The tune he wrote, Take My Hand, Precious Lord, came, he says, direct from God. His best-known composition, "Take My Hand, Precious Lord", was performed by Mahalia Jackson and was a favorite of the Rev. It just makes you feel like you want to you hear me say I want to fly away somewhere? These churches discouraged expressive congregational participation and attempted to incorporate white church traditions in both service and music. Doing the Lord's work, absolutely. Fulfilled, perhaps. I don't go and take it just straight; I got to put something in it to get over. 102. [33][50][51], Despite racial segregation in churches and the music industry, Dorsey's music had widespread crossover appeal. Director George T. Nierenberg Stars Willie Mae Ford Smith Smith Thomas A. Dorsey Sallie Martin See production, box office & company info Search on Amazon search for Blu-ray and DVD Add to Watchlist 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. In San Francisco, the Reverend Cecil Williams develops a "come as you are" church. Their collaboration would continue over the years as his fame spread, Martin often accompanying him on his tours around the country. [3][a], Religion and music were at the center of the Dorseys' lives, and young Thomas was exposed to a variety of musical styles in his early childhood. 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. Thomas A. Dorsey, who wrote scores of gospel classics, including "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" and "Peace in the Valley," and Willie Mae Ford Smith, whose dynamic "song and sermon" approach to gospel set an almost impossible to duplicate performance standard. 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. Due to the spontaneous nature of the events Dorsey worked, he became proficient at improvising, and along the way, learned to read musical notation. Despite being meagerly compensated, he played rent parties, house parties, barrelhouses, and brothels, but enjoyed the social life of a musician. In Chicago, Dorsey found success almost immediately. Thomas Markle Sr has said he will not allow his daughter, Meghan Markle, to "bury" him while he is still alive.. We see the lives and performances of two gospel greats, Willie May Ford Smith and Thomas Dorsey. It is presented on PBS by WGBH and ITVS. Copyright 2003 The Faith Project, Inc. All rights reserved. ABOUT THE EPISODE. "[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. In Chicago,. [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. SERIES CREDITS, "There is a River" explores the evolution of African-American religious thought, from the beliefs and rituals Africans brought to America to the influence of Christian teachings imposed on slaves in the new world. 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. 1982 According to Dorsey, she asked him to coach her, and for two months they worked together on technique and repertoire. Nothing worked. [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. After a spiritual awakening, Dorsey began concentrating on writing and arranging religious music. Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations. He spent his afternoons and evenings watching vaudeville performances. While often living hand-to-mouth, the Dorseys were able to own an organ, which was rare for black families, and Dorsey's mother played during his father's church services. Even with a family he remained active in music, attending multiple engagements each year. ", 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". 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. Dorsey began developing a sacred music based on the secular blues. At eleven, he left school to take a job at a local vaudeville theater. A tour group of 150 demanded he sing "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" right there. He introduced rituals and standards among gospel choirs that are still in use. I have just come out of a tough sometimes violent marriage and on one of my down days heard this on the radio and it just struck a chord with me I guessso much so that I had to find out more about it. Search the characters on YT, wonderful performances via 78's. The documentary was originally released in 1982, and has been remastered and re-released. Thomas A. Dorsey Biography Born in 1899 in Villa Rica, GA; died of Alzheimer's disease, January 23, 1993, in Chicago, IL; son of a minister and church organist/pianist; married Nettie Harper, 1925 (died, 1931); married Kathryn Mosely, 1941; children: a daughter and a son. Documentary about the American gospel music scene, focusing on two of the movement's pioneering forces, Thomas A. Dorsey and Willie May Ford Smith. Thomas A. Dorsey was one of the gospel pioneers profiled in George Nierenberg's Say Amen, Somebody. He left school early and was soon hanging around theaters and dance halls. The "comma somebody" in the title indicates a sense of desperation, much like Jeb Bush's "Please clap," or the kid in class acting out in search of a love they cannot fathom. hide caption. It covers interviews of key missionary workers and their experiences of how they became missionary workers, their personal struggles within the churches and how they survived the ministering call to help people. 