[2] Called the "Father of Gospel Music" and often credited with creating it, Dorsey more accurately spawned a movement that popularized gospel blues throughout black churches in the United States, which in turn influenced American music and parts of society at large. But he lives on each Sunday as voices rise in praise, singing the gospel across the land. However, both used their voices in very different ways-one chooses retribution and the other, engagement. It is perhaps Dorsey's greatest achievement that he was able to overcome this opposition and thus preserve important aspects of black musical expression as it had existed in both the spiritual and secular realms. Nierenberg's documentary catches these performers in their homes and at two events: the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses and a tribute to Mother Willie Mae Ford Smith that Nierenberg helped put together. [27] Although he was not the first to join elements of the blues to religious music, he earned the honorific "Father of Gospel Music", according to gospel singer and historian Bernice Johnson Reagon, for his "aggressive campaign for its use as worship songs in black Protestant churches". In San Francisco, the Reverend Cecil Williams develops a "come as you are" church. They would tour together in the 1940s. In Chicago, Dorsey found success almost immediately. Thomas A Dorsey | gospelgold Ive been trying to get this DVD for a while Thanks, Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2022. [28] Ministers who would not have considered changing their music programs just a few years before became more open to new ideas. Amazon.com: Say Amen, Somebody : Thomas A. Dorsey, Delois Barrett How old are his children, and where are they living now? eval(decodeURIComponent('%64%6f%63%75%6d%65%6e%74%2e%77%72%69%74%65%28%27%3c%61%20%68%72%65%66%3d%5c%22%6d%61%69%6c%74%6f%3a%73%68%61%6e%69%63%65%20%26%6c%74%3b%6d%69%7a%7a%63%68%65%72%72%79%31%32%39%40%61%6f%6c%2e%63%6f%6d%26%67%74%3b%5c%22%3e%73%68%61%6e%69%63%65%3c%5c%2f%61%3e%27%29%3b')), Copyright 2023 Net Industries - All Rights Reserved, Additional information for this profile was obtained from the documentary. [55][56], As of 2020, the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses has 50 chapters around the world. Thomas A. Dorsey, Barrett Sisters, Mother Willie Mae Ford Smith, O'Neal Twins, Nierenberg, George T., Zella Jackson Price, Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2023. Dorsey married again in 1941. He returned to blues, recording "It's Tight Like That" with guitarist Hudson "Tampa Red" Whittaker despite his misgivings over the suggestive lyrics. Despite featuring musical genres that couldn't be more different from one another, it's interesting how both Say Amen, Somebody and Imagine the Sound (which came out the year before) document the end of the same era in American music. Copyright 2003 The Faith Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Under the name "Georgia Tom". His career continued to flourish; he would eventually compose over 3,000 songs. Unable to add item to List. Status is huge in this world. Report this film, "You mean to tell me you don't know 'bout this good news? It just makes you feel like you want to you hear me say I want to fly away somewhere? [1] Billed as "Tampa Red and Georgia Tom" and "The Famous Hokum Boys", the duo found great success together, eventually collaborating on 60 songs between 1928 and 1932, and coining the term "Hokum" to describe their guitar/piano combination with simple, racy lyrics. Harris even linked the blues soloist to the preacher, as each embodies the yearning of a people and manifests that yearning principally through improvisation. Dorsey and Martin established a publishing company called Dorsey House of Music, the first black-owned gospel publishing house in the U.S.[18][19] His sheet music sold so well, according to Heilbut, it supplanted the first book of compiled songs for black churches, W. M. Nix's Gospel Pearls, and the family Bible in black households. "[37][27] Dorsey began to slow down in the 1970s, eventually showing symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. But the Lord's work would not be easy for him. '"[35][g], He remarried in 1941 to Katheryn Mosley. After the death of a close friend, Dorsey was inspired to write his first religious song with a blues influence, "If You See My Savior, Tell Him That You Saw Me".[10][c]. It is presented on PBS by WGBH and ITVS. [18][h], Throughout his career, Dorsey composed more than 1,000 gospel and 2,000 blues songs, an achievement Mahalia Jackson considered equal to Irving Berlin's body of work. [45] Choruses were stocked primarily with women, often untrained singers with whom Dorsey worked personally, encouraging many women who had little to no participation in church before to become active. Thomas Dorsey and Mother Willie Mae Ford Smith, 100mins Thomas Dorsey wrote nearly one thousand gospel songs in his lifetime. eval(decodeURIComponent('%64%6f%63%75%6d%65%6e%74%2e%77%72%69%74%65%28%27%3c%61%20%68%72%65%66%3d%5c%22%6d%61%69%6c%74%6f%3a%4c%61%4a%75%61%6e%61%20%42%61%6e%6e%69%6e%67%20%26%6c%74%3b%6c%61%6a%62%61%6e%6e%69%6e%67%40%70%65%6f%70%6c%65%70%63%2e%63%6f%6d%26%67%74%3b%5c%22%3e%4c%61%4a%75%61%6e%61%20%42%61%6e%6e%69%6e%67%3c%5c%2f%61%3e%27%29%3b')). ), The song is attributed to Dorsey; the melody is influenced by "Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone?" Dorsey also recorded under the names George Ramsey, Memphis Jim, Memphis Mose, Railroad Bill, Smokehouse Charley, Texas Tommy, and others. But Dorsey's conversion was fleeting; he was soon playing with the Whispering Syncopators, making a salary commensurate with professional theater musicians. Nierenberg centered his film around two pioneering gospel artists, Rev. No cable. Black-History Archives Are in Trouble - The Atlantic Cecil Williams and Thomas A. Dorsey, born a generation apart, both seeking to bring the reality of the streets into the church. Dorsey died of Alzheimer's in 1993, listening to music on a Walkman. I hope others will take the time to research the real facts and give Thomas A. Dorsey credit for his great Gospel works. In 1924, Dorsey made his debut as "Georgia Tom" with Ma Rainey at the Grand Theater and continued to tour with her, even after he wed in 1925, until he suffered the second of his breakdowns in 1926. Glad i was able to get the remastered copy. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2022. [38], Gospel historian Horace Boyer writes that gospel music "has no more imposing figure" than Dorsey, and the Cambridge Companion to Blues and Gospel Music states that he "defined" the genre. Nierenberg's other main character was Mother Willie Mae Ford Smith, one of gospel's pioneering female ministers and performers, and a mentor to younger singers. Both were born enslaved; both used the Gospel to shape their identities. July 25, 2003 Thomas Dorsey combined sacred and secular styles to create a revolution in music. INR. The Thomas A. Dorsey Birthplace and Gospel Heritage Festival, now in its 25th year celebrates the Dorsey legacy with 3 days of music in the city that is credited with being the birth home of Coca Cola and the Father of Gospel Music. People are responding to these singers because it feels good! Film data from TMDb. He studied informally with musicians at the theater and local dance bands, always playing blues. There was a great deal of early resistance to Dorsey's work, partly because it was rooted in the rural southern African-American culture from which the old-line urban churches sought to distance themselves in favor of assimilation. Dorsey, Thomas 1899-1993 | Encyclopedia.com (Harris, p. 24. states three, Marovich, p. 71 states five), Sometimes titled "Standing at the Bedside of a Neighbor". +2.80 +3.45%. [15] In between recording sessions with Tampa Red, and inspired by the compliments he received, he formed a choir at Ebenezer Baptist Church at the request of the pastor, Reverend James Smith, who had an affinity for Negro spirituals and indigenous singing styles. "You have this kind of new tradition of people singing and re-invigorating gospel music in a different sort of way," she says. In 1932 Dorsey was appointed musical director of Pilgrim Baptist Church in Chicago, a post he held until his retirement in 1983. [27], During his blues period, Dorsey presented himself as dapper and dignified, which carried over into his gospel work. Chicago ' s Blues Syncopator. Dorsey, who was born in Villa Rica, Georgia, was the music director at Pilgrim Baptist Church in Chicago from 1932 until the late 1970s. Van Matre, Lynn, "Praises To Be For 'Father of Gospel'". Prathia Hall(1940-2002) and others.. Hall is one of many voices in the film-voices of ordinary people who, through faith, risked their lives to challenge America to live up to its promise "that all men are created equal." The episode follows Thomas Dorsey, also known as the "father of gospel," as he came to Chicago during the great migration and brought the city his gospel blues. So many people have sent emails about "Precious Lord, Take my Hand" thinking that the big band leader Tommy Dorsey was the author, tht I have sent this biography to those in response. As the blues grew in popularity in the 1920s, black churches condemned it widely for being associated with sin and hedonism. Mahalia Jackson sang at his funeral when King did not get to hear it. Music performed in established black churches in Chicago and throughout the U.S. came from hymnals and was performed as written, usually as a way to showcase the musical abilities of the choirs rather than as a vehicle to deliver a specific spiritual message. Easily one of the best music documentaries I have ever seen, this film could have coasted on the charisma and brilliance of its subjects, primarily Willie Mae Ford Smith and Thomas A. Dorsey, seminal figures in the history of Black gospel music. [e] His grief prompted him to write one of his most famous and enduring compositions, "Take My Hand, Precious Lord". In so many words, it's about rising above poverty while still living humble deserting the ways of the world while retaining its best tunes. There he was impressed by the singing of W. M. Nix. Looked for it for years. While attending a church service with his sister-in-law, Dorsey claimed the minister who prayed over him pulled a live serpent from his throat, prompting his immediate recovery. He gained fame accompanying blues belter Ma Rainey on tour and, billed as "Georgia Tom", joined with guitarist Tampa Red in a successful recording career. Including all the embellishments in gospel blues would make the notation prohibitively complicated. It provided the courage needed to fight Jim Crow. Music publisher. Atlanta ' s " Barrel House Tom ". Check out Charles Pike in the extras. [29], Despite the objections, within months gospel blues had proven to be established in Chicago's black churches. Dorsey returned to Chicago in 1921, and his uncle encouraged him to attend the National Baptist Convention. He is a musical genius!!! Author Anthony Heilbut summarized Dorsey's influence by saying he "combined the good news of gospel with the bad news of blues". He also toured extensively with Mahalia Jackson in the 1940s, who was by this time