I can just imagine Chuck Berry’s cousin at Sister Rosetta’s concert and getting on the phone like “Chuck, Chuck, it’s your cousin, Marvin, Marvin Berry. You know that new sound you’re looking for, well listen to this.”
@Pizza Man who’s channel? That’s what I’ve been asking. Are you talking about a channel for Marvin Berry? Or for the OP? Your reply didn’t explain who you were talking about.
Sister Tharpe and so many other black women like Memphis Minnie and Big mama Thorton had such a huge influence on modern music all overlooked and never given their due.
Because they were black and plus the people after them were better. We really have to thank the british if it werent for their love of black music rock and roll wouldve never been a thing since america spat on black music.
@@GodloveszazaI wouldn't say that the artists after them were "better" as much as they were able to build on the foundations set by these pioneers. It usually happens that the trailblazers are overshadowed by those that follow.
Everytime I told someone that rock was invented by a black woman, they'd never believe it. Thank you for this video! Sister Rosetta Tharpe deserves the world!
Those people are actual idiots (or you are lying) they clearly don’t listen to rock or metal for that matter, this is coming from me. A conservative 21 year old white guy. Rock is electrified blues, it was the basis of bands like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin to use to create the different sounds of the metal genre and all their influences were black American blues singers which were very popular in the UK
@@loganbaileysfunwithtrains606 Then I guess my Mum who was a famous Blues “Jazz” singer in England during WWll who was singing from her Father’s voice training by age 15 and became a child star on the radio (Carroll Levitt Show) during my GF and GM doing (or starting up) Vaudevillian Acts in the UK doesn’t count?? Yes there were what was called “Negro Spiritual” songs or Gospel from way back then before my Mum was born in the 1920’s in the UK and in the US, which may have influenced her some but her sound in the UK (which was professionally recorded) was what Sarah Vaughan sounded like in the US years later.. so I know that there were many, many, many influences from all over the world at the same time that eventually became Big Band, R&B, Jazz and R&R. The end.
@@gigisasz4580 Rock did not come from the UK stop it. Rock was out way before WW2 and goes all the way back to the American plantations. Leave our foundational black american culture alone. Go eat the tea biscuits.
The Reddit sub r/guitar has a picture of her on the main page. I didn't really know anything about her though, so thanks for enlightening me. She deserves more recognition.
My favorite thing about this video is that you added to the conversation without taking away. It's so easy to knock Elvis or to put down certain individuals on the "who created Rock 'n' Roll music" debate, but you didn't do that. Without her, we wouldn't be where we are today.
Geoffrey Blasiman I’m really not trying to take anything away from her, because I love her music and what she did. But, to say there would be no rock n roll without her is just false. The Elvis quote is only part of the story, as he name Big Momma Thornton as a huge inspiration. Jerry Lee Lewis was listening to a completely different group of musicians, and the piano players like Jelly Roll Morton aren’t usually given the credit they deserve with inspiring the genre, because he was mainly associated with Jazz. Lightning Hopkins was playing leads and rhythms on acoustic, that eventually became what others did in Electric Rock n Roll, in the 30s. He was also forgotten by most people until the 60s. Some say he was the birth, or they’ll go to what Charlie Christian was doing, or many different country session players were doing, as the beginning of rock n roll. Other musician’s styles were just straight copied by songwriters and producers throughout the late 40s and 50s, and used for what became Rock n Roll. Many blues players thought Electric blues music would never be popular, or just disliked the sound, and held out until the 50s. One also needs to hear the uncensored versions of songs that were sold at juke joints, and not only had different lyrics, but everything was more progressive musically. Those go back as far as the 20s. She undoubtedly influenced many, and integral to the genre, but there were others playing who never recorded, and after her there was a generation going Electric with or without inspiration from her. Also, technology pushed the music as much as any one musician did.
Elvis never "stole" the Big Mama Thornton version of hound dog. He actually copied THIS version ua-cam.com/video/fJQ-fDb4M4s/v-deo.html by Freddie Bell and the Bellboys. Elvis' version actually bears little resemblance whatever to The original by Thornton, It's glaringly apparent to anyone paying attention that the singing styles and arrangements are very different. Thornton's version was tongue in cheek, full of innuendo evidenced by the fact that she was originally a comedian, NOT a blues singer, with most of the nuance being all but lost on the Presley version. It's all been propagated by ham handed revisionists out to slur Presley's name, but with the goal of giving credit where credit is due to black artists. Elvis always gave credit to black artists personally.
That would be a waste of a good guitar. Somebody else could have used it, hopefully someone in her family. My wife is buried in the same cemetery as Tharpe. When she was first buried there she didn't even have a tombstone so I doubt that whoever buried her would have put the guitar in her casket. They had to have a benefit concert at the Keswick Theater to get her a tombstone. ua-cam.com/video/kMP2C2tSqOM/v-deo.html
Joshua - Yeah, without Rosetta Tharpe no Chuck Berry, no Elvis, no Bo Diddley, although they had lots of other influences too... She seems to be the big missing link between gospel, blues, and rock&roll..
it makes me upset we don’t hear more about her! she was such a badass and i’m glad she is getting the credit she deserves! i can’t wait to tell my friends about her!
