Shout, Sister, Shout!: The Untold Story of Rock-and-Roll Trailblazer Sister Rosetta Tharpe

by Gayle Wald (Narrator), Leslie Uggams (Narrator), Shawn T. Andrew (Narrator)

Long before "women in rock" became a media catchphrase, Rosetta Tharpe proved in spectacular fashion that women could rock. Born in Cotton Plant, Arkansas, in 1915, she was gospel's first superstar and the preeminent crossover figure of its "golden age" (1945-1965). Everyone who saw her perform said she could "make that guitar talk."

Shout, Sister, Shout! is the first biography of this trailblazing performer who influenced scores of popular musicians, from Elvis Presley and Little Richard to Eric Clapton and Bonnie Raitt. An African American guitar virtuoso, Tharpe defied categorization. Blues singer, gospel singer, folk artist, and rock-and-roller, she "went electric" in the late 1930s, amazing northern and southern, U.S. and international, and white and black audiences with her charisma and skill. Ambitious and relentlessly public, Tharpe even staged her own wedding as a gospel concert-in a stadium holding 20,000 people!

Wald's eye-opening biography, which draws on the memories of over 150 people who knew or worked with Tharpe, introduces us to this intriguing and forgotten musical heavyweight, forever altering our understanding of both women in rock and U.S. popular music.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography, History, Biography Memoir, African American, Art

Audible Audio

First published January 15, 2007

About the author

Gayle Wald is Professor of English and American Studies at George Washington University. She is the author of Shout, Sister, Shout!: The Untold Story of Rock-and-Roll Trailblazer Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and Crossing the Line: Racial Passing in Twentieth-Century Literature and Culture, also published by Duke University Press. Chester Higgins is a photographer and author based in Brooklyn, New York. The author of several books, Higgins has presented his photography at dozens of solo exhibitions throughout the world.

Reviews

[Mickey McIntosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sister Rosetta Tharpe has been called the Godmother of Rock and Roll. A titled well earned. If you're looking for one of the birthplaces of rock and roll, look to the church, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe was the troubadour. This is a great read about her life and music. One of the most influential performers ever, and this is her story.
Read this.

[Aliza · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is by my professor from GW. She was my advisor for my Mahalia Jackson project during the time she was working on this book. We went to Chicago to do research - fun times!

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! I listened to an audio version on Spotify that included clips of music and several voice actors that enhanced my experience.

[Bob Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

She “converted” my father

I grew up listening to Sister Rosetta Tharpe because my WWII veteran father loved her and had many of her 78s. The surprise is, of course, that my Dad was a white lower-middle class son of a Missouri-born, Kentucky influenced mother.

In short, he was a racially-intolerant, if not overtly racist, man prone to racial stereotypes of the worst kind. And he largely thought the rock ‘n’ roll I treasured was trash. He was not a tolerant man on a number of levels.

Yet he revered Rosetta Tharpe.

I wanted to read this book for a couple of reasons. One, to honor my departed Dad’s love for Rosetta, but also to honor her. I started playing guitar in 1960s SoCal rock bands, and remembered what I heard from her. Somehow, I knew what she did was important to what I loved to do.

This book was an excellent read which explained a lot and brought back a lot of fond memories. Thanks to the author … and to Sister Rosetta who made her guitars sound like something completely new and joyous.

[Hannah Bingman-Forshey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll always want to know more about Sister Tharpe, but I don't know that any living soul could share more than this book. I've always wondered why Dylan gets a whole curated collection and Rosetta only recently gets a gravestone. I first learned of Rosetta about 15 years ago and quickly used her as a high school English class topic. What I found online and in liner notes was the most I could learn until I (finally) put this book at the front of my rotation. I'm not sure if the author plays guitar, but I appreciated the inclusion of discussions of her technique. It's something I currently trying to nail down. As a musician and librarian, this book will belong in my "music room" and not my library.

