NASHVILLE, TN (July 21, 2022) Gibson, the iconic American instrument brand, has partnered with Newport Festivals Foundation through its philanthropic arm Gibson Gives at this summer’s Newport Folk Festival to celebrate the music icon Sister Rosetta Tharpe and the 55th anniversary of her groundbreaking Newport Folk Festival performance on July 16, 1967. This Sunday, July 24 at 12:40 PM on the Newport Folk Festival Foundation Stage a special performance will feature acclaimed singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Celisse performing classic Sister Rosetta Tharpe songs such as “Didn’t It Rain,” as well as a special performance of SRT’s “Up Above My Head” alongside the youth players from RIOT RI–a local nonprofit that fosters the development of healthy identities in girls, women, trans, and gender-expansive youth and adults, through the power of music. Gibson will donate six of the soon to be released new Epiphone Power Players guitars to the RIOT RI Foundation.
“Sister Rosetta Tharpe is one of music’s most important and influential figures as the creator of rock and roll music” says Celisse. “Celebrating the 55th anniversary of her debut at Newport Folk Fest, in collaboration with RIOT RI further affirms one of the most important tenants of Newport’s mission, a commitment to honoring and remembering the true founders and innovators of American music. I am incredibly proud to be one of the many artists that stand on Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s shoulders and hope that in continuing to name and celebrate her incredible contributions to popular music, it may inspire more people to believe that great music can come from anyone.”
Founded in 2011, Newport Festivals Foundation’s mission is to preserve the Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals and expand their impact through year-round music education and artist relief initiatives. The festivals have always strived to present artists who respect and honor jazz and folk music traditions, while at the same time reflecting the changes in trends and the times in which they live. As the first modern music festivals in the U.S., they continue, to this day, to be leaders and innovators in the festival landscape.
The sold-out 2022 Newport Folk Festival will take place this week at Fort Adams State Park on Friday, July 22, Saturday, July 23, and Sunday, July 24. The festival will celebrate its 61st year with wide range, of singer-songwriters, indie and soul artists and folk rock bands including Brandi Carlile and Friends, Bleachers, Courtney Barnett, Maren Morris, Trampled by Turtles, Dinosaur Jr, The National, The Roots, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Valerie June, Celisse, Sierra Ferrell, Adia Victoria, Joy Oladokun, Japanese Breakfast, and many more.
The Gibson and Newport Festivals Foundation partnership and Sister Rosetta Tharpe celebration follows the recent announcement of Gibson’s annual Scholarship Program. Gibson announced it will award 15+ music scholarships in 2022 comprised of both cash grants ($75,000), as well as instruments and gear directly to high school seniors as they prepare to navigate their post grad education and careers.
The Gibson Gives Scholarship Program launched with the Sister Rosetta Tharpe Scholarship–the first-ever music scholarship created in honor of the iconic and incomparable Godmother of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The Sister Rosetta Tharpe Scholarship, created through support by the Fund for the School District of Philadelphia, has been awarded to Sierra Guilmartin, a senior at Philadelphia High School for Girls who will pursue music at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia in the Fall.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s immense talent and confidence arrived during an era when women, and especially women of color, had no voice. An era where no woman dared play guitar at the front of the stage, let alone front a solo act. No woman except Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
Watch and share “Shout, Sister, Shout! Sister Rosetta Tharpe,” Gibson’s tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe, featuring Celisse–who also served as creative director of the SRT campaign–and Amythyst Kiah, which takes viewers on a journey of Sister Rosetta’s monumental impact on music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii06ABCd9ww.
An audacious performer from Cotton Plant, Arkansas who became a gospel superstar, Sister Rosetta Tharpe is an artist that rarely comes up in debates about the true founding father of rock ‘n’ roll. SRT fronted her own band, she was one of the first artists of note to play the iconic ‘61 Les Paul SG Custom electric guitar, she was a headlining, black female artist who toured through the segregated Jim Crow South, and she has been largely overlooked as a seminal figure in the creation of rock music. As it turns out, the founding father of rock ‘n’ roll wasn’t a father at all – that distinction belongs to Sister Rosetta. A gospel-trained force of nature that broke barriers, stereotypes, and norms with astonishing regularity, her electrifying music predates the work of like-minded guitar legends including Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, and Elvis. Sister Rosetta Tharpe unequivocally remains the textbook definition of an iconoclast – The Godmother of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
To shine a light on and celebrate the music and cultural influence of the iconic Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Gibson is proud to partner with the Sister Rosetta Tharpe family and Oxford Pennant with a limited-edition Sister Rosetta Tharpe lifestyle apparel and accessories collection, available onsite at the Newport Folk Festival and via, https://www.gibson.com/en-US/Gear/Sister-Rosetta-Tharpe.
