ROCK GRRRL: Sister Rosetta Tharpe / Alabama 3, The Noisettes, Robert Plant & Allison Krause

ROCK GRRRL = 'She rocks. Revise your history with her story', dept.:

Sister Rosetta Tharpe was a rocker before there was Rock. She is a mother of us all.

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She was the first Gospel star, while burning off Blues and Jazz licks on her guitar like a greasefire. She toured with The Jordanaires a decade before anyone heard of Elvis. She pulled a young kid onstage to sing with her who later changed his name to Little Richard. She was Johnny Cash's favorite singer for life.

And she may have recorded the first Rock'n'Roll song. Years before Muddy Waters' electric blues band (1948) or "Rocket 88" (1951), here is our angel with all the keys to the kingdom: boogie-woogie, blues licks, swaggering stance.

SISTER ROSETTA THARPE -"Strange Things Happening Every Day" (1944)



Though it was heresy to mix secular sounds with gospel music in the '50s, Rosetta didn't care a whit and poured on the rockin' guitar leads regardless. In the film AMELIE (2001) the elfin star is entranced with wonder watching Rosetta perform this song on her TV.

SISTER ROSETTA THARPE -"Up Above My Head"



Check out her soloing during the second half. Who's your mama now?

SISTER ROSETTA THARPE -"Down By The Riverside" (live, 1964)

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The influence of Sister Rosetta Tharpe never ends. Here are three recent songs about her:

ALABAMA 3 -"Sister Rosetta" (1997)


THE NOISETTES -"Sister Rosetta (Capture The Spirit)" (2007)


Sam Phiillips wrote this song, and here are two versions of it.

SAM PHILLIPS -"Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us" (2008)


ROBERT PLANT & ALLISON KRAUSE -"Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us" (2007)




© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• Revolution 1950s: The Big Damn Bang of Rock'n'Roll!, with Music Player

• WOMEN OF ROCK: The 1950s, with 2 Music Players

• THE RUNAWAYS, And Why Women Of Rock Are Essential!


• LADIES FIRST: "See See Rider" - Ma Rainey > Janis Joplin > Mitch Ryder

• LADIES FIRST: "When the Levee Breaks!" - Memphis Minnie > Led Zeppelin

• LADIES FIRST: "Hound Dog" - Big Mama Thornton > Elvis > Jimi Hendrix


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

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LADIES FIRST: "When the Levee Breaks!" - Memphis Minnie > Led Zeppelin

Ladies First = She Did It First

LADIES FIRST is about to weep and moan.

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Memphis Minnie was a ferocious guitarist in the early decades of Blues music. She could hold her own in any guitar dual, and if you got out of bounds she whipped out her knife.

While she sang most of her recorded songs, on this occasion the vocal was done by her then husband, Kansas Joe McCoy.

This song laments the terrible Mississippi River flood of 1927.

MEMPHIS MINNIE -"When the Levee Breaks" (1929)



Like the tremendous inspiration that they had from Joni Mitchell and Sandy Denny, Led Zeppelin likewise canonized Memphis Minnie's song with this evergreen...

LED ZEPPELIN -"When the Levee Breaks" (1971)



So tell your rockboy friends that "she did it first".


© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• LADIES FIRST: "Hound Dog" - Big Mama Thornton > Elvis > Jimi Hendrix

• LADIES FIRST: "Piece Of My Heart" - Erma Franklin > Janis Joplin > Mondo Kozmo

• LADIES FIRST: "See See Rider" - Ma Rainey > Janis Joplin > Mitch Ryder


• "Whole Lotta Love" - Muddy Waters > Led Zeppelin > Funkadelic > Tina Turner

• "For What It's Worth": - Buffalo Springfield > Led Zeppelin > Public Enemy

• "PHYSICAL GRAFFITI" - Led Zeppelin > Branford Marsalis > Rolling Stones


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

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