Strange Things Happening Every Day
| "Strange Things Happening Every Day" | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Sister Rosetta Tharpe | |||||||
| Released | 1944 / 1945 | ||||||
| Recorded | 1944 | ||||||
| Genre | Blues, gospel, spiritual | ||||||
| Length | 3:38 | ||||||
| Label | Decca | ||||||
| |||||||
"Strange Things Happening Every Day" is a traditional African American spiritual.
It was most famously, and influentially, recorded by Sister Rosetta Tharpe in late 1944, becoming a hit record in 1945. Released as a single by Decca Records, Tharpe's version featured her vocals and electric guitar, with Sammy Price (piano), bass and drums. It was the first gospel record to cross over and become a hit on the "race records" chart, the term then used for what later became the R&B chart, and reached #2 on the Billboard "race" chart in April 1945.[1][2] The recording has been cited as an important precursor of rock and roll.[3]
In recent years, versions of the song have also been recorded by Michelle Shocked, Johnny Cash, Linda Gail Lewis, and Tom Jones.
References
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 440.
- ↑ Jason Ankeny, Biography of Rosetta Tharpe, Allmusic.com
- ↑ Dan DeLuca, Sister Rosetta Tharpe got rock rolling long before Elvis, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 26 February 2007