SISTER ROSETTA THARPE TWO LITTLE FISHES AND FIVE LOAVES OF BREAD 78RPM
£
35
$
46
Favourite Auctions
To save auctions to your favourites, please login
If you don't have an account, please register
Description
A VG copy of a 10" historical electrical masterpiece capturing the definitive vocal partnership of early roots music history: the original UK Brunswick 04851 gold-on-black pressing featuring Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Marie Knight in their towering, definitive interpretations of Didn't It Rain and Two Little Fishes and Five Loaves of Bread. First captured in July 1947 and issued on this British Brunswick pressing in 1952, this legendary session documents the highly celebrated pairing of Tharpe’s piercing, high-voltage shouting soprano with Knight's magnificent, deep contralto anchor.
Crucially for British musicology collectors, this 1952 UK release landed some years before Rosetta’s historic first physical visits to the UK in 1957. When she finally crossed the Atlantic to tour with Chris Barber, her explosive, raw electric guitar work and uninhibited showmanship hit the native British jazz, blues, and nascent skiffle scenes like a thunderbolt. Her performances had a profound, permanent effect on the native music scene, directly blowing the minds of a young generation of British teenagers—including Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and Jeff Beck—who had never seen an electric guitar played with such distorted, kinetic power. This 1952 disc represents the underground fuse that helped ignite the British Blues Boom.
Backed by the elite, driving blues pacing of the Sam Price Trio, Side A (Didn't It Rain) stands as a foundational monument to the birth of rock 'n' roll rhythm. The track's explosive syncopation, hand-clapping drive, and fierce, blues-inflected delivery shattered the boundaries of traditional sacred music. Side B provides a glorious companion piece, delivering a joyous, driving call-and-response adaptation of the traditional spiritual Two Little Fishes and Five Loaves of Bread. Finding intact, crisp copies of post-war British Brunswick gospel releases entirely free of heavy tracking wear, deep needle scratches, or gray groove deterioration is incredibly difficult.
Technical Data
Artists: Sister Rosetta Tharpe & Marie Knight (Vocal Duet with Piano/Guitar)
Accompaniment: The Sam Price Trio (Gospel Singing with Rhythm Accompaniment)
Compositions: * Side A: Didn't It Rain (Traditional, arr. R. Tharpe)
Side B: Two Little Fishes and Five Loaves of Bread (Hanighen)
Label: Brunswick (UK First Pressing / Brunswick Ltd., London)
Catalog Number: 04851
Master Session Matrices: 73989 (Didn't It Rain) / 73399 (Two Little Fishes) Sequence
Format: 10" Shellac Record, 78RPM
Manufacture: Made in England
UK Release Era: c. 1952
Historical Significance: Precious pre-tour UK release that laid the groundwork for Tharpe’s profound, revolutionary 1957 impact on the British blues and rock movement.
Genre: Electric Gospel / Roots R&B / Vocal Harmony / Rock 'n' Roll Foundations
The disc is sandwiched between corrugated cardboard and wrapped in bubble wrap. This is then placed inside a double-skin box filled with packing void to prevent movement and provide maximum protection.
Carefully packed and promptly dispatched.
price rating
![BARRINGTON LEVY - ROBIN HOOD [ JAH GUIDANCE ] LP / 12](https://www.popsike.mobi/php/thumbnail.php?url=https://www.popsike.pics/pix/20240402/176314399402.jpg)
