• FIRST commercially successful gospel singer
• Born Rosetta Nubin, she was a musical prodigy, who was playing guitar and singing on stage by age four
• Her mother was a musician and preacher, and at six years old Tharpe was traveling and performing with her mother's group
• In 1938, Tharpe got a record deal with Decca Records and released an album of gospel songs that was an instant success
• Blended elements of blues, jazz, gospel, and folk music to develop her own unique style that defied categorization
• Some protested her music, declaring it profane to perform gospel music outside of church -- others were shocked to see a woman playing guitar
• Over her career, Tharpe performed at Carnegie Hall, and worked with some of the best musicians of the day, including blues legend Muddy Waters, Cab Calloway, and Benny Goodman
• One of the earliest adopters of electric guitar, she is often credited as the true creator of rock and roll

Bibliography: Doyle, Caitlin. Girls Can Do Anything: From Sports to Innovation, Art to Politics, Meet Over 200 Women Who Got There First. Buffalo: Firefly Books, 2016. Print.

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