The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced its 2018 class of inductees, and aside from the more known acts like Bon Jovi and Nina Simone was music pioneer Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
The name may not ring a bell, but Tharpe is the person your favorite musicians often cite as one of their early inspirations. A queer Black woman emerged from the south to create a radical sound that influenced and defined an era.
Here are the things you should know about Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
01
Sister Rosetta Tharpe Was Born Into Music
Sister Rosetta Nubin was born in Cotton Plant, Arkansas in 1915. Her mother, Katie Harper was a singer, musician and preacher for the Church of God in Christ (COGIC). Tharpe picked up the guitar at age four and by six years old, she had joined her mother on the road in a traveling evangelical act.
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02
Rosetta Tharpe
After settling in Chicago and then later in New York City, Tharpe began merging the sound of the Delta blues, jazz and gospel music to create her signature sound. She experimented with the sound, and her first single was a gospel and rock fusion called “Rock Me.”
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03
Rosetta Tharpe
Black women guitarists were rare and Tharpe definitely stood out. Bob Dylan said of Tharpe, “I’m sure there are a lot of young English guys who picked up electric guitars after getting a look at her.” Tharpe played with Duke Ellington and Dixie Hummingbirds.
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04
Rosetta Tharpe
Sister Rosetta Tharpe was married several times and had relationships with both men and women. She met her partner, Marie Knight, and the pair began touring and making music together in the 1940s. It was a revolutionary act.
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05
Rosetta Tharpe
Way before Sly Stone married in front of a crowd of onlookers at Madison Square Garden in 1974, Tharpe had already been there and done it. In 1951, Tharpe married her third husband at a concert in Washington D.C. The concert was recorded and later sold as an album.
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06
Rosetta Tharpe
A resurgence of interest in Tharpe emerged in the 90s through several television segments, honors and articles. She was posthumously honored by the United States Postal Service with a 32-cent commemorative stamp on July 15, 1998.
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07
Rosetta Tharpe
She continued touring in Europe to nearly the end of her life. Tharpe’s last known recording is in 1970. She suffered a stroke that year and had one of her legs amputated from diabetes complications. Tharpe suffered a fatal stroke on October 9, 1973 and died in Philadelphia.
If you’ve ever been to ESSENCE Hollywood House, you know it’s more than just a series of panels—it’s a gathering of visionaries. A space where Black creatives and leaders come together to share stories, strategies, and solutions. This year’s conversation, Let’s Talk About LA: Preserving Our City, presented by AT&T, was no different.
The discussion brought together three voices, each deeply invested in shaping LA’s future: D. Smoke, the Grammy-nominated rapper and educator; Olympia Auset, founder of SÜPRMRKT, a grocery service tackling food apartheid in LA; and DJ HED, a radio personality and advocate for independent artists. Though their paths differed, their mission was the same—creating opportunities, protecting culture, and ensuring Black spaces in LA don’t just survive but thrive.
For Olympia Ausset, the work she’s doing with SÜPRMRKT goes far beyond providing fresh groceries—it’s about laying the foundation for a stronger, healthier community. “The LA we love, the cultural beacon it’s known as today, was built by people who worked hard to create their own spaces,” she shared. “The reason I do what I do is because it’s essential. We can’t achieve any of the changes I want for my community without being in good health and having access to affordable, organic food. Without places where we can gather, heal, and support each other, none of the other goals will be possible. It starts with taking care of ourselves and building those spaces together.”
From Olympia’s focus on wellness and accessibility to DJ HED’s belief in the power of self-worth, the discussion explored what it means to dream beyond individual success and invest in collective progress. “I see a lot of people who aren’t proud of where they come from, what they look like, or where they’re at in life,” he said. “I had to learn to give myself grace, to grow. I grew up in Inglewood, raised by a single mom. We lived in a car, we were on welfare, but I knew I wanted to be bigger than my circumstances. That’s what dreaming in Black is—believing in something greater and nurturing it until it grows.”
DJ Smoke also touched on this, emphasizing the importance of intention and fulfillment. “You don’t want to climb that ladder and realize you went real high in the wrong direction,” he warned. “A lot of people in LA are ambitious, but if you don’t understand your ‘why,’ you can get to the top and still feel empty. The goal isn’t just to make it—it’s to make it mean something.
Sometimes, as Black creatives, we only dream as far as the next gig or the next check, but dreaming in Black means going beyond that. “It means thinking bigger than what’s right in front of you,” said host Donye Taylor.
This conversation was a call to action – a reminder that preserving LA’s Black culture means investing in community, honoring our history, and building a legacy that lasts.