"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 resonator 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]

Background

A National Public Radio article commented that "Rock 'n' roll was bred between the church and the nightclubs in the soul of a queer black woman in the 1940s named Sister Rosetta Tharpe".[3]

Influence

The recording has been cited as both an important precursor of rock and roll, [4] and also considered by some to be a contender for the title of first rock and roll record.[5]

Other versions

• In recent years, versions of the song have also been recorded by Michelle Shocked, Johnny Cash, Linda Gail Lewis, Tom Jones, and Sleepy LaBeef.
• In 2020, Vika and Linda released a version as the second single from their album, Sunday (The Gospel According to Iso).[6][7]

References

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