the preeminent gospel singer in the world. [9], Rainey enjoyed enormous popularity touring with a hectic schedule, but beginning in 1926 Dorsey was plagued by a two-year period of deep depression, even contemplating suicide. Thomas Dorsey : NPR As beautifully affecting and uplifting as nearly any narrative tale could be, but with a depressing undercurrent as harrowing as those final minutes of THE IRISHMAN. Thomas A. Dorsey was one of the gospel pioneers profiled in George Nierenberg's Say Amen, Somebody. [26][27], Simultaneously, a shift in Chicago's black churches was taking place. Say Amen, Somebody - Wikipedia [36] In Living Blues, Jim O'Neal compares Dorsey in gospel to W. C. Handy, who was the first and most influential blues composer, "with the notable difference that Dorsey developed his tradition from within, rather than 'discovering' it from an outsider's vantage point". hide caption. It charts the devbelopment of underground churches, and attempts by slaves and free blacks to unify the black community. With church no longer the focal point of his parents' lives, his connection to organized religion waned. And its a terrific good time. Uncle Roger did not oversell it. Thankfully enough folks saw the light. I'll never get out of this place alive. When Muhammad's son, Warith Deen, assumes leadership after his father's death, he transforms the organization to follow the practice of orthodox Islam (Louis X. Farrakhan resurrected the ideology of the old Nation of Islam in 1978). In doing so, he became one of the first musicians to copyright blues music. In that film, after being helped into a room, he addresses a group of people, moving comfortably in and out of song all the while. It tells the stories of Sojourner Truth and Denmark Vesey. Black gospel choirs were asked to perform at several white churches in Chicago. In order to increase his chances for employment, he enrolled in the Chicago School of Composition and Arranging and thus, for the rest of his life, was able to find work as a composer and arranger. (Marovich, p. (For more of Thomas A. Dorsey's work, see also "Precious Lord: New Recordings of the Great Gospel Songs of Thomas A. Dorsey," added to the National Registry in 2002.) The night Rainey opened at Chicago's largest black theater Dorsey is remembered as "the most exciting moment in my life". Out of that tragedy he wrote the song for which he is best known, "Precious Lord," which has been translated into 50 languages and recorded with success by gospel and secular singers alike, including Elvis Presley, much as Dorsey's "Peace in the Valley" was a hit for Tennessee Ernie Ford and others. 209240. Yoruba worshipers find a means of gaining strength and spirituality from within. The Duchess of Sussex's father, 78, claimed in the Australian news programme 7News Spotlight that his daughter had not called him in four years.. The pressures of touring overwhelmed him, and Dorsey considered suicide. But he never smiles, rarely relaxes, and when he talks it's with a brooding vigilance bordering on surliness. Mr. Dorsey's work reached a wider audience in 1983 through the documentary film, "Say Amen, Somebody," and in 1992, he was honored with the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences National . Give me a song, I stick to the note and play it like it is, you won't pay much attention to it. Loved it. However, mainstream churches rejected his songs. As a result, his sales pitches and chorus performances were not always well received. Bennett, Tom, "OBITUARY: Thomas A Dorsey, 93, 'Father" of Gospel Music'", O'Neal, Jim, Van Singel, Amy: "Georgia Tom Dorsey" in. The record sold more than seven million copies. Pastor Turner helped organize the Repubican Party in Georgia only to find himself denied access to societal institutions as discrimination reigned in the dark days following Reconstruction. It explores Islam and Yoruba. He married his sweetheart, Nettie Harper. His emphasis on a black nationalist philosophy alienated him from the mainstream, but led to a greater role for the black church in African-American culture. The biggest hinderance to the next thing God wants to do is the last thing God did. Thomas A. Dorsey 1997 Share Widely regarded as the father of gospel music, Thomas A. Dorsey's composing talent became a merging point in the early '20s, for many musical styles. In Chicago, Thomas Dorsey, a pianist with blues singer Ma Rainey, invents gospel music. The documentary shows the joy of gospel music in an age of cynicism. ", Wade In The Water Ep. Latest Movies and TV Shows With Thomas A. Dorsey - IMDb This the story. After months of difficult travel and deep soul-searching, the pilgrims reach Africa with a stronger sense of identity and purpose. Cecil Williams and Thomas A. Dorsey, born a generation apart, both seeking to bring the reality of the streets into the church. Birth of the Gospel Blues. Furthermore, when Thomas' father traveled to preach at other churches, Thomas and his mother attended a church that practiced shape note singing; their harmonizing in particular making a deep impression on him. Thomas Andrew Dorsey (July 1, 1899 - January 23, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and Christian evangelist influential in the development of early blues and 20th-century gospel music. They created enclaves within neighborhoods through church choirs, which doubled as social clubs, offering a sense of purpose and belonging. Dorsey, Thomas A. | Encyclopedia.com I say this all the time, as someone who grew up in and out of the church, no matter how far Ive strayed from Christianity and the church itself, I will always love gospel music.