Let the debate be finished, and let this be the final word: Sister Rosetta Tharpe was the first Christian rock artist ever. Decades before Larry Norman, or even his English predecessors like The Crossbeats or The Pilgrims, Tharpe was writing and performing a new take on Gospel music, utilizing skillful guitar playing and innovating techniques that were used by hundreds of others after her. In fact, it is likely that Tharpe is not only the first Gospel rocker, but the first rock-and-roll artist period, with her early material being created as early as the late 1930s, more than a full decade before Bill Haley and the Comets released “Rock Around the Clock” or Chuck Berry was instructing Johnny on how to B. Goode.
There is so much that could be said about Rosetta Tharpe–how she was largely ignored by the mainstream music industry, how she has only rarely received the credit she is due, how even much of the “rock and roll” lingo was influenced by her early songs (like “Rock Me”), and how influential her mastery of the electric guitar was. What I would rather do is encourage you, dear listener, to take a deep dive into this amazing artist’s lengthy catalog and see for yourself.
A good place to start with Tharpe’s catalog is the Gospel-romper “Up Above My Head.” Astute listeners may notice the direct influence this Gospel song had on King’s X’s notable single “Over My Head.” (Incidentally, King’s X are confirmed to play Audiofeed this summer.)
(Photo by James J. Kriegsmann)