[John Griffiths · Rating 5 out of 5]

such a treat - Rosetta Tharpe is a forerunner of rock and roll as an astonishing guitar player. As a gospel singer who would play the Cotton Club she outraged the gospel circuit. This biography looks at how revolutionary she was as a black woman earning her way as a musician, living through segregation and being an inspiration to the most unlikely people - Jerry Lee Lewis? Elvis? So this is a great biography which manages also to look at the social conventions around Rosetta. I'm a nut for gospel musicians so if that's you this is a must read but it would be of interest if you're into Americal social history as well.

[Sincerae Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shout, Sister, Shout! isn't a bad book even though I gave it 3 stars. There are books one only likes and some that one gets very excited about. For me this book is the former.

I've heard Sister Rosetta Tharpe's exuberant singing and guitar playing before since I have a cassette tape of her music. Videos of her performing are on YouTube.

She was a popular gospel singer in my grandparents' generation. That fact prompted me to read this biography.

[Beatrice Hogg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed learning more about Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The update in the new edition was greatly appreciated. Sister Tharpe is finally getting acknowledged as a rock and roll pioneer.

[Garry Marlton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful read about a fantastic singer. I am not a relgious person, if anything the opposite. Rosetta's rilgious leanings did not put me off. I discovered some womderful material and now is one of my favorite artists.

[Avery Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great look into this musical trailblazer.

[Michael Legge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shame he dies in the end.

[DDM · Rating 5 out of 5]

perks of music biographys on audio, get to listen to clips of music too

[Lashawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sister Rosetta Tharpe died in 1973 when I was two years old. 39 years later, I am listening to her for the first time in my life.

Shout Sister Shout is a wonderful account of Tharpe's life, but also gives insight and history into gospel music as a whole. I have grown up being surrounded by gospel music, but it was always contemporary. In reading this book, the only gospel names I recognized was Thomas Dorsey and Mahalia Jackson, the former because my mother had a record of his, the latter because we learned about her at school. But I never heard oldie gospel tunes on the radio; they'd play R&B from the 50s, but not gospel. (It is the same today of contemporary Christian--no oldies.) I didn't even know there were different types of gospel.

Tharpe had an amazing life, and she had an AMAZING mother. To be a black single mother and a traveling evangelist? That took guts to do in the 20s and 30s. It's easy to see where Sister Rosetta got her ambitious spirit from. But what blows my mind is how great a guitarist she was. Some criticism of this book has been that it's hard to describe Tharpe's playing in words; it is much better heard and seen. Considering, though, that we live in the age of the internet, it wasn't hard at all to google her on YouTube and listen along. It makes for a better multimedia experience.

And dare I say that Tharpe and Marie Knight's version of "Didn't it Rain" is absolute MAGIC?

Wald does a good job in weaving history and the culture of the times into Tharpe's narrative. In some ways, it also gave me more insight into what it meant to be a black woman during those times, and how Tharpe worked her way around racism with a loving smile, but also a business savvy to be admired. Her choice to buy a bus so she didn't have to stoop to the indignity of being turned away from white-only restaurants? Brilliant. And I like how we get this picture of Tharpe who truly believed in her faith, but also whooped it up, so to speak.

Along with this, I was reading the biography of Memphis Minnie, another black female guitarist who played the blues. It was very interesting to compare the two women--while Minnie had no interest in expanding and completely focused on the blues, Tharpe constantly looked to reinventing herself; though she mainly stayed within the gospel genre, she also dipped into the blues and even did folk for a while.

The epilogue did feel like Wald was overstretching a bit, waxing long on the fact that because Tharpe didn't have a gravestone, it could be considered a metaphor for the fragility of life, yadda yadda yadda. But then again, she mentions how quickly it seems that Tharpe was forgotten after her death, and I do have to agree to that. Rock and roll owes a lot to her legacy. Four guitars out of Five, and I guess I'll have to wait to get to heaven to tell her she has a new fan.

