Sister Rosetta Tharpe was an American singer and guitarist, who was born on the cotton plantation in Arkansas, in 1915.
From the 1930s to 1940s, she became popular for being a recording gospel singer, even getting nicknamed “the original soul sister” and “the godmother of rock and roll”.
A pioneer in her electric guitar technique, She was named by PBS as “one of the most influential artists of the 20th century”, influencing people like Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley.
Other artists like Aretha Franklin, Isaac Hayes and Jerry Lee Lewis have publicly cited her as an influence on their type of music.
The Death On The Nile soundtrack has featured a number of Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s songs, including ‘Up Above My Head’ and ‘Rock Me’.
The movie by Kenneth Branagh, is an adaptation of Agatha Christie’s 1937 novel where Salome Otterbourne is an author of romance novels- although she is casted as someone different in this version.
Though it is still in the cinemas, it has gotten a lot of publicity, with people wondering about the singer and her role in this new adaptation.
In Agatha Christie’s 1937 novel, Salome Otterbourne is portrayed to be a romance novelist traveling with her daughter, Rosalie.
In the book, Salome’s career becomes less promising because the plot lines in her books are terrible and therefore unappealing to readers.
Salome is also getting sued by Linnet Doyle, a socialite, who was also on board the SS Karnak. Linnet is suing Salome over one of her characters and Rosalie, Salome’s daughter, feels embarrassed by her mother.
Otterbourne then goes ahead to inform Detective Hercule Poirot and Colonel Race that she knows who killed the maid, but she is shot dead shortly after.
Now, in the movie adaptation, Salome is portrayed as a successful blues singer, not a romance writer anymore/
She is also Rosalie’s aunt and not her mum.
The Houston Chronicle review of the movie, particularly of the changes made to the character of Salome, has been positive.
The Otterbourne portrayal, using the songs of Sister Tharpe is said to, “stand out among several combined and reimagined roles”.
The review further says, “The characters lend some sharp, African American perspectives to these fancy Europeans’ machinations.”
A review from The Current says that the recordings ““sound great and add welcome musical gusto to the proceedings”.
It further adds that “the complete recontextualisation of Tharpe’s pathbreaking work is a peculiar choice for a film released during, of all times, Black History Month”.
Overall, the fusion of Sister Tharpe’s wonderful talent into the adaptation of The Death On The Nile, is a positive choice.
Rachael Obadiaru is a writer who specializes in content writing, copywriting, blogging, and fictional storytelling. She is a feminist and an advocate for the inclusion of marginalized groups. She spends her free time creating a nuisance on Twitter while snacking on pringles and snuggling with her cats.