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. Upon hearing Nix sing, Dorsey was overcome, later recalling that his "heart was inspired to become a great singer and worker in the Kingdom of the Lordand impress people just as this great singer did that Sunday morning". Thomas A. Dorsey continue to be a giant in gospel music, and after his death his music is still alive and well. Indeed, in the late 1920s, he would begin work with one of the great gospel soloists of all time, Mahalia Jackson. His career continued to flourish; he would eventually compose over 3,000 songs. And they insisted; they pursued it nonetheless.". 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. 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. 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. Throughout his early years he felt torn between the sacred and the secular. Film data from TMDb. These migrants were refugees from poverty and the systemic racism endemic throughout the Jim Crow South. He was his sons' first teacher. Dorsey died of Alzheimer's in 1993, listening to music on a Walkman. 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. Ive been trying to get this DVD for a while Thanks, Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2022. The same thing acts for a gospel song. "You have the Barrett Sisters; you have the O'Neal Twins. 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. Now George T. Nierenberg's film has been restored and re-released to theaters and DVD. Dorsey co-founded the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses in 1933. Loved it. Say Amen, Somebody is one of my favorite music documentaries of all time. 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". I hope others will take the time to research the real facts and give Thomas A. Dorsey credit for his great Gospel works. Documentary clip on Thomas Dorsey 26,519 views Oct 6, 2014 405 Dislike Share Save mattsak12 860 subscribers taken from "The Story of Gospel Music" Show more 2015 NHD Thomas A Dorsey. 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. Choir members were encouraged to be physically active while singing, rocking and swaying with the music. [39][40] Folklorist Alan Lomax claims that Dorsey "literally invented gospel". For myself. by George Allen. In Chicago, Thomas Dorsey, a pianist with blues singer Ma Rainey, invents gospel music. At the beginning of worship services, Dorsey instructed choruses to march from the rear of the sanctuary to the choir-loft in a specific way, singing all the while. Was so happy to see it available on DVD at a price I could afford. The biggest hinderance to the next thing God wants to do is the last thing God did. "[36], To accomplish this, Dorsey traveled beyond the U.S., through Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe, and the Middle East. "[b] after hearing him perform at the National Baptist Convention. 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. He was demoted a grade and ostracized by the other children. It is the story of two sourthern migrants, Rev. Looked for it for years. "You have this kind of new tradition of people singing and re-invigorating gospel music in a different sort of way," she says. 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')). Directed by George T. Nierenberg, Documentary on modern black gospel music, focusing on the pioneering Rev. Selected discography. [34] After writing to his sister that he was lonely and wanted to be around children, she sent Dorsey's niece Lena McLin to live with him. At their debut, Frye strutted up and down the aisles and sang back and forth with the chorus, and at one point Dorsey jumped up from the piano stool in excitement and stood as he played. [46][i], Due to Dorsey's influence, the definition of gospel music shifted away from sacred song compositions to religious music that causes a physical release of pain and suffering, particularly in black churches. Letterboxd Limited. "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. ", Wade In The Water Ep. Norton, Kay, "'Yes, [Gospel] Is Real': Half a Century with Chicago's Martin and Morris Company". [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. The Lord has too much work for you to let you die.". 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. Thomas Dorsey wrote nearly one thousand gospel songs in his lifetime. Sources. [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. They pray for their ancestors and seek to heal the country's wounds of slavery through prayer vigils at historical slave sites. Peter Levinson tells Linda Wertheimer about his biography. 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. Before long he was earning money playing at private parties and bordellos. Give me a song, I stick to the note and play it like it is, you won't pay much attention to it. "It's just a feeling within; you can't help yourself," Smith says in the film, describing the experience of singing gospel. [30][31], Dorsey lived a quiet life despite his influence. Documentaries really don't get much better than this. 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. He was, however, able to work, though he remained on the periphery of the music community, held back, Harris observed, by both his lack of technique and repertoire, which prevented him from joining the union, and the sheer size and wealth of the musical community. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. In doing so, he became one of the first musicians to copyright blues music. Dorsey described it as serving as a channel through which God spoke. Dorsey married again in 1941. 