[Barry Hammond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sister Rosetta Tharpe was a gospel singer who though she started out in the 1940's was more like a jazz/blues/rock and roller than most people's idea of a gospel artist. She was also a brilliant guitar player who was closer to Chuck Berry, Les Paul, or Jimmy Page than the guitarists of her day. An Inveterate showman, she rocked her audiences and whipped them into an ecstatic frenzy, long before the rockers of the 1960's and 70's and may have inspired many of those players when she toured England and Europe. Far ahead of her time, music historians are just beginning to realise what a pioneering and pivotal figure she was in the history of American and even international music. An important document about a little understood genius. - BH.

[John Paul Gairhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Whenever a rock or gospel or rhythm-and-blues musician act turns the amps up, we're in the living presence of Rosetta, who made a habit of playing as loud as she could, based on the Pentecostal belief that the Lord smiled on those who made a joyful noise.”

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like biographies more than I do, you can add an extra star to my rating, because this one's actually very nicely done. Wald does a nice job of including all the different contexts (musical, historical, etc.) that both helped shaped Sister Rosetta Tharpe into being who she was and kept her contributions to music relatively unknown even to this day, especially when compared to those of all the other musicians she influenced. That context absolutely matters, so I'm really glad it's included throughout.

That being said, it's still a biography, and it turns out those just aren't my thing. It actually took me two attempts to finish this one (I first tried and failed in 2016). But I'm really glad I did finish it this time around, at least.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting biography of a woman I had heard of but didn't know much about. I learned a lot from it, but the author didn't seem to have much to say aside from "here is the information" and a couple of chapters had previously been published as stand-alone articles, which made the timeline a little confusing.

I would recommend it, but only if you're interested in Sister Rosetta Tharpe or the history of female rock singers already.

[kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Whenever a rock musician lets loose a glorious guitar solo, we’re in the living presence of those strong and mean vibrations of Rosetta Tharpe... whenever a rock or gospel or rhythm-and-blues musician turns the amps up, we’re in the living presence of Rosetta, who made a habit of playing as loud as she could...” (p. 216).

[LAPL Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Early on Elvis was mightily inspired by Sister Rosetta Tharpe's singing and guitar style, and Eric Clapton, B. B. King, Muddy Waters, Johnny Cash are others who have tipped their guitars her way. Thanks to local jazz radio station KJAZZ, NPR, PBS' American Masters, a quick clip in the French film Amélie, and this recent biography, there should be wider knowledge and credit for the woman who is known as the godmother of rock 'n roll. Despite a good deal of campaigning from singers, musicians and others, Sister Rosetta Tharpe has yet to be inducted into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame.

She was never afraid to cross boundaries in music or life. As an innovator she mixed religious and secular styles which angered gospel singers in more conservative churches. Her own musical background was firmly rooted in the gospel tradition and she began performing as a young child in Pentecostal Churches in Arkansas. In the 1920s, Tharpe and her mother moved to Chicago, then New York where she sang at the Cotton Club and Café Society. A recording contract gave her more publicity but little satisfaction because she had no control over the musical selections. Wherever she appeared her performances were a sensation because of Tharpe's incisive and flamboyant interpretations. Even though she was the trailblazer for singers who followed in the 1950s, she was overshadowed by the birth of rock 'n roll with all of the groups and individuals who were moving the music further along.

Her personal life was anything but calm with three marriages, some indications of bisexuality, which in today's popular scene is almost de rigueur. In public life she overcame racism, of which there was a good deal, by ignoring it and living and working the way she wanted. At one time she sang in a mixed race group and later had a mixed race back-up group of musicians. Because of the changes in the musical world, an overly generous hand with money, and her own poor health, Rosetta Tharpe died and was buried with little notice. A few years after Gayle F. Wald's biography, writer Bob Merz organized a benefit to pay for a proper memorial in Philadelphia. Wald's biography is carefully and critically researched and raises questions throughout about the lack of acclaim and acknowledgement for Sister Rosetta Tharpe, but also about female performers, African American female performers in particular, and demands a look back at others who have not gotten the respect due.

