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%6b%61%79%20%63%6f%79%6c%65%20%26%6c%74%3b%6b%61%79%65%63%6f%79%6c%6c%65%31%40%68%6f%74%6d%61%69%6c%2e%63%6f%2e%75%6b%26%67%74%3b%5c%22%3e%6b%61%79%20%63%6f%79%6c%65%3c%5c%2f%61%3e%27%29%3b')), I had never heard 'precious Lord,take my hand' until recently. 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. Thomas A. Dorsey Biography Born in rural Georgia, Dorsey grew up in a religious family but gained most of his musical experience playing blues at barrelhouses and parties in Atlanta. "Brother Dorsey," Bishop Haley reportedly said, "there is no reason for you to be looking so poorly and feeling so badly. 1932 was also the year he formed the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses with blues singer Sallie Martin. I'll never get out of this place alive. 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 features one of the first gospel soloists, Willie Mae Ford Smith and the father of gospel music, Thomas Dorsey late in their lives. Documentary about the American gospel music scene, focusing on two of the movement's pioneering forces, Thomas A. Dorsey and Willie May Ford Smith. Under the name "Georgia Tom". It provided the courage needed to fight Jim Crow. Thomas A. Dorsey Net Worth Instead, George Nierenberg made a beautifully shot and edited film about the legacy and spirit of gospel, complementing the wildly infectious good will and intense devotion of church performances with his thoughtfully paced portrait of the families and communities who sustain this ecstatic genre. "It goes between the marrow and the bone. [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? "Ministers didn't want them there. 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%4d%69%6b%65%20%57%68%69%74%66%69%65%6c%64%20%26%6c%74%3b%64%75%6c%63%69%6d%65%72%64%75%64%65%40%79%61%68%6f%6f%2e%63%6f%6d%26%67%74%3b%5c%22%3e%4d%69%6b%65%20%57%68%69%74%66%69%65%6c%64%3c%5c%2f%61%3e%27%29%3b')). 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%42%65%63%6b%79%20%26%6c%74%3b%61%6e%74%62%77%6f%6c%66%66%40%73%62%63%67%6c%6f%62%61%6c%2e%6e%65%74%26%67%74%3b%5c%22%3e%42%65%63%6b%79%3c%5c%2f%61%3e%27%29%3b')). As the popularity of the blues increased in New York and Chicago, especially among non-black audiences, Dorsey was able to adapt his style to the tastes of the day, though singers like Bessie Smith, who embodied the southern tradition, were also popular, especially among black Americans. [33][24], Notably, "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" was the favorite song of Martin Luther King Jr., who asked Dorsey to play it for him on the eve of his assassination. He visited a faith healer, Bishop H.H. It is the story of two sourthern migrants, Rev. "He is coming in as a collaborator with them, as opposed to this notion or feeling of voyeurism," she says. The 1981 meeting featured in the film was the last convention he was able to attend. 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. From then on, Dorsey vowed to do the Lord's work. The documentary shows the joy of gospel music in an age of cynicism. Dorsey described to his biographer, Michael Harris, how Haley pulled a "live serpent" out of his throat. Aside from the lyrics, he saw no real distinction between blues and church music, and viewed songs as a supplement to spoken word preaching. He wrote over 400 compositions, but it is for Take My Hand, Precious Lord that he is best known. Pun. "[37][27] Dorsey began to slow down in the 1970s, eventually showing symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. You have this kind of inter-generational blending, and we're seeing that in this film, where there is this sort of critical moment within the tradition of gospel music sort of this passing of the torch, if you will.". Ma Rainey's Pianist Thomas Dorsey "Say Amen, Somebody" (1982) Documentaries really don't get much better than this. In the film, Mother Smith talks about her husband's resistance to her traveling; Delois Barrett Campbell's husband objects, too. [26][27], Simultaneously, a shift in Chicago's black churches was taking place. Before long he was back to writing and performing secular blues, and in 1928, "It's Tight Like That" became a hit, selling seven million copies. One of the best documentaries going I reckon. Now George T. Nierenberg's film has been restored and re-released to theaters and DVD. (Harris, pp. Dorsey also recorded under the names George Ramsey, Memphis Jim, Memphis Mose, Railroad Bill, Smokehouse Charley, Texas Tommy, and others. 2015 NHD Thomas A Dorsey Documentary - by Adero Brooks This the story. ", Pop craftsman Paul Simon talks about writing the now gospel standard Bridge Over Troubled Water. The whole phrase like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down, the words and the melody, all of that came [snaps fingers] like that., Hear more about "Take My Hand, Precious Lord". The documentary features interviews with their friends and families juxtaposed with some awe-inspiring gospel music that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face! As a result, his sales pitches and chorus performances were not always well received. 