The home for Songs That Saved Your Life Radio on WKNY 107.9FM where Jami explores the very queer roots of rock n roll and plays a lot of great music!

I say it often on this show but rock & roll history is Black history and that history often gets erased from our understanding, especially if it also intersects with women’s and queer history. The story of rock & roll is no exception. Today, a lot of people are unaware how the genre was set in motion in 1938 by a Black, queer, woman named Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

Not even the Rock Hall of Fame officially acknowledged Tharpe as the “Godmother of Rock” until 2018, a half century after she died.

“Tharpe plugged into an electric guitar in the late 1930s and became a rock star before the men considered the pioneers of rock and roll had dreamt of doing so. She's the ‘Godmother of rock and roll’ who influenced every musician traditionally identified with helping launch the genre during the 1950s."

In this episode, we’ll talk about Tharpe’s vast influence on early rock & roll and how her impact is still felt across all genres of music today.

Music in today’s episode include songs by Brittany Howard, Little Richard, Betty Davis, Muddy Waters, and Durand Jones.

Songs That Saved Your Life

Sister Rosetta Tharpe Radio