Speaker 1: And I'll be right here. But for now it is
Speaker 1: time for the Way Black History Fact. And today's Way
Speaker 1: Black History Fact is sponsored by an underground beach club
Speaker 1: from the streets to the beach. For the latest in beachware,
Speaker 1: visit Underground Beach Club dot com. And today we are
Speaker 1: talking about Sister Rosetta Tharp. Now this is a two
Speaker 1: part way Black history fact. Okay, some people know that
Speaker 1: rock and roll was invented by black people. Not everyone
Speaker 1: knows that. But you know, it's Women's History Month. And
Speaker 1: the reason, probably the primary reason why rock and roll
Speaker 1: got so popular is due to a black woman. So
Speaker 1: I'm gonna share a little bit about rock and roll
Speaker 1: from Wikipedia, and then I'm gonna share a bit about
Speaker 1: Sister Rosetta Tharp from Wikipedia. So you're feel free to verify,
Speaker 1: all right, This from the Rock and Roll page For
Speaker 1: most lovers of the genre, rock sprang up with Bill
Speaker 1: Haley and Elvis Presley in nineteen fifty four through fifty six.
Speaker 1: But why would rock be called rock when played by
Speaker 1: whites and rhythm and blues when it was played by blacks?
Speaker 1: According to the usual cliches, rock's roots lie deep in
Speaker 1: a muddled amalgam where blues and rhythm and blues were
Speaker 1: necessarily mixed with country music in order to be dubbed
Speaker 1: rock and thereby gain entrance to history and legend, the
Speaker 1: official history that is. Yet, African American rock anticipated Bill
Speaker 1: Haley's first isolated hit Rock the Joint in nineteen fifty
Speaker 1: two by a long way, as shown by its rare
Speaker 1: original version by Jimmy Preston in nineteen forty eight. This
Speaker 1: black rock would discreetly coexist with the first right white
Speaker 1: rock hits, but there are still a clear tendency to
Speaker 1: relegate African American rock to the genre's prehistory, which would
Speaker 1: be to say that it is not a part of
Speaker 1: the genre. Consequently, and despite their landmark recordings tiny bradshaw
Speaker 1: Wine on E Harris, I hope I'm saying that right,
Speaker 1: Roy Brown, Smiley Lewis and others have been really erased
Speaker 1: from our mint memories, leaving the official title of pioneers
Speaker 1: to the subsequent generation Eddie Cocker and Elvis and their like,
Speaker 1: even though they appeared only five or ten years later.
Speaker 1: Two black artists still appear amongst the official inventors of rock. However,
Speaker 1: the undisputed giants named Little Richard and Chuck Berry, who
Speaker 1: had both started singing and playing in the very early fifties.
Speaker 1: But African American hits like Saturday Night Fish Fry by
Speaker 1: Lewis Jordan with its electric guitar and it was Rocking
Speaker 1: chorus in nineteen forty nine would still be seen as
Speaker 1: something like the work of prehistoric men who were ineligible
Speaker 1: for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Okay wanted
Speaker 1: to share that bit before talking about Sister Rosetta Thark,
Speaker 1: who was born in nineteen fifteen and lived through nineteen
Speaker 1: seventy three. She was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist.
Speaker 1: She gained popularity in the thirties and forties with their
Speaker 1: gospel recordings, characterized by a unique mixture of spiritual lyrics
Speaker 1: and electric guitar. She was the first great recording star
Speaker 1: of God music and was among the first gospel musicians
Speaker 1: to appear to rhythm in blues and rock and roll audiences,
Speaker 1: later being referred to as the original Soul Sister and
Speaker 1: the Godmother of rock and roll. She influenced early rock
Speaker 1: and roll musicians including Little Richard, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins,
Speaker 1: Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and also later
Speaker 1: guitarists such as Eric Clapton. Tharp was a pioneer on
Speaker 1: her guitar technique. She was among the first popular recording
Speaker 1: artists to use heavy distortion on her electric guitar, opening
Speaker 1: the way to the rise of electric blues. Her guitar
Speaker 1: playing technique had a profound influence on the development of
Speaker 1: British blues in the sixties. Her European tour with Muddy
Speaker 1: Waters in sixty four, when a stop in Manchester on
Speaker 1: May seventh, is cited by British guitarists such as Eric Clapton,
Speaker 1: Jeff Beck and Keith Richards And she was willing to
Speaker 1: cross the line between sacred and secular by performing her
Speaker 1: music of light in the darkness of nightclubs and concert
Speaker 1: halls with big bands behind. Ain't her so? That is?
Speaker 1: Sister Rosetta Tharp