Sister Rosetta Tharpe

i've been listening to a lot of buddy holly again as of late. out of all the 50s rock and roll, he's my guy. i love the sound of carl perkins, elvis, jerry lee lewis, and johnny cash all together as the "million dollar quartet," but buddy holly always made me think about white t-shirts with cigarette packs rolled up in the sleeves and fast cars with big fins. even though he played clean through a strat, he had a raw, unveiled emotion about him (even if it came across as something held back). but every time you sit and listen to 50s rock(abilly), you can't help but be smacked over the head with the overt sounds of a blues song structure and gospel lyrical cadences. and every time i think of that, i think of Sister Rosetta Tharpe. hell... even the hand-clapping punk rock of The (Young) Pioneers —one of my favorite punk bands, 50 years later — borrows from Rosetta.

watch these videos.

watch her wail on the guitar during her solos.

shit, man... if i were 18 years old in the late 50s, i think i'd want to adopt her as a surrogate grandmother. she's so damn amazing.