Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Nominates Sister Rosetta Tharpe!

Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Nominates Gospel Great & The Godmother of Rock and Roll Sister Rosetta Tharpe!

Northport N.Y. - We at M.C. Records are just thrilled that legendary Gospel and guitar great Sister Rosetta Tharpe has been nominated for the Class of 2018 by The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! It happened almost 15 years after we released our recording Shout Sister Shout, A Tribute To Sister Rosetta Tharpe. You can listen and radio can download the Tribute by clicking the cover! Sister Rosetta Tharpe was one of the most important musicians of the 20th century. * Sister was the 1st gospel performer to record for a major record label (Decca) 1938   * Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Johnny Cash, Issac Hayes and Aretha Franklin; All considered her a great influence * Her recordings sold millions of copies throughout her career including Strange Things Happening Every Day, Up Above My Head, Down By The Riverside and Rock Me (title of a feature film in the works).   * Was one of only two Gospel artists to make records for the troops during WW II.   * In 1951 Sister Rosetta's wedding took place at Griffith Stadium inWashington D.C.. Over 20,000 paying customers attended, and a concert was recorded and later released as an album. * During the 1960’s she would tour the U.K. and Europe influencing a generation of young rockers with her wild guitar style. A full bio can be found by clicking her photo ​ It was 16 Years ago, when Mark Carpentieri started putting together M.C. Records' Tribute recording for SisterRosetta Tharpe.  Things were quite different than today, Sister was mostly forgotten. In 2001, few albums were available and most were imports. I was so glad many artists wanted to right that wrong including Bonnie Raitt, Odetta, Phoebe Snow, Joan Osborne, Marcia Ball, Maria Muldaur and sister’s long-time partner Marie Knight   In the 21st century things would be different! * In 2007 - Gayle Wald's Shout, Sister, Shout! The Untold Story of Rock‑and‑Roll biography came out.   * In 2008 – After a campaign led by Bob Merz, the Governor of Pennsylvania declares January 11 Sister Rosetta Tharpe Day. That evening, a benefit concert is held at Philadelphia’s Keswick Theater to support the purchase of a marker for Rosetta’s gravesite. The concert features the Dixie Hummingbirds, Odetta, Marie Knight In 2011 – A historical marker is installed in front of Rosetta house on Master Street in Philadelphia. A celebration accompanies its unveiling. In 2014 Sister Rosetta Tharpe was the subject of a PBS Masters Series.    2016 –  The musical Marie and Rosetta is performed in New York City and more cities will be added.   2017 – The musical Shout Sister Shout is performed in Pasadena.   Sister Rosetta has four videos with over 1 million views Up Above My Head from 1964’s TV Gospel Time has over 10 million views worldwide, you can check it out by clicking the photo.    ****

Sister Gets Her Due

Sister Rosetta Tharpe Is Honored As An American Music Master M.C. Records' Rosetta Tribute Marks 10th Anniversary Contact: Catherine Mannarino                                         Phone: 631-754-8725                                               E-Mail: catherine@mc-records.com                                      web: www.mc-records.com Northport N.Y. - M.C. Records is proud to announce that Sister Rosetta Tharpe will be the subject of a PBS American Masters episode. "The Godmother of Rock n Roll" will premiere on Friday, February 22 at 9pm on PBS. M.C. Records released the first musical tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe in 2003, Shout Sister Shout, A Tribute To Sister Rosetta Tharpe. More information on the fantastic PBS program including the trailer can be found here: In 2002 M.C. Records president Mark Carpentieri was so moved by Sister Rosetta Tharpe and her music that he spent close to two years putting together the 2003 release, Shout Sister Shout, A Tribute To Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Artists on the recording included Joan Osborne, Janis Ian, The Holmes Brothers, Maria Muldaur, Bonnie Raitt, Odetta, Phoebe Snow, Michelle Shocked, Toshi Reagon, Marcia Ball and Sister's longtime musical partner Marie Knight. Liner notes were written by Tharpe's biographer Gayle Wald. Mark Carpentieri reflected on the release and Sister: When we started hardly any of her music was available on CD and I felt it was such a travesty. Maria Muldaur came on board first and eventually we got so many great artists that wanted to contribute. We embedded a video on the CD because this was before YouTube and I really wanted people to see Rosetta. I knew if they saw her they would never forget her. Not only did we start to get awareness for Sister and her music but I personally got to manage and record Rosetta's musical partner Marie Knight. The whole experience was so satisfying on so many levels. You can check out music clips, reviews and more information on the recording by clicking the cover. The video that is embedded on the CD is Sister Rosetta Tharpe's version of "Down By the Riverside." The clip has been watched over 800,000 times!  Check it out: If you would like to read more about the magnificent Sister Rosetta Tharpe then we suggest to check out her biography.  Shout, Sister, Shout! is written by Gayle Wald and is an outstanding account of this 20th century musical pioneer. http://www.amazon.com/Shout-Sister-Rock-Roll-Trailblazer/dp/0807009849/sr=8-4/qid=1166052896/ref=sr_1_4/002-2160982-6224859?ie=UTF8&s=books

