Made by fans in Aotearoa New Zealand. I feel like I can fly away!". Peter Levinson tells Linda Wertheimer about his biography. Copyright 2003 The Faith Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Some objected to the degradation of worship through blues shouting. In order to improve his skills and identify himself as a professional, he briefly took piano lessons from a teacher associated with Morehouse College, as well as a harmony course at the college itself. "Ministers didn't want them there. Although Dorsey claimed to have been thrown out of some of the best churches, Harris observed that the time was right for Dorsey's eventual success; there were increasing numbers of store-front churches that appealed to southern migrants, and there was a booming trade in recorded sermons of the type Dorsey's father might have delivered. Everything I do - that's good, at least - is a reflection of His hand. But he never smiles, rarely relaxes, and when he talks it's with a brooding vigilance bordering on surliness. In Dorsey's story, he was stuck until a friend suggested he try adding "precious" to his address. Documentary about the American gospel music scene, focusing on two . 102. These migrants were refugees from poverty and the systemic racism endemic throughout the Jim Crow South. [28] Ministers who would not have considered changing their music programs just a few years before became more open to new ideas. Nierenberg, a 28-year-old Jewish man, knew almost nothing about gospel before he started Say Amen, Somebody; he spent a year in black churches in New York, Chicago and St. Louis, listening to the music, getting to know the performers and earning their trust before he began filming. Rainey interacted with her audiences, who were often so enthralled they stood up and shouted back at her while she sang. 1932 was also the year he formed the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses with blues singer Sallie Martin. In the film, he tells the story of how the death of his wife and their newborn child led him to church music. "You know, Frank, this has been my life dream to go abroad," Barrett says to her husband in one scene. "[2], Aside from his prodigious songwriting, Dorsey's influence in the gospel blues movement brought about change both for individuals in the black community and communities as a whole. He recalled visiting Damascus, Syria, where he was approached in a bathroom by a man who recognized his name. The companion book of the same title was written by NPR correspondent Juan Williams (with historical notes by University of Indiana professor Quinton Hosford Dixie). Courtesy Milestone Films Thomas A. Dorsey, often called the Father of Gospel Music, migrated from Atlanta to Chicago as a young man, thus exemplifying the experience of many southern blacks of his day. It left me wanting more. Thomas A. Dorsey was one of the gospel pioneers profiled in George Nierenberg's Say Amen, Somebody. These churches discouraged expressive congregational participation and attempted to incorporate white church traditions in both service and music. Services were thus altered in multiple ways to welcome the influx of migrants, for spiritual and pragmatic reasons: attracting and keeping new members helped reconcile many churches' debts. "I just tried to make my little talk to the Lord but it was wasted, I think," Dorsey tells the audience. For the big band trombonist and bandleader, see, Thomas Dorsey during his "Georgia Tom" blues period, late 1920s, Accounts of how many children the Dorseys had depend on the source. Black gospel choirs were asked to perform at several white churches in Chicago. In a purely musical sense, to Dorsey, the blues was merely a collection of improvisational techniques. Try it free. The documentary was originally released in 1982, and has been remastered and re-released. Ma Rainey's listeners swayed, rocked, moaned and groaned with her. hide caption. He was known as the whispering piano player, called to perform at after-hours parties where the pianist had to play quietly enough to avoid drawing police attention. He and the NCGCC were featured in the critically acclaimed documentary Say Amen, Somebody in 1982. Reflection There is no word more precious than peace, nor a more joyous state of being for a Christian, than to know God's peace. documentary "Say Amen, Somebody" (1982), where he is shown singing, remembering the past . Say Amen, Somebody gives an overview of the history of gospel music in the U.S. by following two main figures: Thomas A. Dorsey, considered the "Father of Gospel Music," 83 at the time of filming, recalls how he came to write his most famous song, "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" (1932), and the difficulty he faced introducing gospel blues to black "[27] However, once known, Dorsey could offer a "charming smile", according to Heilbut, and his enthusiasm "often lifts his voice to an irrepressible falsetto". Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations. Fulfilled, perhaps. His first gospel song, "If You See my Savior Tell Him That You Saw Me" was published in 1932. His best-known composition, "Take My Hand, Precious Lord", was performed by Mahalia Jackson and was a favorite of the Rev. In San Francisco, the Reverend Cecil Williams develops a "come as you are" church. "[b] after hearing him perform at the National Baptist Convention. hide caption. Newly restored and re-released. The documentary follows their lives from the early days and leads up to a big conference when the two dynamic subjects share an auditorium. The night Rainey opened at Chicago's largest black theater Dorsey is remembered as "the most exciting moment in my life". I realize the color barrier in the early days and say it's a shame folks couldn't understand him better.His music has helped me along in tough times and I appreciate all he has done in the world of gospel music. They would tour together in the 1940s. February 25, 2020 Almost 40 years since its cinematic release, a restoration brings this documentary featuring Thomas A. Dorsey and Mother Willie Mae Ford Smith back to life. Yoruba originated in West Africa and pre-dates Christianity. . In the fall of 1896, the Philadelphia Times published articles about two visits to Dorsey's "humble dwelling" at 206 Dean Street. Apparently, this is a common phrase for a preacher to employ when looking to foster agreement. The outcome of this is unknown other than the clinic stating they would no longer serve black patients. Aside from the lyrics, he saw no real distinction between blues and church music, and viewed songs as a supplement to spoken word preaching. 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. "[37][27] Dorsey began to slow down in the 1970s, eventually showing symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Thomas A. Dorsey was born in Villa Rica, Georgia, the first of three children to Thomas Madison Dorsey, a minister and farmer, and Etta Plant Spencer. [23] Faced with rapid changes, old-line church members who preferred formal, more sedate music programs objected, leading to conflicts in and between Chicago's black churches. Top subscription boxes right to your door, 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates, Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon. Thomas Andrew Dorsey, (born July 1, 1899, Villa Rica, Ga., U.S.died Jan. 23, 1993, Chicago, Ill.), American songwriter, singer, and pianist whose many up-tempo blues arrangements of gospel music hymns earned him the title of "Father of Gospel Music." Dorsey was the son of a revivalist preacher. Well known within the African-American community, Dorsey nonetheless remained relatively obscure outside of it--though people were singing his songs all over the world--until he became the subject of a BBC documentary in 1976. 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. Learn more. This freed the choir members' hands to clap, and he knew anyway that most of the chorus singers in the early 1930s were unable to read music. In 1932, he co-founded the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses, an organization dedicated to training musicians and singers from all over the U.S. that remains active. "It goes between the marrow and the bone. A beat is a beat whatever it is. There he first saw Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith. 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. Played for parties and bordellos in Atlanta; became music director of New Hope Baptist Church, Chicago; performed with the Whispering Syncopators, early 1920s; as "Georgia Tom," debuted, with Ma Rainey, at Grand Theater, Chicago, 1924; composed "It's Tight Like That," 1928, and "Precious Lord," 1931; became music director of Pilgrim Baptist Church, Chicago, 1932; with blues singer Sallie Martin, formed National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses, 1932; became minister, 1960s; featured in BBC documentary, 1976; with gospel singer Willie Mae Ford Smith, featured in documentary Say Amen Somebody, 1984. "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. Dorsey visited doctors, sought treatment, took time off. The lyrics, however, were written by Dorsey. Dorsey's background convinced him that the same experiences that had engendered secular blues should also inform church music. Directed by George T. Nierenberg, Documentary on modern black gospel music, focusing on the pioneering Rev. Director: George T. Nierenberg | Stars: Willie May Ford Smith, Thomas A. Dorsey, Sallie Martin, Delois Barrett Campbell. At the time, Nierenberg was looking for a follow-up to his award-winning 1979 tap dance documentary, No Maps on My Taps, when he had dinner with musician Ry Cooder. As he said in The Rise of Gospel Blues: "If a woman has lost a man, a man has lost a woman, his feeling reacts to the blues; he feels like expressing it. One of the most acclaimed music documentaries of all time, Say Amen, Somebody is George T. Nierenberg's masterpiece a joyous, funny, deeply emotional celebration of African American culture, featuring the father of Gospel, Thomas A. Dorsey (""Precious Lord, Take My Hand""); Mother Willie Mae Ford Smith; and soul-shaking performances by the Barrett Sisters, the O'Neal Twins, and Zella . Saw the original release. 