It's weird I can find a single thing about her early life or anyone that has anything negative to say about her, it's almost like she was the perfect person or like there is some agenda pushing her aggrandizement.
@@MotesTVyou sound mad and disappointed but I would expect that coming from white people anyway you guys are so hateful inside and out so that's nothing new
@@Noiee_suspirium ALL Black people were subjected to American Aphartied. black music culture was appropriated and he origins attributed to white male artists. Yes women were ignored as r n r artists but I totally disagree that her gender was more limiting than her race. It's offensive imo to quantify and speculate on black women's experience and oppression. Usually I find that white women are eager to do that. Stop it
@@lillierobinson1786 stop being sensitive it literally was just an opinion I had that literally didn't hurt anyone and yeah of course it was racist times but bcs she was a woman it affected even more her career, Jesus.
@@Noiee_suspirium it has more to with the fact that she’s black than her being a woman. White women in America and more rights than every demographic outside of white men.
I first learned about her from the 2001 French film "Amélie" from a moment in which the main character records interesting television clips for her home-bound neighbor. The "Up Above My Head" clip was featured.
Yes! A thousand times yes! The BBC documentary got me into her, I've spread the word as best I can, since. I'd love to know though, just how hard her right hand was picking in the earlier work, when she was mostly using reso's. It's a bit more refined by the SG years, but still brutally heavy. It's a sound that commands attention.
She was incredible and deserves a lot of recognition. I don't care about a musician's gender, ethnicity or their sexual orientation, I just care about good music and she certainly was a great musician and pioneer.
I grew up listening to sister Rosetta on the John R show on WLAC in Nashville I'm really happy to see someone else admit that she invented rock and roll
Given how exploitative recent biopics of famous women have been (and the colorism pitfall in casting, as in the Nina Simone biopic) I almost think you could do more justice to her story in animation - especially in a more expressive style.
@@timcarr6401 In _Nina,_ the production cast Zoe Saldana to play Nina Simone. The backlash described her as "a black actress in blackface." I worry that, in a risk-averse, big-budget movie-making atmosphere, studios won't put out a proper talent search to find the best possible actress for the role. They'll want a big name to draw in audiences, and most of the 'big name' black actresses are light-skinned and slender. I believe there's _someone_ out there who can do justice to the role, but I don't trust _studio execs_ to give it to her.
@@timcarr6401 When the movie _Nina_ cast Zoe Saldana to play Nina Simone, they used foundation to significantly darken her skin tone. It offended people. I worry that, because biopics usually rely on 'big name' actors to secure funding, they'd pick someone famous instead of looking for an unknown triple-threat, and possibly end up pulling some similar mess.
I actually learned about Sister Rosetta Tharpe in my pop culture class in college and I had never heard of her before that, which is crazy. I'm so glad people are trying to bring attention to her and honor her legacy!
Dude same! I was harrassed at a foo fighters concert for being black as if Jimi Hendrix isnt known as the best guitarist in the world 🤷🏾♀️ people are daft
@@ancientafricanwarrior9989 Rock & roll is the "origin" of rock. But these sayings are completely different. Chuck Berry and Led Zeppelin don't sing the same thing. Don't you know such primitive things ??? Investigate a little first and then talk. Rock & roll was an entertaining genre created by black musicians. Nothing else just for fun. Rock & roll performers entertained the audience, danced, and played rhythmic songs on the guitar. Their audience was dominated by women. Because these songs were to entertain them. The term rock & roll was also coined as "side-playing" music. Over time, white musicians have revolutionized the genre. They formed "rock", synthesized it with European classical genres, with metal, created different forms of this genre. Rock combines great philosophical meaning, power and art. During the Cold War, rock was the anthem of the people. It's just that when the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was created, the people who played a big role in its formation did not want to separate rock from rock & roll and create a separate fund for each of them. Because in all cases, one was important in the creation of the other. The creators (Ahmet Ertegun) of the "Hall of Fame" also collaborated with rock and roll performers. That is why the performers of both genres are remembered in the Hall of Fame. However, they are completely different genres.Stop to be COVARD and stop to delete my comments.
Man, you hitting the nail on the head with these video essays. You have a journalist's eye for detail and the corresponding grip on language. Good stuff!
I was just about to read up on her just now while having dinner, after hearing about her influence earlier on today. I refresh my UA-cam subscription box to find a Polyphonic video on her just uploaded. What are the chances.
The first time I've heard/seen her was "didn't it rain" and I couldn't help but crack a smile seeing her take the stage, and then my smile stayed as she started playing and singing.
I never heard of her. I just googled her and found out that her induction in the rock and roll hall of fame was just in 2018. For comparison, Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley had both of their inductions in 1986, which was the very first year of the hall of fame (32 years(!) before her and both of them named her as a very great influence on their music). That is crazy! I thought, maybe me not knowing her was just showing that I don't know that much about the history of rock and roll and I would be fine with that. I don't claim to be an expert in rock and roll music after all. But the hall of fame claims to be an expert on that specific subject and what they did to her just shows the music industry as a whole purposefully ignored her for many dacades. It's probably not hard to guess why they did that.
Tharpe was never forgotten in the black community esp in the east and south. She is and always been to gospel music what Bess Smith is to the Blues and Mahalia Jackson is to gospel singing.