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. The life of Professor Dorsey was immortalized in the documentary, Say Amen Somebody. 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. Thomas A. Dorsey documentary rough cut 6,122 views Oct 31, 2010 79 Dislike jpilkonis 42 subscribers Villa Rica, Georgia We reimagined cable. After a spiritual awakening, Dorsey began concentrating on writing and arranging religious music. In Chicago, Thomas Dorsey, a pianist with blues singer Ma Rainey, invents gospel music. did they follow in his foot steps? [e] His grief prompted him to write one of his most famous and enduring compositions, "Take My Hand, Precious Lord". Top subscription boxes right to your door, 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates, Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon. Apparently, this is a common phrase for a preacher to employ when looking to foster agreement. However, both used their voices in very different ways-one chooses retribution and the other, engagement. An unintended consequence of his sales strategy helped spread gospel blues, as he worked with numerous musicians who assisted in selling his sheet music traveling to churches in and around Chicago. Combs says the filmmaker recorded a crucial changing of the guard between generations. By far the best documentary Ive seen! of American Music History. Dorsey was a popular blues pianist and arranger he was best known as Ma Rainey's band leader, until he took the blues and adapted it to sacred music. Cecil Williams and Thomas A. Dorsey, born a generation apart, both seeking to bring the reality of the streets into the church. The outcome of this is unknown other than the clinic stating they would no longer serve black patients. And that's how he came to capture his subjects accurately, says Dr. Rhea Combs. I love this DVD it is full of history and over the top singing. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. And they insisted; they pursued it nonetheless.". But in 1925, a second breakdown left Dorsey unable to play music. Their collaboration would continue over the years as his fame spread, Martin often accompanying him on his tours around the country. For women, that included not wearing make-up. [39][40] Folklorist Alan Lomax claims that Dorsey "literally invented gospel". 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. 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. Those sisters will forever be in my heart.. In his grief, he turned to the piano for comfort. Thomas Dorsey and Mother Willie Mae Ford Smith, 100mins According to Harris, by then Dorsey's piano style was already somewhat out of vogue. 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. People are saying amen because it feels good! Say Amen, Somebody - Wikipedia They pray for their ancestors and seek to heal the country's wounds of slavery through prayer vigils at historical slave sites. These migrants were refugees from poverty and the systemic racism endemic throughout the Jim Crow South. Film Critic Roger Ebert listed this as the 8th best film of 1983. Poe, Janita, "Thomas A Dorsey, Gospel Pioneer", National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Precious Lord: New Recordings of the Great Songs of Thomas A. Dorsey, Living legends of Chicago gospel honor tradition, carry on family legacies, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Spirit of Dorsey's Songs Fills His Funeral Service, Living Legends of Chicago Gospel Honor Tradition, Carry on Family Legacies, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Inductee List, Frequently Asked Questions: National Recording Registry, Complete National Recording Registry Listing: National Recording Registry, "If I Could Hear My Mother Pray AgainThomas Dorsey (1934)", "Peace in the Valley"Red Foley and the Sunshine Boys (1951), "Precious Lord: New Recordings of the Great Gospel Songs of Thomas A. Dorsey", "'It's Tight Like That' by Tampa Red and Georgia Tom", "'Future Blues' Willie Brown (Paramount 1930)", Biography by the Chicago Historical Society, "The Father of the Chicago Gospel Singing Movement", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thomas_A._Dorsey&oldid=1150701726, Governor's Award for the Arts in Chicago, given 1985, "If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again" (1934), added in 2007 recorded by Dorsey, written by John Whitfield Vaughan in 1922, "Peace In The Valley" by Red Foley and the Sunshine Boys (1951), added in 2006, Ferris, William, and Hart, Mary L., eds. [3], The Dorseys moved to Atlanta to find better opportunities when Thomas was eight years old. After months of difficult travel and deep soul-searching, the pilgrims reach Africa with a stronger sense of identity and purpose. "You know, Frank, this has been my life dream to go abroad," Barrett says to her husband in one scene. After his recovery three years later, Dorsey committed himself to composing sacred music. 