Rosetta Nubin, b. March 20, 1915 in Cotton Plant, AR, d. October 9, 1973 in Philadelphia, PA. After first singing in a church choir, Tharpe quickly became a solo singer. In addition to her deeply held religious views, she was influenced by blues singers and musicians and took up the guitar to help broaden her repertoire. By the late 30s she was a popular performer at sacred and secular functions, happily switching from gospel to jazz. She was featured at John Hammond's 'Spirituals To Swing' concerts at Carnegie Hall and also worked at the Cotton Club with Cab Calloway. In the early 40s she spent a year with the Lucky Millinder band, recording several bestselling numbers that included 'I Want A Tall Skinny Papa' and a marvellous rendition of 'Trouble In Mind'. Apparently conscience-stricken at this venture into the seamier side of life, she returned to the safety of the church, rocking congregations to the roots of their souls with her ecstatic and sometimes frenzied singing. She continued to record and her duets with fellow gospel singer Marie Knight are classics of the form. Later in her career, she continued to sing in churches but returned regularly to the jazz scene, making enormously successful tours of Europe and the UK with Chris Barber and others in the 50s and 60s. One of the few gospel singers to become an effective jazz performer, her vitality and zeal won her a substantial following in both fields.