Thank you so much for making this video I've heard of sister Rosetta Tharpe she to me is the first black Rockstar and the first black woman a queer woman in Rock and Roll History black people made rock music thank you so much for making this video I really do appreciate it and because of her rock music and black rock stars we all know in love is still flourishing
I just discovered her a year ago. She is totally awesome. What a great, wonderful, under rated talent. I never knew that she was a pioneer in rock music. But I now, know how wonderful she is. Amazing!
She was great and she did not invent rock and roll. It was invented in the late '40s by black jump blues musicians as a sacrilegious joke, combining black jump blues with black gospel, the joke being partying and sex are _our_ religion; that was a period when she didn't approve of secular songs, let alone sacrilegious songs. "We're Gonna Rock" Wild Bill Moore 1947 (#3 R&B) "Good Rocking Tonight" Wynonie Harris 1947 (#1 R&B) "Rock And Roll" Wild Bill Moore 1948 "Man Eater" Jay McNeely 1948 "Hole In The Wall" Albennie Jones with Sam Price and his Rockin' Rhythm 1949 "Rock The Joint" Jimmy Preston 1949 (#6 R&B) "Rock That Boogie" Jimmy Smith 1949 "Boogie At Midnight" Roy Brown 1949 (#3 R&B) "Butcher Pete" Roy Brown 1949 "Rockin' All Day" Jimmy McCracklin 1949 "All She Wants To Do Is Rock" Wynonie Harris 1949 (#1 R&B) "Little Red Hen" Johnny Otis 1949 "Jump And Shout" Erline "Rock And Roll" Harris 1949
Brazilian Atlantis 'strange things happening everyday' recorded in 1944 Electric guitar, rhythm piano, bass,drums. Regardless of the lyrical content, im pretty sure musically, that formula is the base for r&r.
,Who cares? And she didn't really single handed invented Rock n Roll. She influenced some of the guys that came after her but that's it. In that manner I can say that Robert Johnson, Son House, Skip James and all of the old blues players invented Rn'R
From the research to the graphics, this video HITS. Thank you so much for giving a deep dive, comprehensive look at one of the pioneers of rock n roll I've been turned onto. (Thank you, Sam Phillips)
"Rosetta rolled her eyes when she played She knew that strange things happen every day And that the white boy hype would eventually fade But the way that she played would remain"
I first heard of her in a documentary on PBS about women in rock, and I was just glued to the screen the whole time. So brilliant, deserves so much more attention, though her induction to the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame was a good start.
Rock has always been my favorite genre of music and I grew up in a lot of 50s and 60s rock and roll but I never once hearts of Rosetta Tharpe. That is so cool to learn the real OG of rock n roll.
She has been one of my idols for the past 4 or 5 years, amazing woman, glad I was able to learn a few extra things here! That "Up Above My Head" performance is legendary
thanks man, this is my first time hearing about her and I'm shocked! Such a groundbreaker and a true feminist icon! Loved "can't no man play like me", she sounds like a real rockstar.
People argue about the KING of rock and roll, but there is no dispute about who is the QUEEN. I knew about her and some of her songs, but I've actually never seen photos of her when she was young and did not recognize her from the thumbnail. She was gorgeous!
She's so easy to want to celebrate, thanks for this. Also, interesting graphical use of Turkish newspapers. It's so 'other' that is doesn't affect the storytelling.
Lulaire Noroub This is just me, but I always see “Godfather” as being indicative of someone who did not technically originate a particular style of art, but who was highly and universally influential to those who did. The “fathers” are those who directly developed the style, and the “king” is whomever perfects, popularizes, or legitimizes the style.
Very cool video . i saw the P.BS. show when it aired . Still don't know why she isn't more appreciated. Big momma Thornton is another overlooked talent from the golden age of rock and roll
@Andrew Harper that's awesome! i learned of her through a folk-punk singer called Frank Turner, he has a song titled "Sister Rosetta" about her roll in rock n roll music as well as her being written out of history
This is the best channel I’ve ever come across on UA-cam. I love all the great content and effort put into it; you also cover some of my favorite artists of all-time with sharp accuracy. Please always keep it going!
Well...learn something new everyday on this channel. As a black person, i learned more about black history in creation and inventions than i ever had when i was in school. Crazy how the internet educates more than schools themselves.
I mean, every single person credited for it is black like chuck berry for example. also, Jimi Hendrix is considered to be the greatest guitarist of all time
maybe if I had found out about this information when I was younger, maybe it would’ve motivated me to pick up a guitar or a bass sooner than I am now but I guess better later than never
@@amathis7292 Hell I do too. The catch is that segregation had a lot to do with this specific story. Nothing against the king, it's more about the historical context.
@@nikeisagreekgoddess4135 I see your point...but it kinda implies that those artists were racist which most weren't, Elvis maybe lol. It is a shame that segregation blocked access in that way.
A Mathis it’s less so him taking a genre he had an appreciation for, its more so the fact that he is synonymous with something he didn’t create, especially considering the way black people had been not acknowledged and ripped off since they landed in the Americas.
Rockers never forgot her blistering licks, King'sX from Texas wrote "Over my head", influenced by her legacy. It's here on UA-cam full of late 80's MTV vibe but absolutely shreds anyway, and in the intro to "Get back" John references her indirectly.
