Sister Rosetta Tharpe Gets Honor From Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
The 33rd Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame presented the Early Influence Award to Gospel Music Guitar Virtuoso Sister Rosetta Tharpe during induction ceremonies held on April 14th.
Rosetta Nubin was inspired at an early age by the fiery delivery of her mother, Katie Bell Nubin during revival services and the unmistakable sounds of Gospel music emanating from the Church of God in Christ in Chicago. Blessed with a gift to play the guitar from her youth, she would blaze the trail for Gospel and Blues, recording “Strange Things Happening Every Day” in 1945. The song has been credited as the first gospel song to cross over to the “race” (later called “R&B”) charts – reaching Number Two and becoming an early model for rock and roll. Sister Rosetta as she was known throughout her career inspired countless numbers of performers around the globe including Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis.