He considered suicide. (Marovich, p. [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. Dorsey based the music of his most popular and widely performed gospel song on and old hymn called "Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone?" [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. McLin remembered that her uncle was "soft-spoken, not loud at all, and very well dressed he always had a shirt and a tie and a suit, and he was always elegant, very mannerly, very nice. [e] His grief prompted him to write one of his most famous and enduring compositions, "Take My Hand, Precious Lord". It is the story of two sourthern migrants, Rev. Composer, arranger, pianist. It is very moving and heart lifting documentary, Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2022. While presiding over rehearsals, Dorsey was strict and businesslike. His uncle was also a musician, a traveling guitarist concentrating on country blues while it was in its infancy. 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. After months of difficult travel and deep soul-searching, the pilgrims reach Africa with a stronger sense of identity and purpose. Documentaries really don't get much better than this. Atlanta ' s " Barrel House Tom ". ABOUT THE EPISODE, Guide My Feet traces African-Americans as they move from the rural South to the promised land of the industrial North. "You know, Frank, this has been my life dream to go abroad," Barrett says to her husband in one scene. Throughout his early years he felt torn between the sacred and the secular. Dorsey returned to Chicago in 1921, and his uncle encouraged him to attend the National Baptist Convention. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we dont use a simple average. My favorite; "I'll Tell It Wherever I Go", with such a special version by the Gaither Vocal Band. He married his sweetheart, Nettie Harper. 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. Easter Flowers for Composer and Musician Thomas A. Dorsey, the "Father 'Say Amen' focuses on Thomas Dorsey and Willie Mae Ford Smith, two lifelong gospel performers who spend their golden years barnstorming to small churches and congregations, where they perform, spread the gospel, revisit their old stomping grounds, and tell their. I miss her everyday. 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. By the time Ma Rainey finished her song, she was "in her sins" - and Georgia Tom was right there with her, his rhythmic piano filling the grooves. Documentary clip on Thomas Dorsey - YouTube 1982 Directed by George T. Nierenberg Synopsis Pure joy Documentary on modern black gospel music, focusing on the pioneering Rev. Norton, Kay, "'Yes, [Gospel] Is Real': Half a Century with Chicago's Martin and Morris Company". Dorsey's mother took work as a domestic servant; his father curtailed his pastoring and worked as a laborer. The documentary was originally released in 1982, and has been remastered and re-released. After his recovery three years later, Dorsey committed himself to composing sacred music. [39] Anthony Heilbut further explains that "the gospel of [Charles] Tindley and Dorsey talks directly to the poor. [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". Multiple Celebrations Honor The Father Of Gospel Music, Professor 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. 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. His best-known composition, "Take My Hand, Precious Lord", was performed by Mahalia Jackson and was a favorite of the Rev. Nothing worked. "When I saw the film after it was restored, it felt like a new film completely," he says. Before long he was earning money playing at private parties and bordellos. Author Anthony Heilbut summarized Dorsey's influence by saying he "combined the good news of gospel with the bad news of blues". We see the lives and performances of two gospel greats, Willie May Ford Smith and Thomas Dorsey. Dorsey died of Alzheimer's disease on January 23, 1993. ", Though the new biopic about Aretha Franklin starring Jennifer Hudson is earning tepid reviews, I'm going to see it this afternoon. 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. But Dorsey's conversion was fleeting; he was soon playing with the Whispering Syncopators, making a salary commensurate with professional theater musicians. Lornell, Kip, "Dorsey, Thomas (18991993) Blues and Gospel Musician and Composer". 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. As Dorsey related in The Rise of Gospel Blues: "My inner-being was thrilled. [16], This new style began to catch on in Chicago, and Dorsey's musical partners Theodore Frye, Magnolia Lewis Butts, and Henry Carruthers urged him to organize a convention where musicians could learn gospel blues. I grew up going to countless churches when I was younger and it was always something special to walk into a black church and feel the power that was behind the walls. Both were born enslaved; both used the Gospel to shape their identities. "[37][27] Dorsey began to slow down in the 1970s, eventually showing symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. The documentary was originally released in 1982, and has been remastered and re-released. As a result, his sales pitches and chorus performances were not always well received. IMDb The first was Thomas A. Dorsey, known as the father of gospel music. . INR. "You have the Barrett Sisters; you have the O'Neal Twins. It is completely un-invasive, and you get the sense that if the camera wasn't present at all, these people would be acting exactly the same. I feel like I can fly away!". He left school early and was soon hanging around theaters and dance halls. 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. 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. 84.00. He experienced a spiritual re-invigoration of sorts in 1928. And that's how he came to capture his subjects accurately, says Dr. Rhea Combs. Women swooned who had lost their men. Under the name Georgia Tom he performed with blues artist Ma Rainey and her Wild Cats Jazz Band. It left me wanting more. A beat is a beat whatever it is. Then, he began to think more seriously about his faith. It is the story of two sourthern migrants, Rev. [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. He was demoted a grade and ostracized by the other children. The documentary was originally released in 1982, and has been remastered and re-released.. Patty Thomas - Wikipedia You've got Thomas Dorsey, the man who is credited with creating gospel music and Willie Mae Ford Smith, a woman who wants to preach the gospel. 