Wow I don't think I've heard of her before even though I love the blues and listen to the old stuff from the 20's, 30's 40's and 50's. Maybe I've heard some of her tunes on a blues tune before I but didn't know it was her. Now that I know, I wanna know and listen to her more! Thanks Polyphonic.
I can just imagine Chuck Berry’s cousin at Sister Rosetta’s concert and getting on the phone like “Chuck, Chuck, it’s your cousin, Marvin, Marvin Berry. You know that new sound you’re looking for, well listen to this.”
Marvin Berry was a real person, he actually was part of a real group that performed a cover version of Earth Angel, so that isn't impossible lol
That heavy lol
Like Back to the future. Yeah
@Pizza Man what does that even mean? marvin berry? Is your channel real?
@Pizza Man who’s channel? That’s what I’ve been asking. Are you talking about a channel for Marvin Berry? Or for the OP? Your reply didn’t explain who you were talking about.
Sister Tharpe and so many other black women like Memphis Minnie and Big mama Thorton had such a huge influence on modern music all overlooked and never given their due.
Absolutely true.
I do like Big Mama Thornton ♥️🎼🤗
Because they were black and plus the people after them were better. We really have to thank the british if it werent for their love of black music rock and roll wouldve never been a thing since america spat on black music.
@@GodloveszazaI wouldn't say that the artists after them were "better" as much as they were able to build on the foundations set by these pioneers. It usually happens that the trailblazers are overshadowed by those that follow.
Exactly, we can look at people like Janis Joplin and Elvis who's careers were launched off of the back of Big Mama Thorton's
Everytime I told someone that rock was invented by a black woman, they'd never believe it. Thank you for this video! Sister Rosetta Tharpe deserves the world!
Those people are actual idiots (or you are lying) they clearly don’t listen to rock or metal for that matter, this is coming from me. A conservative 21 year old white guy. Rock is electrified blues, it was the basis of bands like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin to use to create the different sounds of the metal genre and all their influences were black American blues singers which were very popular in the UK
It’s true. Elvis did a REMAKE of her song, ‘Hound dog.’
@@loganbaileysfunwithtrains606
Then I guess my Mum who was a famous Blues “Jazz” singer in England during WWll who was singing from her Father’s voice training by age 15 and became a child star on the radio (Carroll Levitt Show) during my GF and GM doing (or starting up) Vaudevillian Acts in the UK doesn’t count?? Yes there were what was called “Negro Spiritual” songs or Gospel from way back then before my Mum was born in the 1920’s in the UK and in the US, which may have influenced her some but her sound in the UK (which was professionally recorded) was what Sarah Vaughan sounded like in the US years later.. so I know that there were many, many, many influences from all over the world at the same time that eventually became Big Band, R&B, Jazz and R&R. The end.
@@heartstrings110 Big Mama Thornton wrote Hound Dog. Another musical legend.
@@gigisasz4580 Rock did not come from the UK stop it. Rock was out way before WW2 and goes all the way back to the American plantations. Leave our foundational black american culture alone. Go eat the tea biscuits.
The Reddit sub r/guitar has a picture of her on the main page. I didn't really know anything about her though, so thanks for enlightening me. She deserves more recognition.
eyyyyy that's right!!!
they did her dirty with the picture on the sub tho lol
fishy paw no shit? Good on em....
My favorite thing about this video is that you added to the conversation without taking away. It's so easy to knock Elvis or to put down certain individuals on the "who created Rock 'n' Roll music" debate, but you didn't do that. Without her, we wouldn't be where we are today.
Geoffrey Blasiman
I’m really not trying to take anything away from her, because I love her music and what she did. But, to say there would be no rock n roll without her is just false.
The Elvis quote is only part of the story, as he name Big Momma Thornton as a huge inspiration. Jerry Lee Lewis was listening to a completely different group of musicians, and the piano players like Jelly Roll Morton aren’t usually given the credit they deserve with inspiring the genre, because he was mainly associated with Jazz.
Lightning Hopkins was playing leads and rhythms on acoustic, that eventually became what others did in Electric Rock n Roll, in the 30s. He was also forgotten by most people until the 60s. Some say he was the birth, or they’ll go to what Charlie Christian was doing, or many different country session players were doing, as the beginning of rock n roll.
Other musician’s styles were just straight copied by songwriters and producers throughout the late 40s and 50s, and used for what became Rock n Roll. Many blues players thought Electric blues music would never be popular, or just disliked the sound, and held out until the 50s. One also needs to hear the uncensored versions of songs that were sold at juke joints, and not only had different lyrics, but everything was more progressive musically. Those go back as far as the 20s.
She undoubtedly influenced many, and integral to the genre, but there were others playing who never recorded, and after her there was a generation going Electric with or without inspiration from her.
Also, technology pushed the music as much as any one musician did.
I didnt imply there wouldnt be Rock music without her, but it absolutely wouldnt be the same today without her
Geoffrey Blasiman
You’re right. I still think we’d be where we are today, but I do wonder how big a ripple that would be.
