The remarkable footage here of the late Sister Rostta Tharpe (1915-1973) performing the famous gospel song about Noah and the Great Flood was shot during her European tour in 1964. the venue for the gig is Chorlton railway station, near Manchester; the performers play on one side of the tracks, and the audience view the show from the opposite platform. The station had been closed to passengers since 1958. The pianist who introduces the singer is Cousin Joe, but the person playing piano on the track is unidentified.

Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Didn't It Rain

The song "Didn't It Rain" is a gospel standard, which probably reached the mainstream through the successful version released by Mahalia Jackson in 1957 -

That recording credited the writer of the song as Roberta Martin, and indeed a little research reveals that the Roberta Martin Singers had released "Didn't It Rain" as long ago as 1947

However, as MOGger Spike put it very recently, gospel, in common with blues and folk has a "loose approach to intellectual property", and the writing credit to Roberta Martin seems a little optimistic, based upon this Okeh recording on a 78 of Deacon Leon Davis, released as long ago as 1928 -

Finally, here is another famous cut, by Evelyn Freeman and the Exciting Voices. Evelyn Freeman was the sister of r'n'b star Ernie Freeman, whose classic instrumental "Live It Up" formed the basis for the Skatalites "Beardman Ska" and the Upsetters "Rastaman Shuffle" -