her rock-star electric guitar playing – electric guitar!, you can see the future of music. You can see Little Richard. You can see Scotty Moore. You can see Keith Richards. It’s all there. She opened that ground up. She created space. It would be up to others to fill that space, and they would … but she had to get there first. She was a pioneer in every sense of the word. She should be more well-known, that’s for sure … but that’s often the case with those who get somewhere first. She was a gospel singer, who brought rhythm ‘n’ blues into her church-focused style. God was always present for her. You can feel it in her performance here. The melding of seemingly-disparate styles is what would eventually give us rock ‘n’ roll. Here it all is, encapsulated in one fabulous woman.