Elvis never "stole" the Big Mama Thornton version of hound dog. He actually copied THIS version ua-cam.com/video/fJQ-fDb4M4s/v-deo.html by Freddie Bell and the Bellboys. Elvis' version actually bears little resemblance whatever to The original by Thornton, It's glaringly apparent to anyone paying attention that the singing styles and arrangements are very different. Thornton's version was tongue in cheek, full of innuendo evidenced by the fact that she was originally a comedian, NOT a blues singer, with most of the nuance being all but lost on the Presley version. It's all been propagated by ham handed revisionists out to slur Presley's name, but with the goal of giving credit where credit is due to black artists. Elvis always gave credit to black artists personally.
ThomEA elvis a vulture
She was amazing and I really hope the legend that she is buried with her Gibson is true, that would be so rock and roll!!!
Yeah, that would be great! :)
Man you sound very sarcastic and racist!! i See right through that b*******
That would be a waste of a good guitar. Somebody else could have used it, hopefully someone in her family. My wife is buried in the same cemetery as Tharpe. When she was first buried there she didn't even have a tombstone so I doubt that whoever buried her would have put the guitar in her casket. They had to have a benefit concert at the Keswick Theater to get her a tombstone. ua-cam.com/video/kMP2C2tSqOM/v-deo.html
my bi grandma said we can get rock and roll. as a treat
About time my Girl got some credit and no better time than Black History Month to shed some light on a Legend
I just wish Black history weren't relegated to a month
@@gnarwhal7562 dont forget that you can be part of that change, by sharing black stories all year round whenever relevant :)
Joshua - Yeah, without Rosetta Tharpe no Chuck Berry, no Elvis, no Bo Diddley, although they had lots of other influences too... She seems to be the big missing link between gospel, blues, and rock&roll..
Y’all need to watch Morgan Freeman’s interview about Black History month. Black history is American history and shouldn’t be segregated
Musical genius
it makes me upset we don’t hear more about her! she was such a badass and i’m glad she is getting the credit she deserves! i can’t wait to tell my friends about her!
👍💯💯
Really well done. Taught a course on US popular music history and devoted a whole class session to her.
Damn and to think I never even heard of her before. Thanks for bringing her exposure to modern music lovers!
some people like to rewrite history
@@wickedhouston5538 or fill the gaps
Now go search for Bessie Smith, then Willie Mae 'Big Mama' Thornton.
Dear Polyphonic, stop being entertaining and awesome; you're wrecking the rest of UA-cam for me.
Exactly Mike....
It's weird I can find a single thing about her early life or anyone that has anything negative to say about her, it's almost like she was the perfect person or like there is some agenda pushing her aggrandizement.
@@MotesTVyou sound mad and disappointed but I would expect that coming from white people anyway you guys are so hateful inside and out so that's nothing new
I loved this. Didn't know her life story. What a legend.
Sad that because she's a black woman she gets no recognition at all.
Didn't know she existed until now as I heard about chuck berry way before
Not just bcs she's black, more like bcs she's a woman, and rnr is mostly rulled by men lol 🤷🏻♀️
@@Noiee_suspirium No because she's black
@@Noiee_suspirium ALL Black people were subjected to American Aphartied. black music culture was appropriated and he origins attributed to white male artists. Yes women were ignored as r n r artists but I totally disagree that her gender was more limiting than her race. It's offensive imo to quantify and speculate on black women's experience and oppression. Usually I find that white women are eager to do that. Stop it
@@lillierobinson1786 stop being sensitive it literally was just an opinion I had that literally didn't hurt anyone and yeah of course it was racist times but bcs she was a woman it affected even more her career, Jesus.
@@Noiee_suspirium it has more to with the fact that she’s black than her being a woman. White women in America and more rights than every demographic outside of white men.
I first learned about her from the 2001 French film "Amélie" from a moment in which the main character records interesting television clips for her home-bound neighbor. The "Up Above My Head" clip was featured.
Same, I remember being absolutely enthralled by her performance just Amelie was in the movie.
I'm so glad this amazing woman is finally getting some attention. Rock n' roll as we know would not exist without her.
Rock and roll was invented by so many people so many other influences including her it wasn't invented by one person
@@bobbyschannel349 i didn’t say she invented it. I stand by my statement.
@@peacefulpossum2438you are spot on!
Yes! A thousand times yes! The BBC documentary got me into her, I've spread the word as best I can, since.
I'd love to know though, just how hard her right hand was picking in the earlier work, when she was mostly using reso's. It's a bit more refined by the SG years, but still brutally heavy. It's a sound that commands attention.
She was incredible and deserves a lot of recognition. I don't care about a musician's gender, ethnicity or their sexual orientation, I just care about good music and she certainly was a great musician and pioneer.
I grew up listening to sister Rosetta on the John R show on WLAC in Nashville I'm really happy to see someone else admit that she invented rock and roll
👏💯
Thank you for finally covering Sister Tharpe. She’s honestly awesome.
A biopic of this woman in this day and age would be a hit.
Who would be able to do the role, sing and play her way?
Given how exploitative recent biopics of famous women have been (and the colorism pitfall in casting, as in the Nina Simone biopic) I almost think you could do more justice to her story in animation - especially in a more expressive style.
@@Eloraurora Please elaborate on your "colorism pitfall in casting" line.
