Sister Rosetta Tharpe (1915-’73) became a musical fountainhead after emerging in the ’40s as a singing, guitar-picking firebrand performing pop and gospel. She was one of Johnny Cash’s favorite singers, and guitarists through the decades have admired her work. She was 51 when she performed this never-released gospel show, her sole accompaniment a Gibson Barney Kessel model.

The recording’s sonic clarity reveals the synergy of her unrestrained vocals and rhythmic licks. “When My Life Work Is Ended” begins with single-string figures and driving chords. Hot licks burst forth, such as her stunning break on “Down by the Riverside.” After romping through “Bring Back Those Happy Days,” she downshifts into a slow, fervent “Give Me That Old Time Religion.”

Another instrumental high point is the wild, unpredictable single-string intro to “If Anybody Above Me”; “Traveling Shoes” similarly begins with an amazing flurry of chords and notes. Does she know her way around dynamics? She does, and proves it in the middle of “Go Ahead.”

The show is the statement of a master. Perhaps Billy Gibbons, a longtime fan, says it best in the liner notes: “A good guitarist is good; a great guitarist is Sister Rosetta Tharpe.”

This article originally appeared in VG’s July 2024 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.