Here are two YouTube samples of Sister Rosetta Tharpe's music. For the first one, "That's All," just fasten your seat belt because the guitar work alone slams the piece into another realm. Her performance is full of sass, glamour, and shows a great musician doing it her way without any gimmicks, tricks or wardrobe malfunctions. She and the back-up guys are having one great time. For "Precious Memories" take out your handkerchiefs. If you aren't moved by these performances, then get your pulse checked for signs of life:

"That's All!" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9bX5m....

"Precious Memories" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6Cekr...

Reviewed by Sheryn Morris, Librarian, Central Library

[Mpho3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Earlier this year, the Detroit Public Theatre staged George Brant's "Marie and Rosetta." Portrayed by Johnique Mitchell and Carman Cooper, respectively, it was a fantastic performance. More than that, it sparked an obsession in me. I went home and immediately devoured everything I could find about Sister on Youtube, including and the documentary The Godmother of Rock and Roll: Sister Rosetta Tharpe (Csaky, 2011).

Next, I gorged myself on Wald's book, which happily is well researched, organized, and written. I enjoyed it because it's well balanced between being factual and speculating when the facts aren't known or can't be verified. By speculating, I mean that Wald does a great job of filling in the gaps of what is known and/or confirmed about the singer by providing the greater historical, cultural, and religious context in which she lived her life and created her music. She uses a variety of source material and has chosen her interviews quite well. Furthermore, while it's clear that Wald venerates Tharpe and her legacy, she doesn't over do it. She doesn't just tell you that Tharpe was amazing; she shows you how and why.

Fortunately, Tharpe's musical legacy is amply preserved on a multitude of recordings (49 albums and compilations listed on Allmusic.com). I made a playlist as songs were mentioned in the book -- nearly 3 hours of music spread over 50+ longs. I have never particularly cared for spirituals; gospel; or early rock 'n roll, early blues, or early r&b; yet, I am infatuated by her voice, her story, and the music. I didn't need Wald to tell me what my ears do, but I'm glad that she did.

[Susan B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book would be worth the price for the intro alone. Sister Rosetta Tharpe, a lesser known gospel singer who crossed over into r&b was one of the first rockers, long before Elvis was ever a gleam in Sam Phillips' eye. She was an amazing guitarist, an incredible singer, and a hell of a woman making her way through segregated and sexist America with gusto. Apart from having three marriages, she also was rumored to have a relationship with sometime singing partner Marie Knight. You can check out some clips of her on YouTube if you want to get a taste of Sr. Rosetta's truly remarkable performance style.

[MaggiCat Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5
Listening on Audible allowed me to be able to listen to snippets of Tharpe’s music that was the cherry on top of an insightful book about the Mother of Rock and Roll

[Mark Potts · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a story to my fascination with Sister Rosetta Tharpe, that goes back 30 years but, for that, you'll have to wait for the forthcoming episode of my podcast All Reading Matters…



As far as this book is concerned, it is a fascinating read. Not only does it relate the life of Sister Rosetta, it also provides a most interesting insight into what it was really like growing up 'in the church' in the early to mid 20th century. As I expected, there was a lot I didn't know about her life, but I knew that. which is one of the reasons I wanted to read the book! What I never really appreciated was the extent of her influence on modern guitar playing, and rock [n Roll] in general. Without her, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jimi Hendrix, and almost every axe-wielding, plank-spanking shredder might not be quite the same. She was the first one to turn it up to 11, and play it LOUD. She invented strutting around the stage showcasing her guitar antics, blowing away all-comers who challenged her in guitar battles. That was in the early 1950s. Whilst LeadBelly, Muddy, Champion Jack, Son House, Sonny Boy II, Broonzy, JLH, and others had all toured Europe from the post war period onwards, many of them were old and some were exceedingly grumpy, and 30 years past their best, and it was Sister Rosetta that stunned the young, lank-haired British art school crowd in the late '50s and early '60s and lit the blue touch paper on the British Blues Explosion.