@@timcarr6401 In _Nina,_ the production cast Zoe Saldana to play Nina Simone. The backlash described her as "a black actress in blackface." I worry that, in a risk-averse, big-budget movie-making atmosphere, studios won't put out a proper talent search to find the best possible actress for the role. They'll want a big name to draw in audiences, and most of the 'big name' black actresses are light-skinned and slender. I believe there's _someone_ out there who can do justice to the role, but I don't trust _studio execs_ to give it to her.
@@timcarr6401 When the movie _Nina_ cast Zoe Saldana to play Nina Simone, they used foundation to significantly darken her skin tone. It offended people. I worry that, because biopics usually rely on 'big name' actors to secure funding, they'd pick someone famous instead of looking for an unknown triple-threat, and possibly end up pulling some similar mess.
This woman was musically gifted! Love her so much
I actually learned about Sister Rosetta Tharpe in my pop culture class in college and I had never heard of her before that, which is crazy. I'm so glad people are trying to bring attention to her and honor her legacy!
FINALLY, She get's some recognition
FAKE NEWS Revisonist history. PBS is tax payer funded liberal propaganda
@@gregoryrice2121 Excuse me?
Gregory Rice more like finally bringing back to light the history that white supremacy erased
Gregory Rice - Crack? Is it crack that you smoke?
@@gregoryrice2121 get some sleep bud you may need it
Thanks!
The existence of the music you listen to is probably owed to this woman. Freaking legend 🤘🏿 🎸
Sister Rosetta is an American gem. A true philosopher, a power multiplier. Love her.
she African
Thanks for making this video because people always talk about me for being black and liking rock when a black woman made it in the first place
Dude same! I was harrassed at a foo fighters concert for being black as if Jimi Hendrix isnt known as the best guitarist in the world 🤷🏾♀️ people are daft
Rock&roll not rock
@@keepinitkawaii No
@@West-Telecom rock and roll is Rock
@@ancientafricanwarrior9989 Rock & roll is the "origin" of rock. But these sayings are completely different. Chuck Berry and Led Zeppelin don't sing the same thing. Don't you know such primitive things ??? Investigate a little first and then talk. Rock & roll was an entertaining genre created by black musicians. Nothing else just for fun. Rock & roll performers entertained the audience, danced, and played rhythmic songs on the guitar. Their audience was dominated by women. Because these songs were to entertain them. The term rock & roll was also coined as "side-playing" music. Over time, white musicians have revolutionized the genre. They formed "rock", synthesized it with European classical genres, with metal, created different forms of this genre. Rock combines great philosophical meaning, power and art. During the Cold War, rock was the anthem of the people. It's just that when the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was created, the people who played a big role in its formation did not want to separate rock from rock & roll and create a separate fund for each of them. Because in all cases, one was important in the creation of the other. The creators (Ahmet Ertegun) of the "Hall of Fame" also collaborated with rock and roll performers. That is why the performers of both genres are remembered in the Hall of Fame. However, they are completely different genres.Stop to be COVARD and stop to delete my comments.
Thank you for doing this video. Sister Rosetta Tharpe is incredibly overlooked.
most people think the rolling stones and elvis invented rock and roll it was really sam phillips
She deserves the recognition more than ever
She already has she's in the Rock and roll Hall of Fame and she's the queen of rock and roll
Man, you hitting the nail on the head with these video essays. You have a journalist's eye for detail and the corresponding grip on language. Good stuff!
A video on Sly and the family stone would be amazing
I agree
I was just about to read up on her just now while having dinner, after hearing about her influence earlier on today. I refresh my UA-cam subscription box to find a Polyphonic video on her just uploaded. What are the chances.
Serendipity
The robots have taken over. We're living in the Matrix man. Lol
The first time I've heard/seen her was "didn't it rain" and I couldn't help but crack a smile seeing her take the stage, and then my smile stayed as she started playing and singing.
I never heard of her. I just googled her and found out that her induction in the rock and roll hall of fame was just in 2018. For comparison, Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley had both of their inductions in 1986, which was the very first year of the hall of fame (32 years(!) before her and both of them named her as a very great influence on their music). That is crazy! I thought, maybe me not knowing her was just showing that I don't know that much about the history of rock and roll and I would be fine with that. I don't claim to be an expert in rock and roll music after all. But the hall of fame claims to be an expert on that specific subject and what they did to her just shows the music industry as a whole purposefully ignored her for many dacades. It's probably not hard to guess why they did that.
Tharpe was never forgotten in the black community esp in the east and south. She is and always been to gospel music what Bess Smith is to the Blues and Mahalia Jackson is to gospel singing.
Wow a black bi woman started rock and roll.... And no one talks about it
Thank you so much for making this video I've heard of sister Rosetta Tharpe she to me is the first black Rockstar and the first black woman a queer woman in Rock and Roll History black people made rock music thank you so much for making this video I really do appreciate it and because of her rock music and black rock stars we all know in love is still flourishing
In your dreams. Ok ???
Whatever you wish you could be as
I just discovered her a year ago. She is totally awesome. What a great, wonderful, under rated talent. I never knew that she was a pioneer in rock music. But I now, know how wonderful she is. Amazing!
She was Punk AF.
She was a honey badger.
