Wow! eBook
Shout, Sister, Shout!: The Untold Story of Rock-and-Roll Trailblazer Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Author(s): Gayle Wald (Author)
- Publisher: Beacon Press
- Publication Date: January 31, 2023
- Language: English
- Print length: 280 pages
- ISBN-10: 0807011843
- ISBN-13: 9780807011843
Book Description
When
Shout, Sister, Shout! was first published in 2007, Sister Rosetta Tharpe was resting in an unmarked grave in a Philadelphia cemetery. That lack of a headstone symbolized so much of what was egregiously wrong about so many stories of American music, particularly the genre we call rock or rock-and-roll. It’s a genre that wouldn’t exist without Tharpe, though her contribution was forgotten for many years.The biography finally tells the story of the queer, Black trailblazer who defied categorization and influenced scores of popular musicians, from Elvis Presley and Little Richard to Bonnie Raitt, The Alabama Shakes, and Lizzo. The author draws on memories from more than 150 people who knew Tharpe, as well as scraps of information gleaned from newspapers, archives, and memorabilia, to piece together a story that forever alters our understanding of women in rock and of US popular music.
Editorial Reviews
Review
—Lizzo
“Wald will give you the story, from small-town Arkansas to the biggest stages in the country.”
—David Remnick,
“[Tharpe] has long been deserving of wider recognition and a place of honor in the field of music history.”
—Bonnie Raitt
“Mixing tireless reporting with nuanced and cultural insights, Wald’s
Shout, Sister, Shout! is about as good as musical reparations get.”—Tony Green, Vibe
“Rosetta Tharpe was one of my first influences, one of the first people I heard sing. I’m glad Gayle Wald has done a book on her because people need to know.”
—Isaac Hayes
“Wald makes a good case that Tharpe’s R&B spirituals played a key role in inventing rock.”
—
“Seeing Sister Rosetta . . . really gave me a sense that this was a birthright of mine.”
—Celisse Henderson
