Shout, Sister, Shout!

Book excerpt: The essential biography of America’s godmother of rock ‘n’ roll whose exuberant singing and guitar playing captivated audiences and inspired generations of musicians from the 40s to today 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.