Sister Rosetta Tharpe Documentary

Hi All:

I hope it is not too late to let you know about an exciting documentary that will air on PBS tonight. As part of their "American Masters" series, PBS will air "Sister Rosetta Tharpe: Godmother of Rock n' Roll" tonight at 10 pm on the local WETA channel. Much of the material for the documentary is drawn from Professor Gayle Wald's 2007 biography, Shout, Sister, Shout!: The Untold Story of Rock-and-Roll Trailblazer Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Dr. Wald is a professor in the English department here at GWU.

I meant to inform you about this on Thursday, but as usual, there is just too much material to cover during the class period. This documentary would be a good opportunity for extra credit or a blog post, particularly as we move into the section on the relationship among music, popular culture, and social transformation, radical politics.

There is also a Facebook campaign to have Rosetta Tharpe admitted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which has not happened yet.

You can watch the trailer online and look through other materials as well.

- Elizabeth