Sister Rosetta

Sister Rosetta Tharpe nacque il 20 marzo 1915 in una piantagione di cotone dove i genitori che vi lavoravano le trasmisero la passione per il canto.

Mamma Katie suonava il mandolino nella Chiesa di Dio in Cristo dove era diaconessa e Rosetta a sei anni divenne famosa come bambina prodigio per canto e chitarra. Fondendo insieme la spiritualità del Gospel e i ritmi del Blues divenne la Dea Madre del rock’ roll, un ibrido tra la Chiesa che frequentava e i Nightclub dove si esibiva.

Riconosciuta da Eric Clapton e Keith Richards, fu la prima artista a usare il distorsore sulla chitarra elettrica e a ricevere il lusinghiero complimento di… “suonare come un uomo”!

Morì il 9 ottobre 1973 lasciando incisioni famose e premiate come "This Train" e "Down by the Riverside".

Testo di Tiziana Ghiggia

Illustration by Michela Chiarelli

Sister Rosetta Tharpe was born on March 20, 1915, on a cotton plantation where her parents worked and passed on to her a passion for singing.

Her mother, Katie, played the mandolin in the Church of God in Christ, where she was a deaconess and where Rosetta became famous at the age of six as a child prodigy for singing and playing the guitar. By fusing the spirituality of the Gospel and the rhythms of Blues, she became the Mother goddess of Rock n’ Roll - a hybrid between the Church she attended and the nightclubs where she performed.

Recognized by Eric Clapton and Keith Richards, she was the first artist to use distortion on the electric guitar and to receive the flattering compliment … “playing like a man”!

She died on October 9, 1973, leaving behind a trail of famous and award-winning records such as This Train and Down by the Riverside.

Translated by Tanya Gervasi