Blind Boys of Alabama with Sister Rosetta Tharpe

The Blind Boys of Alabama is a five-time Grammy Award winning gospel group who first sang together in 1939. After seven decades of touring, countless prestigious appearances, and a successful discography, the Blind Boys of Alabama have created their own solid musical history. The on-stage configuration of the group currently consists of seven people:

Three blind singers – Jimmy Carter, Ben Moore, Eric "Ricky" McKinnie
Guitarist and musical director, Joey Williams
A keyboard player, a bass player, and a drummer

Since their formation over 70 years ago, The Blind Boys of Alabama's self-proclaimed goal is to spiritually uplift audiences. The gospel group has also been a source of inspiration for those with disabilities. In the words of one of the group’s blind members, Ricky Mckinnie, “Our disability doesn’t have to be a handicap. It's not about what you can't do. It's about what you do. And what we do is sing good gospel music."
The Blind Boys first sang together in the school chorus in 1939 at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in Talladega, Alabama. All around nine years old at the time, the founding members were Clarence Fountain, Jimmy Carter, George Scott, Velma Bozman Traylor, Johnny Fields, Olice Thomas, and the only sighted member, J. T. Hutton. The earliest version of the group was known as The Happyland Jubilee Singers and originally performed for World War II-era soldiers at training camps in the South. The group’s first professional performance was on June 10, 1944. In 1945, the members dropped out of school and began touring the gospel circuit.

In 1948, a Newark, New Jersey promoter booked two sets of blind gospel singers – the Happy Land Jubilee Singers from Alabama and the Jackson Harmoneers from Mississippi – and advertised the program as "Battle of the Blind Boys". A friendly rivalry sprouted between the two groups and continued henceforth. The two acts soon changed their names to the Five Blind Boys of Alabama and the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi and often toured together, occasionally swapping members.

In 1948, The Blind Boys recorded their first single, "I Can See Everybody’s Mother But Mine", on the Veejay label. It was a hit and lead to a series of recordings on various record labels.
The 1950s were an important decade for black gospel music and the Blind Boys were one of the most prominent groups. Artists across various musical genres like pop and rock began to pull inspiration from black gospel music
During the 60s and 70s, soul music gained favor as a new type of secular black music. As a traditional gospel group, the fortunes of The Blind Boys of Alabama waned during these decades. Soul music was spiritual and socially engaged pop music, and its sales quickly exceeded those of its gospel forerunners. For this reason, soul music became the more financially successful route for many gospel artists. The Blind Boys of Alabama remained steadfast to their original mission and decided not to take the path to fame and fortune, but rather to remain purely gospel singers.

