The Richmond Afro-American reporting on Tharpe’s wedding in 1951 (Image courtesy Richmond Public Library)
My husband, Andrew, and his twin brother, Paul, are die-hard Chuck Berry, Beatles and Rolling Stones fans, and they have a penchant for watching variety shows and concerts from the 1950s and 1960s. With them I’ve watched the 1964 T.A.M.I. Show and Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s 1964 performance of “Didn’t It Rain” in Manchester, England.
In 2016, through a gospel music feature in the magazine written by Samantha Willis, I found out that Tharpe had a house in Barton Heights.
And it’s now through Craig Belcher’s piece in this month’s issue that I learned Tharpe came to Richmond specifically for its tight-knit gospel scene. She purchased her first house here, and resided in the city for 10 years, working with some of the city’s best voices and musicians.
Though Richmond seemingly has forgotten this superstar, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will finally induct Tharpe this month.
Tharpe’s back-up singers, The Rosettes, were all from Richmond, and included the mother of popular vocalist and actress Desiree Roots Centeio, Sarah Brooks Roots. Desiree’s father, James Roots Jr., was Tharpe’s pianist and bandleader. Tharpe also performed frequently with Richmond’s The Harmonizing Four, whose members included Lonnie Smith Sr.
And then there’s Stu Gardner, a musician and composer, who said Tharpe was like a godmother. His father, William Gardner Jr., was a member of Richmond’s Dependable Boys, another group that recorded with Tharpe. “[My dad] was crazy about her. She was a wonderful, sweet lady. Loved to laugh. She had an infectious laugh. Her laughing could kill you.”
And to bring the connections full circle, The Dependable Boys were managed by Lewis Warren Henry, the father of Lottie Henry Smith, one of The Rosettes, according to Tharpe biographer Gayle Wald.
In speaking with Centeio, Gardner, Lonnie Liston Smith Jr. and Lottie Henry Smith’s husband, 90-year-old Clifton Smith Sr., Belcher adds texture to Tharpe’s Richmond story, including a nugget that she married her third husband in front of a crowd of 15,000 in an $800 Thalhimers bridal gown.
The story of Tharpe and Richmond’s grassroots gospel scene is one that Richmond should amplify, before all these present-day players and singers reach their great reward.
