Sister Rosetta was born in Cotton Plant, Arkansas but there is some confusion as to whether she was born in 1915 or 1921 and she managed to always avoid direct confirmation of either. The daughter of travelling missionary Katie Bell "Mother Bell" Nubin, Rosetta began performing with her mother at the age of 6.
Sister Rosetta married three times. Her first marriage to minister Thomas J. Thorpe ended early in divorce because he couldn't accept her performing. Her second marriage to gospel booking agent Forrest Allen also ended in divorce. In 1951 she married Russell Morrison, the former manager of The Ink Spots.
Complications of a stroke she suffered in 1970 resulted in the amputation of one of her legs, but she continued to tour until 1973. She suffered another stroke in 1973, this time fatal. She died on October 9, 1973 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
A remarkable woman and performer, she became the first nationally recognizable gospel singer, the first to take gospel music into secular arenas, and the first gospel artist to record with a major label.
Didn't It Rain by Sister Rosetta Tharp from a 1964 appearance on the BBC t.v. show "Blues and Gospel Train."
Musician's Guide biography of Sister Rosetta Tharpe
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