Video Pick: Sing, Sister, Sing!

This last week, I've been enjoying Gayle F. Wald's Shout, Sister, Shout! The Untold Story of Rock-and-Roll Trailblazer Sister Rosetta Tharpe. (Look for a review here in the next week or two.)

I've been interested in Tharpe's life for a few years now, and I'm taking my usual approach to learning about a musician/artist: immersion (a Baptist thing, maybe?). Friends of mine recall the Summer of Marvin Gaye (2004) and my James Brown Period (summer 2006-present). I bought a 4-CD box set of Tharpe's work just before Tower Records' demise, and I've been listening to her music as I savor Wald's book. This video is of a 1960s-era performance on TV Gospel Time with the Olivet Institutional Baptist Church Choir.

Here's an NPR report on Sister Rosetta Tharpe, featuring an interview with Wald, Maria Muldaur, and Marie Knight.

My take on the project Shout, Sister Shout: A Tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe.