The beginning of Rock n Roll

[DRM]

View: https://youtu.be/ii06ABCd9ww


There has been many discussions as to who was the founding father of Rock n Roll, well the above short documentary proves it was a Godmother of Rock n Roll who was years in front of her time, one Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who kicked off the whole genre.

 

[Cycleops]

When I saw the title I thought that's got to be Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
All those early rock'n rollers took from her including Elvis. Nobody had ever played guitar like her before, she was a real trail blazer.
Well worth looking at this documentary about her life, a d what a life it was:

View: https://youtu.be/FKK_EQ4pj9A

 

[Darius_Jedburgh]

A few years ago, when the BBC produced proper programmes, they made Friday night music night on BBC4. None of this TOTP repeats (with no Jimmy Saville) we get now.
They ran a series about American music and its roots. Examined the birth of blues, gospel (the root of it all??), jazz, folk, rock and roll etc.
Sister Rosetta was there. Woody Guthrie. The Weavers. Leadbelly. Sam Phillips. And on and on. Fascinating stuff.
A lot of it came from out and out slavery/racism.
We suddenly realised that a lot of the prejudice these musicians suffered was in our own lifetime.
One notable point was the first Tamla Mowtown tour. The Supremes couldn't bring themselves to go in the front door of the Liverpool Adelphi Hotel because "back home" that would be whites only.

Terrible prejudices but the music that came out of it maybe wouldn't have been seen in a normal society. I just wish they would repeat the programmes.

 

[chriswoody]

There was an Arena program made about her a fair few years back now, which is where I was first made aware of her. I remembered watching it and being in complete awe, at not just her music, but her life as well. It's great to see some more on this amazing lady.

 

[Cycleops]

I think that’s the Arena program in my post @chriswoody .

 

[chriswoody]

You're right @Cycleops I only glanced at it briefly before I posted and didn't realise. I'll sit down and watch it properly later, it's a good watch.

 

[raleighnut]

I still say it was Chuck Berry, not a very nice guy but the first to rock up R&B

started in the early 50's

View: https://youtu.be/NIb-Q2xyHcc

 

[DRM]

Sister Rosetta predated Chuck Berry by a good 15 years, in fact Chuck Berry cites her as an influence to him, she also did the first stadium concert in 1951, 10 years before The Beatles, yet was only inducted in to the Rock & Roll hall of fame in 2017, should have been much sooner

 

[slowmotion]

I think that Eric Idle pretty much nailed it a while ago.....

[media]

]View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXW1iI5dC0k[/media]

 

[Spiderweb]

The Godfather was Shakin’ Stevens, end of conversation!

 

[raleighnut]

Sister Rosetta predated Chuck Berry by a good 15 years, in fact Chuck Berry cites her as an influence to him, she also did the first stadium concert in 1951, 10 years before The Beatles, yet was only inducted in to the Rock & Roll hall of fame in 2017, should have been much sooner

yep but I'd hardly call Sister Rosetta 'Rock n Roll' she played Gospel music.

 

[Blue Hills]

she famously performed for Granada TV in the rain at a disused railway station in Chorlton, south Manchester.
Now gone - was on the Fallowfield Loop I think which is now a somewhat problematical traffic free cycle route which gets mentions elsewhere on here.

 

[Venod]

There are a series of podcasts on Spotify entitled the "History of Rock, it credits some Jazz players as being the catalyst that developed through the generes into rock.

 

[Cycleops]

yep but I'd hardly call Sister Rosetta 'Rock n Roll' she played Gospel music.

Sure, her roots were in gospel but she played with an entirely different slant, her guitar solos a particular example. This is what the incoming wave of musicians picked up on and was hugely influential in rock’n roll. Gordon Stoker (The Jordanaires) who toured with Rosetta said how Elvis admired her guitar work.
Listen to her solo in this gospel song and tell me it’s not related to many later guitarists.

View: https://youtu.be/JeaBNAXfHfQ

 

[AndyRM]

I have to admit I'd never heard of her. She sounds awesome, both musically and as a person.