Even though societal trends were shifting, The Blind Boys continued to be active in the 1960s and 1970s. Over the span of these two decades, the gospel group released thirteen more albums and worked with several different record labels, including recording for the Vee-Jay label from 1963 to 1965. In the 1960s, the group's hard-driving gospel sound was imitated by people like Bobby "Blue" Bland and Marvin Gaye. In 1969, Fountain left the group for a decade to try to make it on his own, and the group re-formed with all the original members in the late '70s.

The band also joined the civil rights movement during the 1960s, performing at benefits for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr
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That' All - Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Sister Rosetta Tharpe (March 20, 1915 – October 9, 1973) was an American pioneering gospel singer, songwriter and recording artist who attained great popularity in the 1930s and 1940s with a unique mixture of spiritual lyrics and early rock and roll accompaniment. She became the first great recording star of gospel music in the late 1930s and also became known as the "original soul sister" of recorded music.

Willing to cross the line between sacred and secular by performing her inspirational music of 'light' in the 'darkness' of the nightclubs and concert halls with big bands behind her, her witty, idiosyncratic style also left a lasting mark on more conventional gospel artists, such as Ira Tucker, Sr., of the Dixie Hummingbirds. While she offended some conservative churchgoers with her forays into the world of pop music, she never left gospel music.Like my Facebook Page, Post your video on my Wall or post your Photos of great blues events! Share your favorite posting and get more exposure for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

Down By The Riverside - Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Sister Rosetta Tharpe (March 20, 1915 – October 9, 1973) was an American pioneering gospel singer, songwriter and recording artist who attained great popularity in the 1930s and 1940s with a unique mixture of spiritual lyrics and early rock and roll accompaniment. She became the first great recording star of gospel music in the late 1930s and also became known as the "original soul sister" of recorded music.

Willing to cross the line between sacred and secular by performing her inspirational music of 'light' in the 'darkness' of the nightclubs and concert halls with big bands behind her, her witty, idiosyncratic style also left a lasting mark on more conventional gospel artists, such as Ira Tucker, Sr., of the Dixie Hummingbirds. While she offended some conservative churchgoers with her forays into the world of pop music, she never left gospel music.
Tharpe's performances were curtailed by a stroke in 1970, after which she had a leg amputated as a result of complications from diabetes. She died in 1973 after another stroke, on the eve of a scheduled recording session. She was buried in Northwood Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in an unmarked grave. A resurgence in interest in her legendary work has led to a biography, several NPR segments, scholarly articles and honors. In 2007 she was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. In 2008, a concert was held to raise funds for a marker for her grave and January 11 was declared Sister Rosetta Tharpe Day in Pennsylvania. A gravestone was put in place later that year and a Pennsylvania historical marker was approved for placement at her home in the Yorktown neighborhood of Philadelphia.
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Sister Rosetta Tharpe to be Honored with Historical Marker - Mark Carpentieri

Northport N.Y. - I'm very proud to announce that on Monday October 24, Sister Rosetta Tharpe (1915-1973), the pioneering gospel musician, will be honored by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission with the dedication of an Historical Marker at her former North Philadelphia home.

I'm honored to be speaking at the event along with Karen Galle of the Historical Marker Program Coordinator, PA Historical and Museum Commission, Beth Warshaw-Duncan of Girls Rock Philly and Gayle Wald of George Washington University. Gayle write the liner notes to our release, "Shout Sister Shout, A Tribute To Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

Didn't It Rain - Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Rosetta Tharpe (March 20, 1915 – October 9, 1973) was a pioneering gospel singer, songwriter and recording artist who attained great popularity in the 1930s and 1940s with a unique mixture of spiritual lyrics and early rock and roll accompaniment. She became the first great recording star of gospel music in the late 1930s and also became known as the "original soul sister" of recorded music.



Willing to cross the line between sacred and secular by performing her inspirational music of 'light' in the 'darkness' of the nightclubs and concert halls with big bands behind her, her witty, idiosyncratic style also left a lasting mark on more conventional gospel artists, such as Ira Tucker, Sr., of the Dixie Hummingbirds. While she offended some conservative churchgoers with her forays into the world of pop music, she never left gospel music.

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