Latest news with #RosettaTharpe
BBC News
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Beverley Knight recording again after return to Wolverhampton
Beverley Knight has said she is planning to record more music after performing in her hometown the first time in 40 years, the artist is treading the boards in Wolverhampton this week for a production of Marie & work features music celebrating the legacy of gospel and blues singer Rosetta Tharpe in the development of rock 'n' said "expect to hear some really bluesy vocals going down, some really earthy sounding stuff" in the music she would record. The singer told BBC Radio WM this would take place "in the short period" after finishing in Wolverhampton and before doing her first show with Take That's Gary Barlow. Asked what kind of material would be recorded, she said for her "it's always a hybrid" before mentioning the "blues and that kind of sound" in her current show and the film Sinners "and that proper fusion of modern blues and that"."I've just been living for it," added Knight, who said she did not know when it would be last performed on stage at the Grand four decades ago in a theatrical production of West Side Story, the singer previously stated. Knight, widely regarded as one of Britain's greatest soul singers, has said to be cast as Sister Rosetta in this week's production was a "great honour".Marie & Rosetta tells the story of Tharpe and her protege, Marie Knight, played by Ntombizodwa Ndlovu. It is on at the Grand Theatre until Saturday. It is set in 1946 in Mississippi and Beverley Knight said it was "right up my street... the gospel, of course, I was born into that whole tradition myself".She added: "I'm so happy I'm home. I'm gonna be in my old bedroom."More or less it looks the same as it was. [The] bed's in the same place... [the] fitted wardrobe's in the same place."Knight said her favourite place in the city "just to zone out and just chill out" was Bantock Park."I love Bantock Park. You've got the lovely cafe there and they do a really good tea and cake and... I go for lovely runs around there in the morning." Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Black America Web
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Black America Web
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor Tapped For Rosetta Tharpe Biopic
Source: Mirrorpix / Getty Rosetta Tharpe was a trailblazing Black musician who found fame early on as a gospel artist before shifting to rock and roll and inspiring several future legends. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor has been tapped to pen a script for a biopic about Sister Rosetta Tharpe, with legendary rocker Mick Jagger serving as a producer. Deadline reports that the Sister Rosetta Tharpe biopic was set in motion after Live Nation Productions reached out to Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor to piece together the script. Along with Jagger's Jagged Films, the film is also being produced by Tribeca Studios and Inaudible Productions. Sister Rosetta Tharpe emerged on the music scene first in the world of gospel, releasing her first recordings at the age of 23 in 1938. One of the singles, 'Rock Me,' would become a hit and influenced the likes of Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Little Richard, among others. Tharpe would mix gospel lyrics with secular music, which angered some. She went on to perform her mix of gospel and rhythm and blues, all accented by her guitar playing. The image of a Black woman singing gospel music inside secular establishments, along with her chosen instrument, caused many to not support her musical endeavors despite her quietly influencing future musical superstars along the way. In interviews, Thapre essentially framed rock and roll as rhythm and blues at a faster pace. Sister Rosetta Tharpe passed away in 1973, but was acknowledged by her peers as a pioneering voice for rock and roll. Along with the biopic, there will be a documentary about Tharpe centering on her contributions to music and her lasting influence, most especially in the world of guitars. The film will also pull from author Gayle Wald's Shout, Sister, Shout!: The Untold Story of Rock-and-Roll Trailblazer Sister Rosetta Tharpe biography. — Photo: Getty SEE ALSO Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor Tapped For Rosetta Tharpe Biopic was originally published on Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lizzo to Play Sister Rosetta Tharpe in Upcoming Biopic
The post Lizzo to Play Sister Rosetta Tharpe in Upcoming Biopic appeared first on Consequence. Lizzo has been cast in a new biopic from Amazon MGM Studios exploring the life of legendary rock pioneer Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The film, currently titled Rosetta, is in development with Lizzo co-producing alongside Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker, and Kevin Beisler, the last of whom led 2022's Lizzo: Live In Concert. Tharpe is known as the first great icon of gospel music, and her work on electric guitar notably laid the foundation for what would become rock n' roll. Her influence was noted by artists like Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, and Chuck Berry. According to Deadline, the film zeroes in on a specific period in Tharpe's life and will explore the ways she defied expectations and forged her own path, both in her music and in her personal life. The movie is moving forward under Significant Productions, a company known for championing emerging talent and yielding films like Ryan Coogler's breakout project Fruitvale Station. In the meantime, Lizzo recently released a single, 'Still Bad,' and is set to appear as a musical guest on SNL on April 12th. While this will be her first time leading a movie, Lizzo appeared in Lorene Scafaria's 2019 film Hustlers and lent her voice to animated movie UglyDolls. Rosetta Tharpe appeared in Baz Lurhmann's Oscar-nominated Elvis, where she was played by vocalist Yola. Lizzo to Play Sister Rosetta Tharpe in Upcoming Biopic Mary Siroky Popular Posts Members of British Punk Band UK Subs Detained and Denied Entry into US Dolly Parton Gave Rules to Sabrina Carpenter for "Please Please Please" Rework Documentary Claims Jim Morrison Is Alive, Living in Syracuse Drake's Lawyers Say "Millions of People" Believe Kendrick Lamar's Pedophile Claim In 2025, Lollapalooza Has Shed Its Rock Past for Good A Definitive Ranking of Every Disney Live-Action Remake Subscribe to Consequence's email digest and get the latest breaking news in music, film, and television, tour updates, access to exclusive giveaways, and more straight to your inbox.
