1998 32c Gospel Singers: Sister Rosetta

US #3219
1998 Sister Rosetta Tharpe

• Part of set of 4 featuring Gospel Singers
• 12th installment in Legends of American Music series

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Set:  Legends of American Music (Gospel Singers)
Value:  32¢, First Class Mail Rate
First Day of Issue:  July 15, 1998
First Day City:  New Orleans, Louisiana
Quantity Issued:  11,250,000
Printed by:  Sennett Security products
Printing Method:  Photogravure
Format:  Pane of 20
Perforations:  10.1 X 10.2

Why the stamp was issued:  This stamp is part of a set of four issued to honor Gospel Singers Mahalia Jackson, Roberta Martin, Clara Ward, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

About the stamp design:  Gary Kelley, a graphic designer and free-lance illustrator, was the talent behind these stamps.  He was asked to show the performers in active poses, rather than sitting still.  Kelley used pastels for the portraits, which is a medium rarely used for stamp art.

First Day City:  The stamps were issued as part of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship’s Conference 98, held at the Superdome in New Orleans.

About the Legends of American Music Series:  The Legends of American Music Series debuted on January 8, 1993, and ran until September 21, 1999.  More than 90 artists are represented from all styles of music:  rock ‘n’ roll, rhythm and blues, country and western, jazz and pop, opera and classical, gospel and folk.  In addition to individual singers and Broadway musicals, subjects include band leaders, classical composers, Hollywood songwriters and composers, conductors, lyricists, and more.  The Legends of American Music Series was a huge advancement for diversity because it honored many Black and female artists.
Four of the most influential early gospel artists were honored on a se-tenant - the twelfth issue in the Legends of American Music Series.  Mahalia Jackson, Roberta Martin, Clara Ward, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe all performed this spiritual music with reverence and love.  They popularized gospel music for those who weren’t part of churches that sang in that style.  Many musicians added secular themes to their songs to appeal to more People.

History the stamp represents: Sister Rosetta Tharpe (1921-1973) is credited with being the inventor of “pop gospel.”  One of the premier gospel singers to perform outside of a church, in 1938 she became the first gospel singer to record with a major company.
The tiny hamlet of Cotton Plant, Arkansas, was Rosetta’s hometown.  By the age of six, she had mastered the guitar, an instrument which would later become her trademark.  Soon after she began attending church conventions with her mother, who served as a traveling missionary.  They eventually settled in Chicago, Illinois.
Above all the other talents Rosetta possessed, she had showmanship and a magnetic effect on people.  Along with singing in church, Rosetta also appeared in nightclubs and theaters.  Her mixture of gospel and bluesy secular music appealed to a variety of fans.
A great soloist, Rosetta was successful in making the transition from an unknown gospel singer to a nationally recognized performer.  In the late 1930s, her song “Rock Me” became a hit across the country.  She experienced success on the Billboard charts many times.  For several years, Rosetta toured the US and Europe solo and with various quartets.