Gospel Singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe With The Sally Jenkins Singers: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A 45 rpm record album titled “Gospel Singer: Sister Rosetta Tharpe with the Sally Jenkins Singers" recorded live at the Church of God in Christ Church in Harlem. The front cover of the record sleeve (2014.98.1b) features a black and white portrait of Sister Rosetta Tharpe singing into a microphone. She is pictured from the chest up and is looking up and away. The image is on a black and orange background with white and orange lettering. The back of the record sleeve features the track listing [Side 1 / 1. BRING BACK THOSE HAPPY DAYS / 2. GO GET THE WATER / Side 2 / 1. IT'S ME / 2. I HAVE GOOD NEWS TO BRING]. The back also has information about the record and biographical information on Tharpe, noting [This recording was made at the Church of God in Christ in New York by one of the outstanding gospel singers of our time, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, with the Sally Jenkins Singers and the active participation of the congregation. Such are the bare bones of the facts about this record, a record that gives you all the emotional enthusiasm and devotion that is an integral part of negro worship].

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1959; published later
• Recorded by: Sister Rosetta Tharpe, American, 1915 - 1973
• Recorded by: The Sally Jenkins Singers, American
• Distributed by: Mercury Records, American, founded 1945
• Published by: EMI Records Ltd, British, 1972 - 2013
• Subject of: Church of God in Christ, American, founded 1897
• Type: record covers
• Type: 45 rpm records
• Medium: vinyl, ink on paper
• Dimensions: Diameter (record): 6 7/8 in. (17.5 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (album jacket): 7 1/16 × 7 1/16 in. (18 × 18 cm)
• Place printed: England, United Kingdom, Europe
• Place captured: Harlem, New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Gospel (Music)
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Mass media
• Topic: Pentecostal
• Topic: Religion
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2014.98.1ab
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Gayle Wald
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: Unknown - Restrictions Possible Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.