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. So spiritual and uplifting! In Dorsey's story, he was stuck until a friend suggested he try adding "precious" to his address. "I asked him for any suggestions that he had for another topic for an interesting film, and he said these were his exact words he said, 'You oughta look into gospel music; those cats are really neat,' " Nierenberg remembers. Loved the film!! Dorsey described to his biographer, Michael Harris, how Haley pulled a "live serpent" out of his throat. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Documentary about the American gospel music scene, focusing on two of the movement's pioneering forces, Thomas A. Dorsey and Willie May Ford Smith. They created enclaves within neighborhoods through church choirs, which doubled as social clubs, offering a sense of purpose and belonging. [27], During his blues period, Dorsey presented himself as dapper and dignified, which carried over into his gospel work. by George Allen. Dorsey was the son of a Baptist preacher; his mother was the church organist. [17] Frye and Sallie Martin were two of the first and most effective singers Dorsey took with him to market his work. He visited a faith healer, Bishop H.H. Men groaned who had given their week's pay to a woman who betrayed her promises. He is described as stately and often detached, one writer attesting that from a distance, "Dorsey is not presented as a happy man. Never was released on dvd, only tape way back when. I owned it years ago on VHS. Dorsey began developing a sacred music based on the secular blues. 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. However, both used their voices in very different ways-one chooses retribution and the other, engagement. This was a documentary on the history of American Gospel music with clips of some of the greats from the early years of the 1930s and also those, later, like Mahalia Jackson. The documentary follows their lives from the early days and leads up to a big conference when the two dynamic subjects share an auditorium. Through their work, Dorsey & Williams create new expressions of faith. There was just something special happening when you walked into these churches and much of that power is on display in this. 2015 NHD Thomas A Dorsey Documentary - by Adero Brooks I love it. Dorsey instead asked his singers to rely on feeling.[43]. It tells the stories of Sojourner Truth and Denmark Vesey. 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')). In The Rise of Gospel Blues Harris noted, "Other than slave spirituals, the white Protestant hymns and shaped note music, Dorsey describes a type of 'moaning' as the only other style of religious song he recalls." Recommended as an antidote to the blahs. Six years later, Dorsey left Atlanta for Chicago. Glad i was able to get the remastered copy. 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. 1: Songs And Singing As Church. Mobilesite. The life of Professor Dorsey was immortalized in the documentary, Say Amen Somebody. For women, that included not wearing make-up. Music publisher. Cecil Williams and Thomas A. Dorsey, born a generation apart, both seeking to bring the reality of the streets into the church. Thomas Dorsey, Father of Gospel Music, Dies at 93 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. Thomas Andrew Dorsey | American musician | Britannica Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2022. 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. In addition, the blues factor of the gospel blues equation had associations with secular venues and activities often discouraged by the church. 'Say Amen, Somebody' Restoration Unveils The Wonder Of The Gospel Pioneers, Thomas Dorsey, the Father of Gospel Music. Dorsey was the first black person to be inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. 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. Thomas Dorsey and Mother Willie Mae Ford Smith Remove Ads Cast Crew Details Genres Cast Thomas Dorsey Willie Mae Ford Smith 100 mins More at IMDb TMDb Sign in to log, rate or review Share Ratings 1 fan 3.9 Less than a year later, however, Dorsey was back in the secular blues business full-time. Looked for it for years. [4], Directionless, Dorsey began attending shows at the nearby 81 Theater, that featured blues musicians and live vaudeville acts. There the family struggled economically. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness. 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. [13][14][d], Unsure if gospel music could sustain him, Dorsey was nonetheless pleased to discover that he made an impression at the National Baptist Convention in 1930 when, unknown to him, Willie Mae Ford Smith sang "If You See My Savior" during a morning meeting. This the story. Its a documentary set in a time period around 70's of old time gospel . See production, box office & company info. Dorsey, Thomas 1899-1993 | Encyclopedia.com 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. 16: The Gospel Song Legacy Of Thomas Andrew Dorsey, Wade In The Water Ep. It goes beyond the series to explore the full diversity of African-American religious expression. Thankfully enough folks saw the light. You got to always have something: a little trick, a little embellishment or something. 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". Dorsey married again in 1941. 102. These folks added boogey woogey to the hymns and were heretics. [33][50][51], Despite racial segregation in churches and the music industry, Dorsey's music had widespread crossover appeal. Search the characters on YT, wonderful performances via 78's. Ma Rainey's listeners swayed, rocked, moaned and groaned with her. [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. Pun. 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. Then there were the new hymns of the 1800's. 