Yola inhabits the soulful Sister Rosetta
It was a time before Elvis or Aretha, a time when “rock” and “soul” were mostly just nouns.
That was when Sister Rosetta Tharpe brought a rocking, soulful feel to gospel music. Now she’s getting fresh attention, via PBS and, eventually, a Baz Luhrmann movie.
“Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s contribution to music – specifically to the creation of rock-and-roll – (was) very central to my music taste,” said Yola (shown here), the singer who gets two chances to inhabit Tharpe.
The first is on “Grammy Salute to Music Legends,” at 9 p.m. Friday (Oct. 16) on PBS. Yola sings Tharpe’s powerhouse, “Up Above My Head, I Hear Music in the Air.” And the second will be in a movie … well, sometime. Read more…