And tonight at 7:30, the Central Library hosts a free screening of the recent BBC documentary celebrating "The Godmother of Rock 'N' Roll: Sister Rosetta Tharpe."
The core reason for this afternoon's gathering is the official unveiling of a marker placed outside her home by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, with comments by project coordinator Karen Galle and Beth Warshaw-Duncan of Girls Rock Philly, a music-education program that raised money for the installation. Attendees (you're invited!) also will enjoy insights from: Ira Tucker Jr. of the Dixie Hummingbirds, another Philadelphia gospel institution that often toured with Tharpe; Mark Carpentieri of M.C. Records, which issued a terrific all-star tribute album to the singer in 2003; and George Washington University professor Gayle Wald, author of a Tharpe biography (now out in paperback) that, like the tribute album, bears the rousing title Shout, Sister, Shout! That was another of Tharpe's hits and encapsulated what she was all about - a gospel singer who lived and breathed emancipation and unbridled joy, regardless of the consequences.
There'll also be some live music ringing outside Tharpe's old stomping grounds, performed appropriately by Monnette Sudler. She's another fine Philadelphia-based guitarist who's fought the odds and had her share of ups and downs.
Tharpe was a true pioneer, a sanctified, second-generation gospel singer with a flamboyant delivery and glamorous look, performing in stylish gowns and high heels instead of the requisite choir robes. Add in her equally strong guitar playing, which flirted with blues and swing styles, and it wasn't long into her adult career before Tharpe was asked to make records.
