Rosetta Nubin (1915 - 1973)

Born 20 Mar 1915 in Cotton Plant, Woodruff, Arkansas, United States

Ancestors

Wife of Thomas Julian Thorpe — married 17 Nov 1934 (to about 1943) in Cook County, Illinois, USA

Wife of Foch Pershing Allen — married 1943 in St. Louis, Missouri, United States

Wife of Russell Morrison — married 4 Jul 1951 in Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Died 9 Oct 1973 at age 58 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

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Biography

Rosetta Nubin is Notable.

Gospel Singer, Songwriter, Musician, and Recording Artist. Affectionately known as "Sister Rosetta Tharpe", she attained great popularity in the 1930s and 1940s with her gospel recordings, a unique mix of spiritual lyrics and early rock and roll accompaniment. She crossed the line between sacred and secular music by her performances in nightclubs and concert halls, which had an early influence on recording artists like Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Isaac Hayes, Aretha Franklin, Little Richard, and Chuck Berry. From 1941 to 1969, she recorded 17 albums. She came to be known as the "Godmother of Rock & Roll".

Born Rosetta Nubin in Cotton Plant, Arkansas, her parents picked cotton to earn a living. She started singing and playing the guitar at the age of four and was accompanied by her mother on the mandolin and preached at tent revivals. In 1921, her father left to become a traveling evangelist and she and her family moved to Chicago, Illinois in the late 1920s, where she continued to play blues and jazz music privately and gospel music at public venues.

In 1934, she married Thomas J. Thorpe ^[1] (from which "Tharpe" is a misspelling), who was a Church of God in Christ preacher. While married, they traveled to The Bahamas, returning to Miami, Florida, on 19 May 1937 aboard the S. S. Munargo. ^[2] The relationship ended about 1938, around the same time that she decided to evangelize in nightclubs such as the Cotton Club in New York City. A Black newspaper of the time reported that she said "there are more souls in the nighteries that need saving than there are in the church." ^[3]

On October 31, 1938, she signed a recording contract with Decca Records and her records shocked churchgoers but were highly regarded by secular audiences. Appearances at places like the Cotton Club and Café Society with Benny Goodman and Cab Calloway, and in John Hammond's extravaganza "From Spirituals to Swing" increased her popularity. Songs like "This Train" and "Rock Me," that combined gospel themes with bouncy up-tempo arrangements, became overnight hits among audiences that had little to no exposure to gospel music.

She continued recording during World War II, being only one of two gospel artists to record V-discs for the troops overseas. In 1944, she recorded "Strange Things Happening Every Day" with Decca boogie woogie pianist Sammy Price, which showcased her virtuosity as a guitarist along with her witty lyrics and delivery, and was the first gospel song to make Billboard's Harlem Hit Parade (later known as Race Records, then R&B) Top Ten. She would accomplish that feat several more times in her career. She toured throughout the 1940s, backed by various gospel quartets, including The Dixie Hummingbirds. After World War II, she was paired by Decca with Marie Knight, who brought a more subdued style to the mix, and they recorded "Up Above My Head."

In 1951, she married Russell Morrison and she attracted 25,000 paying customers to her wedding, which was followed by a performance at Griffith Stadium in Washington, DC. In the 1950s, their popularity waned when they crossed over into blues. Knight later attempted to cross over to popular music and Tharpe continued with gospel, but was rebuffed by many of her former fans. In April-May 1964, with a sudden surge of popular interest in the blues, she toured Europe as part of the Blues and Gospel Caravan, along with recording artists Muddy Waters, Otis Spann, Brownie McGhee, Sonny Terry, and others. One of her concerts was recorded by Granada Television, in the rain, at the unused railway station at Wilbraham Road, in Manchester, England in May 1964, with the band performing on one platform and the audience seated on the opposite platform. ^[4] Her last album was released in 1969.

In 1970, she suffered a stroke and had one of her legs amputated due to complications from diabetes. She died three years later from another stroke in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the eve of a scheduled recording session.

On July 15, 1998, the US Postal Service issued a 32-cent commemorative stamp in her honor. ^[5] In 2004, her 1944 hit "Down By The Riverside" was selected for the American Library of Congress National Recording Registry. ^[6] In 2007, she was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. ^[7] In 2012, she was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame. ^[8] In 2018, she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. ^[9]

In January 2008, Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell proclaimed January 11 as "Sister Rosetta Tharpe Day" with a benefit concert in her honor at the Keswick Theater in Glenside, Pennsylvania, to help raise funds for a marker on her grave. 35 years after her death, the Governor declared that January 11 would be known as Sister Rosetta Tharpe Day in Pennsylvania.