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. Learn more. [30][31], Dorsey lived a quiet life despite his influence. In actual fact, his first musical impact was as a blues stylist as both writer and performer. * Live TV from 100+ channels. Dorsey visited doctors, sought treatment, took time off. 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. (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.) Villa Rica's rural location allowed Dorsey to hear slave spirituals, and "moaning" a style of singing marked by elongated notes and embellishments widespread among Southern black people alongside the Protestant hymns his father favored. 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%41%6c%76%69%6e%20%4c%65%77%69%73%20%20%26%6c%74%3b%61%6c%76%61%6c%69%76%65%33%31%36%40%79%61%68%6f%6f%2e%63%6f%6d%26%67%74%3b%5c%22%3e%41%6c%76%69%6e%20%4c%65%77%69%73%20%3c%5c%2f%61%3e%27%29%3b')). "It's just a feeling within; you can't help yourself," Smith says in the film, describing the experience of singing gospel. 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. As the blues grew in popularity in the 1920s, black churches condemned it widely for being associated with sin and hedonism. Saw the original release. Film data from TMDb. 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 . 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. He died in 1993. Thomas A. Dorsey Net Worth December 31, 2005 A major big band leader is the subject of a new book: Tommy Dorsey: Livin' in a Great Big Way. Posters are sourced from TMDb and Posteritati, and appear for you and visitors to your profile and content, depending on settings. They would tour together in the 1940s. '"[35][g], He remarried in 1941 to Katheryn Mosley. 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. And its a terrific good time. Uncle Roger did not oversell it. He convalesced back home in Atlanta. He penned 3,000 songs, a third of them gospel, including "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" and "Peace in the Valley". 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. Votes: 392 Two of those "cats" became the focus of Nierenberg's film. [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. Apparently, this is a common phrase for a preacher to employ when looking to foster agreement. [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. The unsteadiness grew worse, leaving him unable to practice, write or perform. Letterboxd is an independent service created by a small team, and we rely mostly on the support of our members to maintain our site and apps. 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. With his brother Jimmy, Dorsey helped define American popular music from the 1920s through the mid 1950s. The night Rainey opened at Chicago's largest black theater Dorsey is remembered as "the most exciting moment in my life". 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. Their collaboration would continue over the years as his fame spread, Martin often accompanying him on his tours around the country. 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. [24] He found resistance among ministers, musicians, and parishioners alike. He did not seek publicity, preferring to remain at his position as music director at the 3,000-seat Pilgrim Baptist Church and running his publishing company. 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. And I think the choir meant so much to those people because for a few hours on Sunday, they were royalty. [f], Chapters of the NCGCC opened in St. Louis and Cleveland. Dorsey described it as "good news on either side." More at 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! Young Thomas Dorsey describes feeling alienated from school and church during his first years in Atlanta. 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. He moved to Chicago and became a proficient composer and arranger of jazz and vaudeville just as blues was becoming popular. Sacred music could not sustain him financially, however, so he continued to work in blues. In Chicago, Dorsey adopted the name Georgia Tom and found work as a session musician. I bet he and God are having a ball in Heaven! Give me a song, I stick to the note and play it like it is, you won't pay much attention to it. India's Economy Moving Into Low Inflation Regime, RBI Paper Says ABOUT THE EPISODE. I'll never get out of this place alive. ABOUT THE EPISODE, In 1998, 60 people embarked on an Interfaith Pilgrimage of the Middle Passage. Dorsey described it as serving as a channel through which God spoke. Bennett, Tom, "OBITUARY: Thomas A Dorsey, 93, 'Father" of Gospel Music'", O'Neal, Jim, Van Singel, Amy: "Georgia Tom Dorsey" in. That's not surprising, but it is surprising that the filmmakers exposed it as they did because it's quite unflattering. Thomas Dorsey 1899 - 1993. In doing so, he became one of the first musicians to copyright blues music. Mount Prospect Baptist Church, where his father preached and Dorsey learned music at his mother's organ, was declared a historic site by the city, and a historical marker was placed at the location where his family's house once stood. Say Amen, Somebody is one of my favorite music documentaries of all time. 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. He is a musical genius!!! [29], Despite the objections, within months gospel blues had proven to be established in Chicago's black churches. I first encountered it as an LP from the documentary and have enjoyed it ever since. Documentary about the American gospel music scene, focusing on two . 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. The first generation of gospel singers in the 20th century worked or trained with Dorsey: Sallie Martin, Mahalia Jackson, Roberta Martin, and James Cleveland, among others. 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. 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. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of serviceapply. How old are his children, and where are they living now? I guarantee you watching this program you will be touched in same way watching this show!! 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.