You mean punk is Tharpe af
She was great and she did not invent rock and roll. It was invented in the late '40s by black jump blues musicians as a sacrilegious joke, combining black jump blues with black gospel, the joke being partying and sex are _our_ religion; that was a period when she didn't approve of secular songs, let alone sacrilegious songs.
"We're Gonna Rock" Wild Bill Moore 1947 (#3 R&B)
"Good Rocking Tonight" Wynonie Harris 1947 (#1 R&B)
"Rock And Roll" Wild Bill Moore 1948
"Man Eater" Jay McNeely 1948
"Hole In The Wall" Albennie Jones with Sam Price and his Rockin' Rhythm 1949
"Rock The Joint" Jimmy Preston 1949 (#6 R&B)
"Rock That Boogie" Jimmy Smith 1949
"Boogie At Midnight" Roy Brown 1949 (#3 R&B)
"Butcher Pete" Roy Brown 1949
"Rockin' All Day" Jimmy McCracklin 1949
"All She Wants To Do Is Rock" Wynonie Harris 1949 (#1 R&B)
"Little Red Hen" Johnny Otis 1949
"Jump And Shout" Erline "Rock And Roll" Harris 1949
Brazilian Atlantis 'strange things happening everyday' recorded in 1944 Electric guitar, rhythm piano, bass,drums. Regardless of the lyrical content, im pretty sure musically, that formula is the base for r&r.
Huh?
@@thebrazilianatlantis165 you are wrong
god damn this woman is now my idol
She literally is the inventor of rock and roll lol, and never gets any recognition
,Who cares? And she didn't really single handed invented Rock n Roll.
She influenced some of the guys that came after her but that's it.
In that manner I can say that Robert Johnson, Son House, Skip James and all of the old blues players invented Rn'R
@@agenri1 she paved a way. And if she didn't then you wouldn't hear rock music today. She inspired someone who inspired someone and so on so fortg
@@agenri1and I can say that you're a big liar now go
From the research to the graphics, this video HITS. Thank you so much for giving a deep dive, comprehensive look at one of the pioneers of rock n roll I've been turned onto. (Thank you, Sam Phillips)
Fortunately, Ms. Tharpe gradually began receiving the credit she deserved for her innovation
"Rosetta rolled her eyes when she played
She knew that strange things happen every day
And that the white boy hype would eventually fade
But the way that she played would remain"
so this one's for our sister,
who was the first to rock,
and played better than a Mr.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
How racist of you
@@jimbeam8338 Whats racist is you responding to Black people responding to white supremacy but not addressing white supremacy
@@jimbeam8338 we all know you're a troll lol
@@Davo32310 I'm more concerned with Jewish supremacy
I first heard of her in a documentary on PBS about women in rock, and I was just glued to the screen the whole time. So brilliant, deserves so much more attention, though her induction to the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame was a good start.
Sister Rosetta said it............the blues got soul...............
Rock has always been my favorite genre of music and I grew up in a lot of 50s and 60s rock and roll but I never once hearts of Rosetta Tharpe. That is so cool to learn the real OG of rock n roll.
She has been one of my idols for the past 4 or 5 years, amazing woman, glad I was able to learn a few extra things here! That "Up Above My Head" performance is legendary
Thanks for bringing this woman's work to people's attention. Great presentation and graphics too. Well done all around.
thanks man, this is my first time hearing about her and I'm shocked! Such a groundbreaker and a true feminist icon! Loved "can't no man play like me", she sounds like a real rockstar.
She's not a rockstar.Ok ???
@@West-Telecom she is.
@@TheKillerEmcee Then you don't know what the rock is...
OMG WHY DONT I KNOW THIS WOMAN!!!??? SHES SO IMPORTANT!!!!!!!
Thanks for letting me know about Rosetta! What an amazing life and legacy. These are the episodes that keep me coming back to Polyphonic!
She is literally my new favorite person🥺
Sister Rosetta Is the most influential genre fluidity movement to bow down to! Blown Away Deeply Moved.
It's so funny that you did a video on her because my dad told me about her about 2 years ago and was like she created rock n roll
People argue about the KING of rock and roll, but there is no dispute about who is the QUEEN.
I knew about her and some of her songs, but I've actually never seen photos of her when she was young and did not recognize her from the thumbnail. She was gorgeous!
It almost feesl like '"queen" is even too little. She didn't reigned over it, she created it. It's more a goddess-kinda type.
She's so easy to want to celebrate, thanks for this. Also, interesting graphical use of Turkish newspapers. It's so 'other' that is doesn't affect the storytelling.
Fun fact.. it’s possibly called “rock and roll” because of her too.. with lyrics about “rolling Jesus’s rock”
And rocking like a baby.
:)
Finally omg I’m so glad she’s getting this recognition
On some obscure UA-cam channel?
Yeah..most of the guys who into blues and jazz already knew who she was
She was also a big star in her day - she had plenty of recognition. Lots of big stars from the 30s & 40s aren’t really remembered today.
Unsung great guitarist
Thank you so much !!!💝🙏💖🙏
The 'Nic Tesla' of rock and roll.
this woman is amazing
What a really awesome video, I've listened to her music but never learned anything about her. What a godmother of rock.
THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS VIDEO, SHE NEEDS HER NAME OUT THERE
My H.S. History Teacher was Awesome. Dude went away from the History Books & taught us about things the books didn't. One was Big Mama Thornton.
