Customer Reviews

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

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As a collector and student of American popular music for more than 40 years now I have occasionally come across the name of Sister Rosetta Tharpe in some of the reference books that I own. I would also see her name mentioned in the liner notes for various CD's as well as in books chronicling the rich and diverse history of American popular music. Having said that there was really not a heck of a lot of information out there on the life and remarkable career of this extremely influential figure. Author Gayle Wald has corrected this unfortunate oversight with her entertaining and highly informative new book "Shout, Sister, Shout: The Untold Story of Rock and Roll Trailblazer Sister Rosetta Tharpe". As a result of reading this book I have already been motivated to purchase a collection of her music. And let me tell you I was not disappointed!

Sister Rosetta Tharpe was born in the tiny town of Cotton Plant, AR on March 20, 1915 not far from the birthplace of another American music legend Johnny Cash. With the encouragement of parents who were very active in the local Church of God in Christ, Rosetta began singing in church at an unusually young age. Before the age of six she started playing around with a guitar. Just about everyone who saw and heard Rosetta thought that she was an exceptionally gifted young lady. In fact, it was her acumen with the guitar that would set her apart and help to make a career in music possible. "Shout, Sister, Shout" follows the mercurial career of Rosetta from performing at her local church to a gig at the world famous Cotton Club in New York City in 1938. It is quite apparent that Rosetta was torn between the gospel music she grew up with and loved so much and the incredible opportunities and financial rewards that beckoned in the secular world. It was a dilemma that would take her years to resolve. In 1938 Rosetta inked her first recording contract with Decca records. Decca was looking to make a name for itself in the emerging gospel and blues market and viewed Sister as their ticket to success. She did not disappoint! In 1941 Sister Rosetta Tharpe joined the Lucky Millinder Orchestra as a featured vocalist. This band was at the height of its popularity at that time and Rosetta made some very memorable recordings with them. But by 1943 Rosetta had tired of the secular music scene and was determined to return to the music she really loved. Ever restless, Sister would return to the secular world from time to time as opportunities presented themselves. In 1950, she appeared on Perry Como's television show and in 1952 she recorded a duet with the legendary country artist Red Foley in Nashville. Sadly, Sister Rosetta Tharpe was only 56 years old when diabetes struck. Two years later in 1973 she died of a massive stroke on the very day she was scheduled to record a brand new album for Savoy records.

"Shout, Sister, Shout" tells the fascinating life story of Sister Rosetta Tharpe. You will the meet people who were most influential in her life, especially her mother Katie Bell Nubin and her close friend Marie Knight. And you will come to understand how it was that a female black guitarist that emerged in the 1930's would become such a major influence on people like Chuck Berry, John Lennon, Elvis and even Mick Jagger. By reading "Shout, Sister, Shout" I was able to fill in a good many gaps in my knowledge of American popular music. Cheryl Wald has come up with an extremely important book that can be read and enjoyed by a wide variety of audiences. Very highly recommended!

As I have been looking forward to someone writting a book about Sister Rosetta Tharpe I was excited that one was on the market. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It was sensitively written and with a lot of information about this neglected gospel star who pioneered so many trends in music and what she did on stage. A lot of what she accomplished she has not been given due credit by writters of popular music and this book seeks to balance this oversight.
My only critisism was that there were not enough pictures of rosetta in the book and could of done with a fully discogrphy.

Gospel music is an overlooked genre so a book about gospel great Sister Rosetta Tharpe is welcome. Hopefully readers will be encouraged to seek out Tharpe's wonderful music with her brilliant and unpredictable singing and breathtaking guitar playing. The problem with this book lies in the subtitle: "Rock and Roll Trailblazer." As a rock and roll trailblazer Tharpe is a historical footnote. As a gospel singer she is a giant. Tharpe doesn't deserve to be heard because Elvis may have listened to her. The author spends too much time trying to shoe horn Tharpe into the "Rock and Roll Trailblazer" mold, which is obnoxious and demeaning to Tharpe. Anthony Heilbut's book "The Gospel Sound: Good News and Bad Times" is a better book on both Tharpe and gospel music in genersal. Heilbut includes a section on Tharpe, who Heilbut knew, as well as sections on many other gospel artists, deserving of wider recognition. Heilbut knew his subjects personally and immersed himself in the gospel world. His insights open up the gospel world. Read Heilbut. By all means listen to Sister Rosetta Tharpe. If you still want to know more after you've done that, then buy this book.

Being a white mid-westerner I knew virtually nothing about the Black gospel experience. Over the years, as a univeristy music teacher at a HBCU I have become aware of many great artists and stories. Rosetta Tharpe is one of them. What a colorful and challenging life she lived. Read this book and tell me it would not make a great movie! When you read the book, you must also listen to her music. Better yet, look for her performance clips on YouTube. You MUST see her play the guitar. I mean, go look for them now!

Gave as a gift.My collector friend flipped.Was not aware of this book & has a great book collection.Seller A+.Quick Delivery.

Shout Sister Shout: Rosetta Tharpe

The author annoyed me some in the book. But as they say, "you can't expect the dog to tell the cat's story right!" I think she did an okay job. I know better books will be written on this fantastic woman. I would recommend it for the simply reason that there aren't that many books out there about Mrs. Rosetta. At least with this book, you will get a basic introduction of this little known pioneer, guitar player and singer.

Ms. Rosetta is really the pioneer of the Rock n Roll quitar. Everybody followed her style of playing. Also let's keep in mind that there is no such music as rock n roll, it is the Blues played with an electric quitar. Also keep in my that the rock appelation as with the term Latin music is a marketing tool to present African peoples music to white America, and is also an attempt to appropriate and distanced black folks from their creations. As with all popular and innovative forms of music worldwide, the creative geniuses are the descendents of Africans.

Shout Sister Shout is worth reading. I would like to recommend folks read Leroi Jones' Blues People. See my review at Kissinashe.blogspot.com.

This book is definitely worth reading.