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. More at 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. In addition, the blues factor of the gospel blues equation had associations with secular venues and activities often discouraged by the church. 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. Thomas Dorsey | PBS During the early 1930s, Thomas Dorsey created gospel music -- the African American religious music which married secular blues to a sacred text. Now you're not singing blues; you're singing gospel, good news song, singing about the Creator; but it's the same feeling, a grasping of the heart." 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. Latest Movies and TV Shows With Thomas A. Dorsey - IMDb Say Amen, Somebody - Letterboxd There were also a growing number of influential choirs in Chicago challenging the musical norms of the established churches, though Dorsey was usually more associated with the rise of the solo tradition. Both were born enslaved; both used the Gospel to shape their identities. [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. Labowskie, Mark, ". He began studying piano and organ. Never was released on dvd, only tape way back when. They would tour together in the 1940s. 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. By 1920, Dorsey was prospering, but the demanding schedule of playing at night, working at other jobs during the day, and studying in between led him to the first of two nervous breakdowns; he was so ill that his mother had to go to Chicago to bring him back to Atlanta. Composer, arranger, pianist. 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 just makes you feel like you want to you hear me say I want to fly away somewhere? Folk was wipin' their eyes, and some cryin' and bawlin' on, and I told em, 'What is this happenin' here? [4], Directionless, Dorsey began attending shows at the nearby 81 Theater, that featured blues musicians and live vaudeville acts. Including all the embellishments in gospel blues would make the notation prohibitively complicated. He penned 3,000 songs, a third of them gospel, including "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" and "Peace in the Valley". This is priceless DVD that will touch your heart no matter what. We see the lives and performances of two gospel greats, Willie May Ford Smith and Thomas Dorsey. Two of those "cats" became the focus of Nierenberg's film. ", Though the new biopic about Aretha Franklin starring Jennifer Hudson is earning tepid reviews, I'm going to see it this afternoon. 1982 Directed by George T. Nierenberg Synopsis Pure joy Documentary on modern black gospel music, focusing on the pioneering Rev. 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. 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. When asked about the inspiration for his ideas, Dozier replied: "I can't take credit for this stuffI'm only human and these things are the makings of God. Everything I do - that's good, at least - is a reflection of His hand. "[21][22], In addition to the high spirited choir performances, Dorsey began introducing uptempo Negro spirituals, what he referred to as "jubilees", alongside published hymns in worship services. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. hide caption. Haley. He was his sons' first teacher. Between 1932 and 1944, he held "Evenings with Dorsey" on this circuit, teaching novices the best ways to deliver his songs. I guarantee you watching this program you will be touched in same way watching this show!! He said that he suffered a debilitating stroke last year and expressed disappointment that she did not reach out. 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. In actual fact, his first musical impact was as a blues stylist as both writer and performer. In the fall of 1896, the Philadelphia Times published articles about two visits to Dorsey's "humble dwelling" at 206 Dean Street. ", So, in this recently restored film -- by Milestone Films with support from the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Academy Film Archive, and the Criterion Collection --. Thomas Andrew Dorsey | American musician | Britannica Just a genuine soul of a man. Yoruba worshipers find a means of gaining strength and spirituality from within. ABOUT THE EPISODE. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of serviceapply. But it hasn't been seen in theaters in nearly 30 years. Please try again. 