Road to Stardom

Upon her move to the musical metropolis that was New York City, opportunities abounded. Her newfound fame brought opportunities to perform at both the Cotton Club and the Apollo Theater in 1983. Notably, Tharpe was the first gospel soloist to play a gig at the Apollo (Wald 2004). In 1941, Tharpe began to produce her first recorded performances. She was signed to perform with swing band Lucky Millinder Orchestra. The orchestra was known for “churning out danceable pop hits,” (Wald 2004). She toured with Millinder until 1943, recording various hits such as “The Lonesome Road,” “Down By the Riverside,” “Four or Five Times,” “Shout Sister Shout,” and “(I Want a) Tall Skinny Papa,” (Wald 2004, Britannica 2024). 

Though many of her songs still maintained gospel undertones, Tharpe began to face overt backlash from religious groups regarding her music. Tharpe’s formative musical experiences in the church undoubtedly impacted her musical stylings, particularly considering that the Church of God in Christ was noted for its “robust and lively musical expressions of faith,” (Wald 2004). Though Tharpe’s performances were undoubtedly high-spirited, the mixed-genre elements made some religious listeners call Tharpe a secular artist. Tharpe’s critics also scrutinized her frequenting of nightclubs and performances that featured scantily clad background dancers (Popmatters 2007). Many also called Tharpe’s masterful guitar playing into question, with naysayers implying that she had strayed too far from traditional gender roles. 

Amidst critiques of her music, Tharpe was also subject to the confines of socio-political conflicts. As described by the Jim Crow Museum: “Jim Crow was the name of the racial caste system which operated primarily, but not exclusively in southern and border states, between 1877 and the mid-1960s,” (Pilgrim 2000). Still in place in the 1940s, Jim Crow Laws mandated that racial segregation between communities of color and white communities were in place. As such, even as Tharpe performed along white artists (such as the Jordanaires), she was required to sleep on buses and eat her meals outside of restaurants (Diaz-Hurtado 2017). Eventually, Tharpe would come to purchase her own tour bus to “[combat] the exclusions and indiginities of segregation,” (Wald 2018).

Even so, others remained staunch fans of Sister Rosetta Tharpe and found her prowess as a guitarist impressive rather than appalling. Her unique style combined elements of “Delta blues, New Orleans jazz and gospel music,” (Diaz-Hurtado 2017). Though a lack of acceptance from the community that raised her was emotionally challenging for Tharpe, other audiences took feverishly to her music . She rose to the very top with no signs of stopping, becoming a national sensation. Lifelong friend, Roxie Moore, spoke emphatically to Tharpe’s talent: "She could play a guitar like nobody else you've ever seen ... People would flock to see her. Everybody loved her,” (Rose 2009).

 Spirituality vs. Identity

By 1946, Tharpe was a seasoned performer. Not only did she ooze talent, but she could also be counted on to know talent when she saw it in others, including in gospel singer Marie Knight. While attending a concert at the Golden Gate Ballroom in Harlem, Tharpe heard Knight perform for the first time alongside singer Mahalia Jackson and took great interest in her (Grimes 2009). A few weeks later, she extended an offer to Knight to develop a musical act and tour as a duo. Soon after agreeing, Knight became not only Tharpe’s partner in performance, but in life. The two produced a hit song entitled “Up Above My Head,” (Diaz-Hurtado 2017). They also teamed up on tracks “Precious Memories,” “Didn’t It Rain” and “Beams of Heaven”. Each of these call-and-response songs solidified Tharpe and Knight as “one of top gospel acts of the era,” (Grimes 2009). The women made their mark by breaking through to the rhythm and blues charts which was not typical of the time (Grimes 2009). 

While Tharpe’s queer identity has not been researched at length, it has been noted that she had relationships with both men and women throughout her life (Wald 2022). Additionally, the women were in a committed relationship and supported by other musical artists of the time. The prominence of this partnership both on a personal and professional level cannot be understated: “[Tharpe and Knight] toured, collaborated and performed as two queer black women in a relationship in the late 1940s; it was a radical act,” (Diaz-Hurtado 2017). The pairing was wildly beneficial overall, though the women would not last as professional nor romantic partners. Tragedy struck in 1940 when Knight’s two children passed away due to a house fire (Grimes 2009). Though a tragedy that brought the women closer, the pair would eventually split in 1950. Tharpe and Knight remained close friends. 

The 1940s presented a variety of obstacles for queer people - especially regarding being out. Tharpe biographer, Gayle Wald, shared with Out in The City that:

“Do I think Sister Rosetta Tharpe had attractions to and sexual relations with women? Yes…But I don’t know if she used any words to identify herself. …In the gospel world, it it was understood that people protected each other’s privacy. You didn’t want to ruin anyone’s career or life. … That way, people lived their lives as openly as they could,” (Wald 2022). 

Between a mix of her religious beliefs, her fame, and racial and gendered constraints at the time, these elements impacted how freely Tharpe was able to live. As such, her continued meshing and bending of genres that laid the foundation for rock and roll allowed her to express herself in ways that were not typical of the time. Music remained a constant - providing her with a reprieve when battling oppressive circumstances.

Later Life and Legacy

Two years later, in 1951, Tharpe found companionship with her manager, Russell Morrison. The two set out to get married, with her third and final wedding (that also doubled as a concert) attracting 25,000 fans. Remaining close, Marie Knight was one of Tharpe’s bridesmaids. Though Morrison and Tharpe’s relationship was complex, the two would remain together until her passing in 1973. Twenty years of continued fame meant more milestones – Sister Rosetta Tharpe recorded what is said to be the first interracial duet in the U.S. with singer Red Foley, “Have a Little talk with Jesus.” She also recorded various albums with others, featured on various tracks and toured across the  U.S. and Europe. Her discography grew during this time, with notable LPs Precious Memories and Singing in My Soul both produced in 1968. The latter of the two was nominated for an Emmy for Best Soul Gospel Performance. 

As the years passed, performances began to dwindle. As Tharpe lost listeners throughout the 1960s as younger audiences shifted their musical tastes to different genres, she pivoted. She moved to England and began to perform in London and Liverpool (Openshaw 2022).  In 1957, when interviewed by London’s Daily Mirror, Tharpe proclaimed “All this new stuff they call Rock and Roll, why I’ve been playing that for years now,” (Wald 2018). Years later, in 1970, Tharpe had a stroke and began to struggle from diabetes. Between 1970 and 1973, one of her legs was amputated as a result of health complications. Tharpe passed away on October 9th, 1973, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from another stroke (Popmatters 2007). She was 58 years old.