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    'The Most Elaborate Wedding Ever Staged': Rosetta Tharpe At Griffith Stadium

    In 1951, gospel star Rosetta Tharpe got married in front of thousands of fans at a baseball stadium. In some ways, says biographer Gayle Wald, it set the template for today's stadium rock concerts.
    by Ari Shapiro Sep 25, 2019 5 minutes
    Sister Rosetta Tharpe, circa 1950. In 1951, she got married in a baseball stadium and performed a concert in front of thousands of fans.

    In some ways, it was just like any other wedding. The organist played "Here Comes the Bride." Bridesmaids and groomsmen lined up shoulder to shoulder. A minister presided.

    But that's where the similarities stopped. Everything else was spectacle. For one thing, the couple getting married wasn't in a traditional wedding venue; instead, they were in a massive major league baseball stadium in Washington, D.C. Tickets were sold. Vendors hawked souvenirs. And the bride was a gospel music superstar.

    The date was July 3, 1951, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe was getting married in front of an estimated 20,000 strangers. Newspaper ads invited people to witness "the most elaborate wedding ever staged ... plus the world's greatest spiritual concert."

    Music historian Gayle Wald, author of , spoke with Ari Shapiro about the event as part of NPR's Turning the Tables series. Hear the radio version at the audio

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