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. He retired from Pilgrim Baptist Church and the NCGCC soon after, though he continued to participate and perform when he was able. One night, onstage, Dorsey noticed an "unsteadiness" in his playing. Dorsey was the son of a Baptist preacher; his mother was the church organist. Ma Rainey's Pianist Thomas Dorsey "Say Amen, Somebody" (1982) - YouTube 0:00 / 1:30 Ma Rainey's Pianist Thomas Dorsey "Say Amen, Somebody" (1982) 3,888 views Feb 1, 2021 Thomas A.. In addition, the blues factor of the gospel blues equation had associations with secular venues and activities often discouraged by the church. He also taught black children at a one-room schoolhouse where his son accompanied him and listened to lessons. ", 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 --. Newly restored and re-released. 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. 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. December 31, 2005 A major big band leader is the subject of a new book: Tommy Dorsey: Livin' in a Great Big Way. 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')). Film Critic Roger Ebert listed this as the 8th best film of 1983. 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. 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. July 25, 2003 Thomas Dorsey combined sacred and secular styles to create a revolution in music. The Dorseys sharecropped on a small farm, while the elder Dorsey, a graduate of Atlanta Bible College (now Morehouse College), traveled to nearby churches to preach. [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. The documentary shows the joy of gospel music in an age of cynicism. Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2022, Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2022. There he first saw Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith. I havent seen it yet but Im sure I will enjoy it because the Barrett Sisters are featured in it and they are my favorite. [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. did they follow in his foot steps? 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. [24] He found resistance among ministers, musicians, and parishioners alike. Black gospel choirs were asked to perform at several white churches in Chicago. He said that he suffered a debilitating stroke last year and expressed disappointment that she did not reach out. You got to always have something: a little trick, a little embellishment or something. (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.) Education: Attended Morehouse College; attended Chicago School of Composition and Arranging. Young Thomas Dorsey describes feeling alienated from school and church during his first years in Atlanta. We feel the purity of expression here and see very little of the commercial trappings we see in so much of organized religion. He penned 3,000 songs, a third of them gospel, including "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" and "Peace in the Valley". 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. Chicago ' s Blues Syncopator. Van Matre, Lynn, "Praises To Be For 'Father of Gospel'". Women swooned who had lost their men. Dorsey based the music of his most popular and widely performed gospel song on and old hymn called "Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone?" Similarly, the NCGCC in 1933 is described by Dorsey biographer Michael W. Harris as "a women's movement" as nine of the thirteen presiding officer positions were held by women. Dorsey's mother took work as a domestic servant; his father curtailed his pastoring and worked as a laborer. [4], Directionless, Dorsey began attending shows at the nearby 81 Theater, that featured blues musicians and live vaudeville acts. 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! Dorsey was the first black person to be inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. 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. Never was released on dvd, only tape way back when. It may seem out of place for a documentary about gospel music, especially to a more modern audience. And he would sit at the piano and play something and say, 'That's good stuff! As a native Georgian I was pleased to have met Mr. Dorsey back in the early 70's. Cecil Williams and Thomas A. Dorsey, born a generation apart, both seeking to bring the reality of the streets into the church. He remained in contact with his friends and fellow blues musicians, saying, "I'm not ashamed of my blues. [3], The Dorseys moved to Atlanta to find better opportunities when Thomas was eight years old. hide caption. 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. My favorite; "I'll Tell It Wherever I Go", with such a special version by the Gaither Vocal Band. Votes: 392 [e] His grief prompted him to write one of his most famous and enduring compositions, "Take My Hand, Precious Lord". If I may get personal: finally seeing this 1982 gospel music documentary (recently restored and out this month in a theatrical re-release) was like the fulfillment of a decades-long mission, as it was a mainstay of Roger Eberts annual home video companions, his four-star review promising one of the most joyful movies Ive ever seen also one of the best musicals and one of the most interesting documentaries. 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
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