A Novel By: Sikivu Hutchinson
Released: March 7, 2021
We are gradually moving into a powerful evolution of Black women in Rock! These stories have been barricaded for so long that they are being broken through (and breaking through) more and more each day. Seeing recording artist HER on the Super Bowl, legends like Malina Moye and Starr Cullars alongside new generation Rockers Guitar Gabby and the Nova Twins in guitar magazines has a new spotlight on what should have been celebrated long ago. With the iconic Betty Davis documentary, “They Say I’m Different” and Sister Rosetta Tharpe (The Mother of Rock ’n’ Roll) being inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame (in 2020), visibility is starting to surge.
The timing is perfect for renowned author/playwright/ educator Sikivu Hutchinson to release her new novel, Rock ‘n’ Roll Heretic: The Life and Times of Rory Tharpe. Sikivu’s plugs into the 1970’s; chronicling the distorted obstacles of a Black, queer woman existing in Rock. Racism, sexism and ageism induced by the music industry takes Rory’s past trauma to the crossroads of her unsettling career.
Sikivu Hutchinson has been captivating us with her unapologetic and thought provoking books including Imagining Transit: Race, Gender, and Transportation Politics in Los Angeles; Moral Combat: Black Atheists, Gender Politics, and the Values Wars; Godless Americana: Race and Religious Rebels; and White Nights, Black Paradise. The way she challenges us to examine ourselves versus surrendering to society’s ideology is what makes her work so necessary.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Heretic: The Life and Times of Rory Tharpe is a riveting tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe. It exposes many hidden struggles that discredit Black women in Rock, while giving an unfiltered voice to their long-standing contributions.
Go right here to purchase Sikivu Hutchinson‘s novel Rock ‘n’ Roll Heretic: The Life and Times of Rory Tharpe and to learn more about the characters:
http://sikivuhutchinson.com/2021/03/07/rock-n-roll-heretic-rovers-loners-and-thieves/
To learn more about Sikivu Hutchinson, go to: http://sikivuhutchinson.com/
Go here to read Sikivu’s Huffpost article The Misogynoir of Rock: Shredding While Black and Female:
https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_59782cb7e4b0940189700dc0
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