American rapper and singer Lizzo will play the lead role in Rosetta, an upcoming biopic about the life of rock'n'roll pioneer Sister Rostetta Tharpe.
The film will be made by Amazon Studios in conjunction with Lizzo and executive producer Kevin Beisler (who worked on the star's Amazon series Watch Out for the Big Grrrls and the Lizzo: Live in Concert film).
"Let me be very clear: there were no auditions for Sister Rosetta Tharpe," says Lizzo. "Because this is a film I’ve been producing for years, fighting for her story to get told. I’ve been honouring her in my music videos and performances, pitching her movie to people who’ve never heard of her, studying her life and reading every book that exists about her.
"This is my baby, my passion – because Rosetta deserves. The Godmother of rock'n'roll is in good hands, y’all. Stay tuned."
Sister Rosetta Tharpe was born in Cotton Plant, Arkansas, in 1915. After becoming a star in her mother’s church in Chicago – one of the few that allowed women to preach, and also encouraged musical expression beyond the hymn book – she moved to New York, where the legendary talent scout John Hammond introduced her to big-city audiences.
Signed to Decca Records, and singing with Lucky Millinder’s orchestra, Rosetta shocked her gospel fans by recording saucy material like Four Or Five Times and I Want A Tall Skinny Papa. Her 1945 record of Strange Things Are Happening is one of a handful of candidates for the first-ever rock’n’roll record.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe died from a stroke in 1973, aged 58. Her epitaph reads: “She would sing until you cried and then she would sing until you danced for joy. She helped to keep the church alive and the saints rejoicing.”