The leading global guitar brand, Gibson continues to shape the sounds of generations of musicians across the globe. Gibson supports the global music community through its philanthropic arm, Gibson Gives. The mission of Gibson Gives is to create, develop, and support non-profit organizations worldwide in their efforts to advance musicians, youth-focused education, music, and health and wellness initiatives. 100% of donations to Gibson Gives go towards giving the gift of music.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe:
FACEBOOK | SPOTIFY | AMAZON MUSIC
Celisse:
CELISSE.COM | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YOU TUBE |
Gibson Gives:
Newport Folk Festival Foundation:
Gibson:
GIBSON.COM | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | GIBSON TV
Epiphone:
EPIPHONE.COM | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | YOUTUBE
About Newport Festivals Foundation:
Newport Festivals Foundation is a 501(c)(3) profit organization with a mission to foster the legacy and expand the impact of its Folk and Jazz Festivals through programs that support musicians, educators, and students. The Foundation’s goal is to offer opportunity, inspire through exposure and facilitate the collection of resources needed for musicians to celebrate and innovate. The focus on creating unique experiences to spark engagement is accomplished through a variety of initiatives taking place all over America, including instrument donations, performances at schools and support for music education programs with partnering organizations. For more information on the education initiatives of Newport Festivals Foundation, please visit www.newportfestivals.org.
About RIOT RI:
RIOT RI is a volunteer-based non-profit that uses music creation, critical thinking and collaborative relationships to foster collective empowerment and the development of healthy identities in girls, women, trans, and gender-expansive youth and adults. We focus on music’s ability to mobilize, unify, and invigorate people to create social change. Music is a powerful tool that connects individual expression to collective thoughts, emotions, and actions. Creating music within a band requires not only collaboration, respect, and support, but also individual effort, skill building, and expression. Our goal is to use music’s unifying force to empower individuals and communities to band together and create positive change for themselves and for society as a whole. We encourage learning and leadership at all levels: program participants, volunteers, board and staff. We strive to listen to each other openly and actively to make intentional decisions together. For more information, visit: http://riotri.org/.
About Gibson and Gibson Gives:
Gibson, the iconic American instrument brand, has shaped the sounds of generations of musicians and music lovers across genres for 128 years. Founded in 1894 and headquartered in Nashville, TN, Gibson Brands has a legacy of world-class craftsmanship, legendary music partnerships, and progressive product evolution that is unrivaled among musical instrument companies. The Gibson Brands portfolio includes Gibson, the leading guitar brand, as well as many of the most beloved and recognizable music brands, including Epiphone, which has been on every stage since 1873, Kramer, the original MADE TO ROCK HARD guitar brand, MESA/Boogie, the home of tone, KRK, behind great music for over 30 years, and Maestro, the founder of effect pedals. Gibson guitars and gear have been played on stage by countless musical icons in every genre of music, and Gibson Brands is dedicated to quality, innovation, and sound excellence so music lovers for generations to come will continue to experience music shaped by Gibson Brands. Gibson has a strong focus on supporting the global music community through the philanthropic arm of Gibson Gives. The mission of Gibson Gives is to create, develop and support non-profit organizations in their efforts to advance musicians, youth-focused education, music, and wellness initiatives. 100% of all donations to and from Gibson Gives–a 501(c)(3) organization–go towards giving the gift of music. In the last three years, Gibson Gives has raised over $3.5 million dollars worldwide through its mission. For a deeper look inside the history of Gibson, plan a trip to downtown Nashville, to visit the Gibson Garage. At the Gibson Garage—the all-new flagship store–music lovers can experience live performances, design a dream guitar, catch a taping of the award-winning Gibson TV series, and explore Gibson’s 128-year music history with captivating, interactive storytelling and memorabilia displays, inside the historic space. The Gibson Garage is the ultimate guitar experience and destination for music lovers in Nashville and across the globe. Learn more at Gibson.com and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Gibson TV, and Instagram, and download the Gibson App.