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 Now George T. Nierenberg's film has been restored and re-released to theaters and DVD. Thank you for your article..maybe I was meant to hear this song and maybe like Thomas Dorsey it will be a turnaround for me too, 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%48%65%63%74%6f%72%20%4d%2e%49%72%69%7a%61%72%72%79%20%26%6c%74%3b%68%6d%69%72%69%7a%61%72%72%79%40%6b%6e%6f%6c%6f%67%79%2e%6e%65%74%26%67%74%3b%5c%22%3e%48%65%63%74%6f%72%20%4d%2e%49%72%69%7a%61%72%72%79%3c%5c%2f%61%3e%27%29%3b')). Even with a family he remained active in music, attending multiple engagements each year. Votes: 392 Dorsey began developing a sacred music based on the secular blues. In 1931, Dorsey experienced great personal tragedy again: the death in childbirth of both his wife and newborn son devastated him. They created enclaves within neighborhoods through church choirs, which doubled as social clubs, offering a sense of purpose and belonging. [8], Dorsey worked with Rainey and her band for two years, wherein he composed and arranged her music in the blues style he was accustomed to, as well as vaudeville and jazz to please audiences' tastes. [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. Please try again. With church no longer the focal point of his parents' lives, his connection to organized religion waned. My favorite; "I'll Tell It Wherever I Go", with such a special version by the Gaither Vocal Band. Please try again. Never was released on dvd, only tape way back when. [48] In 1936, members of Dorsey's junior choir became the Roberta Martin Singers, a successful recording group which set the standard for gospel ensembles, both for groups and individual voice roles within vocal groups. I'll never get out of this place alive. His association with musicians there encouraged him to practice at home on his mother's organ, and by age 12, he claimed that he could play the piano very well. 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. I guarantee you watching this program you will be touched in same way watching this show!! He was soon making printed copies of his gospel blues, but since he relied on the performer to embellish the music, they did not sell well. Patty Thomas was an American dancer, USO entertainer and actress. In Chicago, Dorsey found success almost immediately. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of serviceapply. [55][56], As of 2020, the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses has 50 chapters around the world. [41] Horace Boyer attributes this popularity to "simple but beautiful melodies", unimposing harmonies, and room for improvisation within the music. In doing so, he became one of the first musicians to copyright blues music. Dorsey soon began composing sacred songs and took a job as director of music at New Hope Baptist Church on Chicago's South Side, where he described the congregation's singing of spirituals "like down home," noting that the congregants also clapped to his music. For women, that included not wearing make-up. India's economy is likely moving into a low inflation regime as supply shocks fade and demand cools, according to a paper co-authored by Reserve Bank of India Deputy . He experienced a spiritual re-invigoration of sorts in 1928. Nothing worked. January 7, 2006 A fire has destroyed the landmark Pilgrim Baptist Church on Chicago's South Side. What really struck me about the musical sequences was not just the incredible vocals and instrumentation from talents operating at the peak of their ability, but the. Dorsey based the music of his most popular and widely performed gospel song on and old hymn called "Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone?" (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.) [20] He also mentored many young musicians, including training a teenage Mahalia Jackson when she first arrived in Chicago, although he said she did not entirely accept his instruction: "She said I was trying to make a stereotyped singer out of her. You got to always have something: a little trick, a little embellishment or something. Mahalia Jackson sang at his funeral when King did not get to hear it. I think about all these blue-collar people who had to deal with Jim Crow, meager salaries, and yet the maid who cleaned up somebody else's house all week long, the porter, the chauffeur, the gardener, the cook, were nobody. (Staig, Laurence, "Obituary: Thomas Dorsey", Dorsey later filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against the Illinois Research Clinic in response. I bet he and God are having a ball in Heaven! [39][40] Folklorist Alan Lomax claims that Dorsey "literally invented gospel". Dorsey instead asked his singers to rely on feeling.