The iconic musician has been eligible for induction since 1963, and this marks her first nomination. She has been nominated in the “Performers” category.
As a recording artist and guitar player, Tharpe has influenced some of the biggest names in music history including Johnny Cash (who also dubbed her as his favorite female singer), Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Aretha Franklin, Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry. She is affectionately known as the “Godmother of Rock and Roll,” as well as the “The Original Soul Sister,” and rightfully so.
In the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website, Sister Rosetta is regarded as the “first guitar heroine of rock and roll.” With her prowess on the Gibson SG electric guitar, she was able to rival her male contemporaries in the genre.
She rose to fame thanks to a record entitled “Rock Me,” which came out in 1938. She catapulted to super-stardom in the 40’s, as an African American woman who sang gospel music, as she accompanied herself on electric guitar, as well as with her howling and stamping.
Fast forward to 1945, when her song “Strange Things Happening Every Day” became the first gospel song to cross over to the R&B/soul charts, where it peaked at No. 2, thus becoming an early model for rock and roll. The songstress continued to sell out arenas into the 1950’s. In the year 1947, she was the first person to put Little Richard on stage, at the time when he was only 14 years old. This was a life-changing moment for Little Richard, which inspired him to become a performer.