This honor is long overdue. Thank you for making this video!
She was born and raised in Cotton Plant, Arkansas. Many musicians from Arkansas are overlooked.
It's funny how people use "Godparent" to mean progenitor, when it actually means backup parents :p
Lulaire Noroub This is just me, but I always see “Godfather” as being indicative of someone who did not technically originate a particular style of art, but who was highly and universally influential to those who did. The “fathers” are those who directly developed the style, and the “king” is whomever perfects, popularizes, or legitimizes the style.
I had to look up progenitor
@@marchdave1 I hope you enjoyed the experience :)
@@mockturtlesuppe But a Godfather is also someone who is picked by parents to ensure their child is brought up in the faith they have chosen.
Very cool video . i saw the P.BS. show when it aired . Still don't know why she isn't more appreciated. Big momma Thornton is another overlooked talent from the golden age of rock and roll
You sir just opened my mind about rock music more than I thought it was. You have my like and subscribe.
Why call her "the gradmother.." she is the creator, the inventor of the sound !!!
Not the creator, so many people influence that music
because white's are racist, common sense
@@bobbyschannel349 yeah all black
Not bad to learn about the root of everything or about all of us.
If she was forgotten, a look at who wrote history tells why
@Andrew Harper that's awesome! i learned of her through a folk-punk singer called Frank Turner, he has a song titled "Sister Rosetta" about her roll in rock n roll music as well as her being written out of history
Nice racism
@@jimbeam8338 Nice deflecting white supremacy. Which is the religion that whitewashes and erases Black people out of history on purpose.
@@Davo32310 Amen
@@jimbeam8338 Troll
she was singing about someone going to hell. so, she was also the first death/doom metal artist.
This is the best channel I’ve ever come across on UA-cam. I love all the great content and effort put into it; you also cover some of my favorite artists of all-time with sharp accuracy. Please always keep it going!
Never even heard of Her. Thanx 4 enlightening me. I love it!
im such a fan of old school blues, rock, and bluegrass. her style is absolutely amazing.
And they're still so many pioneers of Rock and Roll yet to be discovered ...
Well...learn something new everyday on this channel. As a black person, i learned more about black history in creation and inventions than i ever had when i was in school. Crazy how the internet educates more than schools themselves.
I noticed about her a few years ago. But I never thought that Sister Rosetta Tharpe started Rock N Roll by herself
Can you do a video on Doo Wop please?!?!?
YES! DO THAT!!
Some debate but it’s American’s original pop music
I’ve always had a misconception, about rock n roll. I never knew it had black origins. Thank you 🙏🏿
I mean, every single person credited for it is black like chuck berry for example. also, Jimi Hendrix is considered to be the greatest guitarist of all time
She should have been the first inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The first!
"Lovecraft Country" just tipped it's hat to Sister Rosetta in episode one's block party scene.
A vid on prince would be greatly appreciated
i asked a year ago and still no video :/ i dunno if he likes prince tbh
Prince is one of the goats
maybe if I had found out about this information when I was younger, maybe it would’ve motivated me to pick up a guitar or a bass sooner than I am now but I guess better later than never
Omg Yes!! I've been hoping for this video for long!
Someone should make a movie about her!
Great tallent, started before anyone know about rock'n roll.
She was great 👍😎👍
Excellent! I was also unaware of Sister Rosetta. Man, oh man, did she rock!
"If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."
- Sir Isaac Newton
Sister Rosetta rocks. And rolls.
I adore your videos. Thank you for keep making them! Also, QUEEN Rosetta!
I made a painting about her
adrian sibley ok
adrian sibley Ooh ooh can we see it?
@@TheTophat22 all of my art is abstract. Did it a few years ago
@@adriantheabstract I love it!
@@Cabesandia thank you!
I love these videos so much. Thank you.
"Elvis stealing..." hehe. It had to be said though.
In music it's nothing to be ashamed of, everybody does it to a certain extent. I steal music everyday, not ashamed.
@@amathis7292 Hell I do too. The catch is that segregation had a lot to do with this specific story. Nothing against the king, it's more about the historical context.
@@nikeisagreekgoddess4135 I see your point...but it kinda implies that those artists were racist which most weren't, Elvis maybe lol. It is a shame that segregation blocked access in that way.
Elvis was the farthest thing from a racist and had a ton of respect for gospel music and all the roots of rock N Roll
A Mathis it’s less so him taking a genre he had an appreciation for, its more so the fact that he is synonymous with something he didn’t create, especially considering the way black people had been not acknowledged and ripped off since they landed in the Americas.
Rockers never forgot her blistering licks, King'sX from Texas wrote "Over my head", influenced by her legacy. It's here on UA-cam full of late 80's MTV vibe but absolutely shreds anyway, and in the intro to "Get back" John references her indirectly.
Wow I don't think I've heard of her before even though I love the blues and listen to the old stuff from the 20's, 30's 40's and 50's. Maybe I've heard some of her tunes on a blues tune before I but didn't know it was her. Now that I know, I wanna know and listen to her more!
Thanks Polyphonic.
The Holly hobs did an amazing video on Rosetta as well. Anyone who likes this video should check that one out too
Someone posted this on a FB post today - 4/21/24. Thanks for it.