10 Great Rock Music Acts Who Were Too Far Ahead Of Their Time
3. Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Fighting against the traditionalism of the 1940s and wider societal prejudices of the time, Sister Rosetta Tharpe did exceptionally well to make a career out of music at all. Viewed as the godmother of rock 'n roll today, Tharpe started off as a gospel singer and recorded her first singles in 1938. One of which, ‘Rock Me’, would go on to influence crucial names in rock history, including Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and even Elvis Presley. The momentum continued for Tharpe in 1944 when she topped the Billboard charts with ‘Strange Things Happening Every Day’, possibly the first true rock song ever made. Sadly though, it wasn’t built to last.
As an African-American woman, societal views of the day constantly caused Tharpe difficulties. The 1940s masculine perception of electric guitars caused gospel sects to shun Tharpe, and she was barred from playing several venues due to either her ethnicity, gender, or both. While on tour, Tharpe sometimes had to sleep on buses because segregated hotels wouldn’t let her in! Tharpe’s convention-shattering streak continued when her bisexuality went public in 1946 and she partnered up with fellow singer, Marie Knight.
Eventually, Tharpe was deemed too radical and was undercut by other acts with stronger label backing. Resultantly, her career dwindled through the '50s and '60s. She had a leg amputated due to diabetes in 1970 and died in 1973 after suffering a stroke, never receiving the respect she deserved as arguably the single-most important woman in music history.