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. ", Combs is curator of photography and film at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, which helped fund the restoration of Say Amen, Somebody. Dorsey found appeal in the freedom and potential that came with improvising within established hymns, allowing singers and musicians to infuse more emotion particularly joy and elation into their performances to move congregations. Soon he began selling concessions there, and aspiring to join the theater band, honed his musical skills on his family's organ and a relative's piano, picking out melodies that he had heard and practicing long hours. 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). In the film, he tells the story of how the death of his wife and their newborn child led him to church music. As the head of the NCGCC, he traveled the "gospel highway": a circuit of churches and similar venues throughout the U.S. where he trained singers and choirs. Newly restored and re-released. Thomas Markle says he refuses to be 'buried' by daughter Meghan It left me wanting more. 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). Dorsey returned to Chicago in 1921, and his uncle encouraged him to attend the National Baptist Convention. It is very moving and heart lifting documentary, Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2022. Thomas Andrew Dorsey, singer, composer, born Villa Rica Georgia 1 July 1899, died Chicago 23 January 1993. . He was ordained a minister in his sixties, formalizing the union of song and worship; the Pilgrim Baptist Church created the T. A. Dorsey Choir to honor him in 1983. Directed by George T. Nierenberg, Documentary on modern black gospel music, focusing on the pioneering Rev. Thomas A. Dorsey was one of the gospel pioneers profiled in George Nierenberg's Say Amen, Somebody. Some objected to the degradation of worship through blues shouting. 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. As a native Georgian I was pleased to have met Mr. Dorsey back in the early 70's. It only made sense to watch George Nierenberg's celebrated 1982 documentary on gospel music Say Amen, Somebody before that, as of course this genre was crucial to her upbringing, family, and culture, singing gospel in her father's church as a child and finding her voice in this medium long before she was "The Queen of Soul. The tune he wrote, Take My Hand, Precious Lord, came, he says, direct from God. He studied informally with musicians at the theater and local dance bands, always playing blues. Nevertheless, imparting a bluesy feel to a traditional arrangement was shocking to many, though Dorsey was able to vary the effect depending on his audience and their reaction. Thomas A. Dorsey documentary rough cut - YouTube Personal expressions such as clapping, stomping, and improvising with lyrics, rhythm, and melody were actively discouraged as being unrefined and degrading to the music and the singer. IMDb [52] Four years later, Aretha Franklin sang it at Jackson's funeral. 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. As the blues grew in popularity in the 1920s, black churches condemned it widely for being associated with sin and hedonism. [1][24][j], Chicago held its first gospel music festival as a tribute to Dorsey in 1985; it has taken place each year since then. But Dorsey's conversion was fleeting; he was soon playing with the Whispering Syncopators, making a salary commensurate with professional theater musicians. 209240. She was asked to sing it twice more; the response was so enthusiastic that Dorsey sold 4,000 print copies of his song. ABOUT THE EPISODE, Faith sustained black families through the oppression of segregation in the 1940s and 1950s. [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". Cecil Williams and Thomas A. Dorsey, born a generation apart, both seeking to bring the reality of the streets into the church. Say Amen, Somebody, a documentary about the men and women who pioneered African American gospel music, was widely praised upon its release in 1982; the late Roger Ebert called it "One of the most joyful movies I've ever seen." His best-known composition, "Take My Hand, Precious Lord", was performed by Mahalia Jackson and was a favorite of the Rev. He spent his afternoons and evenings watching vaudeville performances. 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. [39] Anthony Heilbut further explains that "the gospel of [Charles] Tindley and Dorsey talks directly to the poor. His song "Peace in the Valley", written in 1937 originally for Mahalia Jackson, was recorded by, among others, Red Foley in 1951, and Elvis Presley in 1957, selling more than a million copies each. You got to always have something: a little trick, a little embellishment or something. 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. 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')). And a good Christmas gift. I love it. 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". He is described as stately and often detached, one writer attesting that from a distance, "Dorsey is not presented as a happy man.