Although not forgotten, Sister Rosetta Tharpe is not appreciated today in the way she deserves. A must read for any lover of Blues and Roots music and, I would say, and essential addition to any serious Blues library.

[Ralphz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gospel artist, legendary guitarist, and one of the recognized originators of rock 'n' roll. Sister Rosetta Tharpe was all this.

But she was also neglected, straddling as she did gospel and r&b, enjoying them both but conflicted and judged by each side.

This book looks at her life and career but honestly seems a bit shallow and all too brief. It drops record after record and album after album in paragraph chunks before it goes back to describing her looks or clothes or hair or love life. And this is from a female author.

One of the questions asked is why Tharpe isn't as well remembered as she should be. Is it because she's black? A woman? I believe maybe it's because she was a gospel artist, with a belief - however strongly felt - that was and is disparaged among the musical tastemakers. For example, even when the British were lauding her during a tour in the 1960s, they praised the music but were indifferent or mildly antagonistic to the message.

Most distracting was the way the author would wander off for a paragraph or two looking for Deep Meaning™ in a song or the audience reception or even the symbolism of the Lincoln Center. Yeah.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It gave me a deeper understanding of Rosetta Tharpe and how she influenced music. It also really gave me a lot of background on gospel music and especially how different gospel artists in the 1940-1970's interacted and got along. I wish I'd seen more of Rosetta's personality, though. I feel like I definitely got to know her better, but it still feels like I'm missing the full picture. I have a pretty clear understanding of Rosetta's public persona - but less about what she was like behind the scenes. Most of the information about Rosetta was from people who knew her - there was very little of her own views on things or her feelings about various events. The author of this book couldn't help that - it seems like Rosetta didn't leave a ton of firsthand information - but it's still something I wish I'd seen more of.

Excellent read for anyone wanting to know more about the Mother of Rock'n'Roll

[Brian Cohen · Rating 4 out of 5]

After listening to 60 hours of Elvis, 11 hours of Rosetta, one of Elvis’ big influences, seems too short, but that’s the only reason for four instead of five. More detail about her personal life outside of performing would have been welcome, the question being whether more detail is available. Either way, Tharpe’s story is an important one for anyone interested in the origins of rock and roll, and the author does a fine job of collecting stories from those that knew her. All talent and charisma, a performer you wish you could have known personally. A guitar shredder for the lord.

[D Rizz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a factually dense book. It was difficult for me to relate to as a white cis woman of considerable privilege, but it was an important read. (For example, it blew my mind to read that the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem was once segregated.) Regardless of my own blind spots, I loved reading about Sister Tharpe and her incredible ascent to gospel superstardom and her struggles to find a musical niche. She was a strong, complicated woman, and Ms. Ward does an excellent job telling her story.

[Jessi]

Rosetta Tharpe grew up in the Pentecostal church which highly influenced the way she would sing in her later life. That is one of the aspects of her life that didn't change though her age and other parts of her backstory would. She also glossed over some of the aspects of how she broke into mainstream music. It is interesting because she could have been in Chicago when Mahalia Jackson was breaking but her family had moved by then, traveling with tent revivals.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An academic biography that I was assigned for a women's history class. Though a bit dense at times, the narrative hums and sparkles just like Sister Tharpe's personality and musical genius (although the book is obviously much more sedate than she was). Must be accompanied by watching some of her filmed performances on YouTube!

[Ryan Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a music graduate I'm actually a little embarrassed that I'd never heard of Sister Rosetta before now. A great biography of a truly remarkable performer/musician. Listened to the audiobook and it is a brilliant example of how the format can elevate the material through it's use of musical recordings, live performance clips and range of different voice actors. 🎸🎙