WEBVTT - 033024 Way Black History Fact - The Black Woman Behind Rock and Roll Music

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<v Speaker 1>And I'll be right here. But for now it is

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<v Speaker 1>time for the Way Black History Fact. And today's Way

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<v Speaker 1>Black History Fact is sponsored by an underground beach club

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<v Speaker 1>from the streets to the beach. For the latest in beachware,

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<v Speaker 1>visit Underground Beach Club dot com. And today we are

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<v Speaker 1>talking about Sister Rosetta Tharp. Now this is a two

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<v Speaker 1>part way Black history fact. Okay, some people know that

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<v Speaker 1>rock and roll was invented by black people. Not everyone

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<v Speaker 1>knows that. But you know, it's Women's History Month. And

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<v Speaker 1>the reason, probably the primary reason why rock and roll

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<v Speaker 1>got so popular is due to a black woman. So

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<v Speaker 1>I'm gonna share a little bit about rock and roll

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<v Speaker 1>from Wikipedia, and then I'm gonna share a bit about

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<v Speaker 1>Sister Rosetta Tharp from Wikipedia. So you're feel free to verify,

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<v Speaker 1>all right, This from the Rock and Roll page For

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<v Speaker 1>most lovers of the genre, rock sprang up with Bill

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<v Speaker 1>Haley and Elvis Presley in nineteen fifty four through fifty six.

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<v Speaker 1>But why would rock be called rock when played by

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<v Speaker 1>whites and rhythm and blues when it was played by blacks?

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<v Speaker 1>According to the usual cliches, rock's roots lie deep in

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<v Speaker 1>a muddled amalgam where blues and rhythm and blues were

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<v Speaker 1>necessarily mixed with country music in order to be dubbed

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<v Speaker 1>rock and thereby gain entrance to history and legend, the

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<v Speaker 1>official history that is. Yet, African American rock anticipated Bill

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<v Speaker 1>Haley's first isolated hit Rock the Joint in nineteen fifty

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<v Speaker 1>two by a long way, as shown by its rare

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<v Speaker 1>original version by Jimmy Preston in nineteen forty eight. This

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<v Speaker 1>black rock would discreetly coexist with the first right white

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<v Speaker 1>rock hits, but there are still a clear tendency to

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<v Speaker 1>relegate African American rock to the genre's prehistory, which would

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<v Speaker 1>be to say that it is not a part of

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<v Speaker 1>the genre. Consequently, and despite their landmark recordings tiny bradshaw

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<v Speaker 1>Wine on E Harris, I hope I'm saying that right,

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<v Speaker 1>Roy Brown, Smiley Lewis and others have been really erased

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<v Speaker 1>from our mint memories, leaving the official title of pioneers

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<v Speaker 1>to the subsequent generation Eddie Cocker and Elvis and their like,

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<v Speaker 1>even though they appeared only five or ten years later.

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<v Speaker 1>Two black artists still appear amongst the official inventors of rock. However,

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<v Speaker 1>the undisputed giants named Little Richard and Chuck Berry, who

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<v Speaker 1>had both started singing and playing in the very early fifties.

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<v Speaker 1>But African American hits like Saturday Night Fish Fry by

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<v Speaker 1>Lewis Jordan with its electric guitar and it was Rocking

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<v Speaker 1>chorus in nineteen forty nine would still be seen as

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<v Speaker 1>something like the work of prehistoric men who were ineligible

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<v Speaker 1>for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Okay wanted

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<v Speaker 1>to share that bit before talking about Sister Rosetta Thark,

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<v Speaker 1>who was born in nineteen fifteen and lived through nineteen

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<v Speaker 1>seventy three. She was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist.

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<v Speaker 1>She gained popularity in the thirties and forties with their

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<v Speaker 1>gospel recordings, characterized by a unique mixture of spiritual lyrics

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<v Speaker 1>and electric guitar. She was the first great recording star

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<v Speaker 1>of God music and was among the first gospel musicians

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<v Speaker 1>to appear to rhythm in blues and rock and roll audiences,

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<v Speaker 1>later being referred to as the original Soul Sister and

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<v Speaker 1>the Godmother of rock and roll. She influenced early rock

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<v Speaker 1>and roll musicians including Little Richard, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins,

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<v Speaker 1>Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and also later

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<v Speaker 1>guitarists such as Eric Clapton. Tharp was a pioneer on

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<v Speaker 1>her guitar technique. She was among the first popular recording

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<v Speaker 1>artists to use heavy distortion on her electric guitar, opening

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<v Speaker 1>the way to the rise of electric blues. Her guitar

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<v Speaker 1>playing technique had a profound influence on the development of

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<v Speaker 1>British blues in the sixties. Her European tour with Muddy

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<v Speaker 1>Waters in sixty four, when a stop in Manchester on

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<v Speaker 1>May seventh, is cited by British guitarists such as Eric Clapton,

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<v Speaker 1>Jeff Beck and Keith Richards And she was willing to

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<v Speaker 1>cross the line between sacred and secular by performing her

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<v Speaker 1>music of light in the darkness of nightclubs and concert

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<v Speaker 1>halls with big bands behind. Ain't her so? That is?

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<v Speaker 1>Sister Rosetta Tharp