[43]. His appearance with another great gospel singer, Willie Mae Ford Smith, in the documentary Say Amen Somebody also afforded him considerable exposure. It features one of the first gospel soloists, Willie Mae Ford Smith and the father of gospel music, Thomas Dorsey late in their lives. Thomas A. Dorsey was one of the gospel pioneers profiled in George Nierenberg's Say Amen, Somebody. Rehearsals for sales pitches took place in Dorsey's nearly bare room in his uncle's house. Before long he was earning money playing at private parties and bordellos. Deemed the " father of gospel music, " Thomas Dorsey emerged, during the early 1930s, as the creator of an African American religious music style known as the gospel blues an idiom . He said that he suffered a debilitating stroke last year and expressed disappointment that she did not reach out. [29], Despite the objections, within months gospel blues had proven to be established in Chicago's black churches. "Brother Dorsey," Bishop Haley reportedly said, "there is no reason for you to be looking so poorly and feeling so badly. December 31, 2005 A major big band leader is the subject of a new book: Tommy Dorsey: Livin' in a Great Big Way. [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? There, his mother admonished him to stop playing the blues and serve the Lord. He ignored her and returned to Chicago, playing with Ma Rainey. It is very moving and heart lifting documentary, Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2022. 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. The cathartic nature of gospel music became integral to the black experience in the Great Migration, when hundreds of thousands of black Southerners moved to Northern cities like Detroit, Washington, D.C., and especially Chicago between 1919 and 1970. Hundreds of thousands of newly arrived migrants from the South, with an appreciation of blues, began to outnumber an older guard of ministers and parishioners who favored classical European music in services. That's not surprising, but it is surprising that the filmmakers exposed it as they did because it's quite unflattering. His story is the latest in "Honky Tonks, Hymns and the Blues," a special 11-part weekly series on the creation of American musical traditions. For his part, Nierenberg is grateful for the restoration of Say Amen, Somebody because of what it might mean for new audiences, especially because the film's central figures are no longer with us: Thomas A. Dorsey died in 1993 and Mother Willie Mae Ford Smith died the following year. His father was a Baptist minister with a flamboyant pulpit style, and his mother played a portable organ and piano wherever the elder Dorsey preached. Selected discography. There is no sense of social performance outside of what is naturally there. [f], Chapters of the NCGCC opened in St. Louis and Cleveland. Spirit of the Church: A Celebration of Black Gospel Music, Volume 1, Summer of Soul (Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (Feature), The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song, American Masters: How It Feels To Be Free, Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations. Status is huge in this world. Lornell, Kip, "Dorsey, Thomas (18991993) Blues and Gospel Musician and Composer". Harris even linked the blues soloist to the preacher, as each embodies the yearning of a people and manifests that yearning principally through improvisation. [25] Others took offense to such lively music overshadowing the minister's spoken word, or women delivering spiritual messages through song, taking the place of the preacher who was typically male. Music publisher. He began studying piano and organ. We long for it, and when it comes to us it is directly from our heavenly Father. He died in 1993. She was asked to sing it twice more; the response was so enthusiastic that Dorsey sold 4,000 print copies of his song. Obliging, Dorsey began, but the multinational group took over: "And they knew it in Damascus, too. January 17, 2000 Sung at the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., it is the most-recorded gospel song ever. Nix elongated some notes to emphasize specific syllables and words and sped up others. The 1981 meeting featured in the film was the last convention he was able to attend. But in 1925, a second breakdown left Dorsey unable to play music. [33][50][51], Despite racial segregation in churches and the music industry, Dorsey's music had widespread crossover appeal. He landed his first big break in 1924, playing with Ma Gertrude Rainey and Her Wild Cats Jazz Band. There was just something special happening when you walked into these churches and much of that power is on display in this. According to Dorsey, she asked him to coach her, and for two months they worked together on technique and repertoire. Willie Mae reminded me so much of my grandmother, the moment she began to sing I immediately got teary eyed. Labowskie, Mark, ". [36] He is buried at Oak Woods Cemetery in Chicago. ", Though the new biopic about Aretha Franklin starring Jennifer Hudson is earning tepid reviews, I'm going to see it this afternoon. To learn more about Thomas Dorsey, watch the 1982 musical documentary Say Amen, Somebody, currently available on YouTube and DVD, check out his collection of papers archived at Fisk University, read 1994's The Rise of Gospel Blues: The Music of Thomas Andrew Dorsey in the Urban Church by Michael W. Harris, which you can borrow from the . mary berry grandchildren names, spin class theme ideas, transylvania university volleyball camp,

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