The life, music and influence of African-American gospel singer and guitar virtuoso Sister Rosetta Tharpe. From writer, producer and director Mick Csaky.
43 Responses to “Film: The Godmother of Rock & Roll”
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I had never heard of Sister Rosetta before and I am 64 years old. What a remarkable person. Thank you American Masters [ PBS you are fantastic for bringing this wonderful individual alive to the public. Once again, I applaud AM|PBS.
Thank you for sharing Sister Rosetta Tharpe with the world. She was a true pioneer, and was such an influence on Mahalia Jackson, another blessing to the African American gospel genre. PBS is such a resource for the nation. This is just an indication of the knowledge you share with the country.
Well done PBS. As a fan of the blues history of America, it is good to see the black forefathers (and God Mothers) given their long over due notice. All of the notable rock & roll bands have been white people who were caught up in listening to the early American black gospel & blues pioneers (examples: Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, Elvis…etc)
None of it would have happened without black soul and talent. Rock would have never ‘rolled’ into America without the likes of Sister Rosetta
Thank you PBS for sharing Sister Rosetta’s documentary. I truly feel like I have found a gem in the history of music. I concur that she should be inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Greetings from Fairbanks, AK! When I was a kid growing up here, my folks wanted me to know about our African-American culture so they would constantly play records of the music they grew up with and loved. When the promo for this came on my local PBS station last night, I immediately jumped and told my mom this was coming on since I remember hearing a record of hers played repeatedly in our home. I knew nothing about her really, and was fascinated by her story, and her music. Thank you, KUAC-TV and PBS!
I love swing and old time gospel music, so Sister Rosetta was right up my alley. I first found her music by accident on Youtube while looking for swing songs to add to my collection. Amongst the singers such as the Boswell Sisters and the Andrew Sisters I found the song “Shout Sister Shout” by Sister Rosetta and hit play. It was a duet with her Ray MIllander with dozens of background singers and dancers. The song had me dancing in my seat and I instantly fell in love with Sister Rosetta. I wish they had shown her sing “Shout Sister Shout” in the documentary instead of just playing a snippit. But I loved learning more about her and the film was great. I hope she is inducted into the Rock nd Roll hall of fame. She was and is a force to be reckoned with!
What a tremendous public service PBS has done by presenting so beautifully the life of Sister Rosetta Tharpe and its cultural meaning for us in this documented. And thanks, especially, for making it available online so that as many people as possible can appreciate her phenomenal contribution.
Is there anyway to get this documentary on DVD or VOD in the UK?
I want to say thanks you, to all the good people out their who are listening the great voice of my favorite gospel singer, Sister Rosetta Tharpe.I hope this true because there’s talks going around that there are going to make movie about the life of Sister Rosetta Tharpe,And i hope this that is the gospel truth.
Thank you PBS. Well done! I grew up in the church listening to this music and now a larger audience is coming around to learn and appreciate the genius and talent of one of America’s greatest musical influences. Members of my family were also performers, preachers and singers in the church, the movies and the theater. Thank you again for an excellent presentation.
thanks so much for doing a show on Sister Rosetta. She was amazing and is seriously under-appreciated – so hopefully more people will discover her and her music now. Wonderful show and fantastic music. And yes – she belongs in the rock hall of fame!
thank you pbs…….
thank you pbs