In Chicago, Dorsey adopted the name Georgia Tom and found work as a session musician. It provided the courage needed to fight Jim Crow. I miss her everyday. She appeared in the 1961 film The Ladies Man, 1938 film You Can't Take It with You and toured with Bob Hope during and after World War II. He died in 1993. [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. 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. Amazon.com: Say Amen, Somebody : Thomas A. Dorsey, Delois Barrett Thomas Andrew Dorsey, Thomas Andrew Dorsey (1900-1993), often called the Father of Gospel Music, migrated from Atlanta to Chicago as a young man, thus exemplifying the exp African Music, Gospel Music Gospel Music The African-American religious music known as gospel, originating in the field hollers, slave songs, spirituals, and Protes W C Handy, Handy, W. C. W. C. Handy Singer, composer . 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. Six years later, he teamed with Mahalia Jackson, and the team ushered in what was known as the Golden Age of Gospel Music. Dorsey himself became known as the father of gospel music. Selected writings. Encountering more competition for jobs and with his concentration primarily on blues, Dorsey turned to composing, copyrighting his first song in 1920, titled "If You Don't Believe I'm Leaving, You Can Count the Days I'm Gone". 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 A. Dorsey | Songwriters Hall of Fame [5][7], Two of his secular songs were recorded by Monette Moore and another by Joe "King" Oliver, ensuring Dorsey a place as one of Chicago's top blues composers. A Moment with Thomas Dorsey, from the Movie Say Amen, Somebody - YouTube from The Movie, Say Amen Somebody from The Movie, Say Amen Somebody AboutPressCopyrightContact. He penned 3,000 songs, a third of them gospel, including "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" and "Peace in the Valley". Selected discography. Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2022, Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2022. He infused joy and optimism in his written music as he directed his choirs to do perform with uplifting fervor as they sang. Lamont Dozier, along with partners Eddie and Brian Holland was a main architect of the Motown sound, creating a stunning body of work in the sixties most notably for the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, and The Temptations. It's like a family business, and watching the different generations striving for significance was quite fascinating. The narrow focus of this doc lets us really dive into the world and upturn the furniture rather that only tread upon the surface of the genre and its leaders. In 1925, rural, or so-called "downhome," or "moanin'" blues was popular, and Ma Rainey, a master of the form, became an all-out success. January 7, 2006 A fire has destroyed the landmark Pilgrim Baptist Church on Chicago's South Side. "And I think the real treasure for me is the legacy of the film and how it will carry forward gospel music and allow people for generations to experience this music: at this time and place and [with] those people that really created it. "And ladies and gentlemen, believe it or not, I started singing right then and there: 'Precious Lord, take my hand,' " Dorsey continues, launching into song at the end of his story. At twenty-one, his hectic and unhealthy schedule led to a nervous breakdown. Obituary: Thomas Dorsey | The Independent | The Independent ABOUT THE EPISODE, "Inheritors of the Faith" follows those who seek spiritual fulfillment outside of Christianity. 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. [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". One of the best documentaries going I reckon. His "gospel music" met so much resistance from pastors who considered it "devil's music," that he found it easier to play the blues straight. 1932 was also the year he formed the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses with blues singer Sallie Martin. [47], Encountering a "golden age" between 1940 and 1960, gospel music introduced recordings and radio broadcasts featuring singers who had all been trained by Dorsey or one of his protges. [5], Dorsey seemed ambivalent about writing church music until 1921 when he was inspired by W. M. Nix's rendition of "I Do, Don't You? Thomas A. Dorsey was one of the gospel pioneers profiled in George Nierenberg's Say Amen, Somebody. Dorsey and Ebenezer's music director Theodore Frye trained the new chorus to deliver his songs with a gospel blues sound: lively, joyous theatrical performances with embellished and elongated notes accentuated with rhythmic clapping and shouts. Their collaboration would continue over the years as his fame spread, Martin often accompanying him on his tours around the country. This Far by Faith . Thomas Dorsey | PBS [55][56], As of 2020, the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses has 50 chapters around the world. I don't go and take it just straight; I got to put something in it to get over. Since its debut it has been translated into 50 languages. Its a documentary set in a time period around 70's of old time gospel . ), The song is attributed to Dorsey; the melody is influenced by "Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone?" Dorsey, who was born in Villa Rica, Georgia, was the music director at Pilgrim Baptist Church in Chicago from 1932 until the late 1970s. Men groaned who had given their week's pay to a woman who betrayed her promises. Thomas A. Dorsey(Actor), Delois Barrett Campbell(Actor), George T. Nierenberg(Director)& 0moreRated: Unrated Format: DVD 4.5 out of 5 stars129 ratings IMDb7.6/10.0 DVDfrom $18.00 VHS Tapefrom $39.99 Additional DVD options Edition Discs Price New from Used from DVDFebruary 3, 2001 Loved it. 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.. Letterboxd Limited. Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2022. The life of Professor Dorsey was immortalized in the documentary, Say Amen Somebody. 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. Thomas A. Dorsey - Wikipedia Music publisher. In 1932 however, just as Dorsey co-founded the Gospel Choral Union of Chicago eventually renamed the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses (NCGCC), his wife Nettie died in childbirth, then 24 hours later, their son. Education: Attended Morehouse College; attended Chicago School of Composition and Arranging. It charts the devbelopment of underground churches, and attempts by slaves and free blacks to unify the black community. At eleven, he left school to take a job at a local vaudeville theater. Through their work, Dorsey & Williams create new expressions of faith. It's a look behind the scenes at a world few (particularly white) viewers get to see unless it appears on a religious TV show if you like in a town with a black population. The same thing acts for a gospel song. Many well-known and accomplished musicians have spoke of writing experiences that were similar to Thomas Dorsey's.