Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Sister Rosetta Tharpe was an American gospel singer and guitarist who combined powerful, devotional vocals with a driving, syncopated electric guitar style, blending gospel, blues, and early popular music elements. Her performances mixed spiritual material with showmanship and a rhythmic attack on guitar that helped bridge church music and secular forms and influenced later rhythm and blues and rock musicians. She is regarded as a pioneering figure in the development of 20th century American popular music.