Sister Rosetta Tharpe was considered by many as the godmother of rock ‘n’ roll. Her pioneering mixture of bluesy rock guitar and spiritual soul singing formed a crucial foundation for a music style that would lead to acolytes like Little Richard and Chuck Berry. Her story, including her protégé gospel singer Marie Knight, plays out on the theater stage in “Marie and Rosetta,” a musical production coming to Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company in Atlanta. The show marks the company’s return to live performance at Atlanta Southwest Arts Center from Nov. 30 – Dec. 30. Jamil Jude is the artistic director of True Colors, and he joined “City Lights” host Lois Reitzes to talk about the production and True Colors’ new season of upcoming shows.
Interview highlights:
Why this play, why now?
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