Research Notes

• A gravestone identifies her as Rosetta Atkins Tharpe Morrison. ^[10] Atkins is said to be her father's surname. ^[11]
• Biographers have identified Rosetta's mother as Katie Bell Nubin ^[12] and Katie Harper ^[13] They all agree that she a singer, mandolin player and evangelist preacher for the Church of God in Christ
• Russell Morrison is said to have been Rosetta's third husband.^[14] Thomas Thorpe is said to be the first, and Foch Pershing Allen the second.^[15]

Sources

1. ↑ Ancestry.com, online database, "Cook County, Illinois Marriage Index, 1930-1960" > Thomas J. Thorpe and Rosie Ella Bell Nuben, 17 Nov 1934, Cook County, Illinois, USA, File Number: 1430963 Ancestry Record 1500 #120355; Cook County Clerk, comp. Cook County Clerk Genealogy Records. Cook County Clerk’s Office, Chicago, IL: Cook County Clerk, 2008.
2. ↑ Ancestry.com, database with images, "Florida, Passenger Lists, 1898-1963" > A3622 - Arriving at Miami, Florida, 1904 - 1949 > 20 > image 796 of 981 for Thomas and Rosetta Thorpe Ancestry Record 8842 #9846901 with attached Image; The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Series Title: U.S. Citizen Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Miami, Florida; NAI Number: 2774842; Record Group Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; Record Group Number: 85, Roll Number: 20
3. ↑ Jackson, Jerma, "Sister Rosetta Tharp," page 219-245, Religion in the American South: Protestants and Others in History and Culture edited by Beth Barton Schweiger and Donald G Mathews (Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA : University of North Carolina Press, 2004); EPDF (accessed 19 July 2020).

   Pg 219, "She sings in a night club because she feels there are more souls in the nighteries that need saving there than there are in the church" citing "Night Club Soulsaver, Baltimore Afro-American, January 11, 1941, 14";

   Pg 231, second paragraph, ""she shrouded her decision in secrecy, refusing to tell her husband about the engagement"

4. ↑ Sister Rosetta Live! 1964: ‘Didn’t it Rain’ 3:07 video clip, PBS American Masters.
5. ↑ "Women on Stamps: Part 4 - Sister Rosetta Tharpe," Smithsonian National Postal Museum.
6. ↑ Complete National Recording Registry Listing, National Recording Preservation Board, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
7. ↑ Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Blues Hall of Fame Museum, The Blues Foundation. November 10th, 2016
8. ↑ Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Arkansas Hall of Fame, 2012.
9. ↑ Gayle Wald, "Sister Rosetta Tharpe: Hall of Fame Essay," Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, 2018.
10. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 04 July 2020), memorial page for Rosetta Tharpe (20 Mar 1915–9 Oct 1973), Find A Grave: Memorial #14947188, citing Northwood Cemetery, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave.
11. ↑ "Sister Rosetta" Tharpe (1915–1973)," biography, Encyclopedia of Arkansas (Little Rock, Arkansas, USA) (accessed 4 July 2020).
12. ↑ Biography.com Editors, "Sister Rosetta Tharpe," (accessed 4 July 2020)
13. ↑ "Sister Rosetta Tharpe (March 20, 1915 – October 9, 1973)," online biogarphy, Black Kudos @ Tumblr.com (accessed 4 July 2020) "researchers Bob Eagle and Eric LeBlanc give her birth name as Rosether Atkins (or Atkinson), her mother’s name being Katie Harper."
14. ↑ Koch, Stephen, "The Sister and the Mister," 2 March 2019, article, Arkansas Living Magazine (accessed 4 July 2020)
15. ↑ Scott-Zerr, Amy Marie, "Rosetta Atkins (Sister Rosetta)Tharpe (1915-1973)," biography posted 29 March 2013; BlackPast.org (accessed 4 July 2020)

• Wikipedia contributors, "Sister Rosetta Tharpe," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, Sister Rosetta Tharpe (accessed 16 August 2020); old revision as edited by Twocs at 07:26, 3 April 2018 (accessed April 11, 2018).
• Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductee Insights; Sister Rosetta Tharpe YouTube video (accessed 1 July 2020)
• Wald, Gayle. 2007. Shout, sister, shout!: the untold story of rock-and-roll trailblazer Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Boston: Beacon Press. WorldCat record
• The Pioneering Architect Of Rock N’ Roll You Need To Know More About, biography, GirlBoss.com (https://www.girlboss.com : accessed 4 July 2020)
• Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Department of Arts Administration, Education and Policy, The Ohio State University, "A guide for Artist and Musician Biographies," page authors M.B. & C.F., 2020. (https://aaep1600.osu.edu : accessed 4 July 2020)
• Sister Rosetta Tharpe: The Godmother of Rock & Roll (Aired Feb 2013). Directed by Mick Csaky. PBS American Masters.

• 1951 Newspaper: "Newspapers.com"
  The Miami News (Miami, Florida) Wed, Jul 18, 1951, page 30
  Newspapers Clip: 144484352MarrIage announment of the marriage of Sister Rosetta Atkinsand Russell Morrison