Doc: Sister Rosetta Tharpe

I can think of only one artist who stands at the junction of jazz, gospel, R&B and rock 'n' roll, and that would be Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Louis Jordan certainly would come close, but I give Tharpe the edge because of her gospel roots and her pioneering attack on the electric guitar, which begins to eclipse the saxophone as a lead instrument starting in 1955.

Tharpe's records in the 1940s and early 1950s had a profound influence on leading rock 'n' roll guitarists like Chuck Berry while her singing deeply swayed soul and R&B singers from the same period. Tharpe died in 1973 at age 58. Here's a BBC documentary on Tharpe that will tell you all you need to know...

Here's Part 1...

 

Here's Part 2...

 

Here's Part 3...

 

And here's Part 4...