thomas dorsey documentary

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 outcome of this is unknown other than the clinic stating they would no longer serve black patients. Turner encouraged his followers to find God from within. The same thing acts for a gospel song. Six years later, Dorsey left Atlanta for Chicago. It just makes you feel like you want to you hear me say I want to fly away somewhere? January 17, 2000 Sung at the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., it is the most-recorded gospel song ever. You got to always have something: a little trick, a little embellishment or something. [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. "[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. We see the lives and performances of two gospel greats, Willie May Ford Smith and Thomas Dorsey. Dorsey described to his biographer, Michael Harris, how Haley pulled a "live serpent" out of his throat. 16: The Gospel Song Legacy Of Thomas Andrew Dorsey, Wade In The Water Ep. Thomas A. Dorsey was one of the gospel pioneers profiled in George Nierenberg's Say Amen, Somebody.The documentary was originally released in 1982, and has been remastered and re-released. ), McLin became a composer, singer, and voice coach for, Numerous sources state Dorsey coined the term "gospel" to refer to sacred music, but W. M. Nix, the singer who inspired Dorsey at the 1921 National Baptist Convention, compiled a songbook titled, NCGCC annual meetings were also attended by members of the, Dorsey later stated that all the praise he received for this song never eclipsed his grief, saying, "None of it's ever been soothing to me, from that day to this day." "[27] However, once known, Dorsey could offer a "charming smile", according to Heilbut, and his enthusiasm "often lifts his voice to an irrepressible falsetto". Less than a year later, however, Dorsey was back in the secular blues business full-time. Eventually Dorsey's desire to become a professional musician motivated him to move to Philadelphia, in 1916, but his plans soon changed and he settled in Chicago, then abuzz with both migrant workers and migrant musicians. 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. Loved the film!! [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. 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. Documentary about the American gospel music scene, focusing on two of the movement's pioneering forces, Thomas A. Dorsey and Willie May Ford Smith. "[37][27] Dorsey began to slow down in the 1970s, eventually showing symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. He returned to blues, recording "It's Tight Like That" with guitarist Hudson "Tampa Red" Whittaker despite his misgivings over the suggestive lyrics. [30][31], Dorsey lived a quiet life despite his influence. Chicago ' s Blues Syncopator. 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. It was not long before he penned his first gospel blues, "If You See My Savior, Tell Him That You Saw Me," which was inspired by the death of a friend. Film data from TMDb. 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. [citation needed] Patty Thomas was born Patricia Thomas on August 1, 1922, in Erie, Pennsylvania.She also was in the films: Smooth Sailing, a 1947 short film by Jerry Hopper and the 2003 film . Unable to add item to List. ABOUT THE EPISODE, "Inheritors of the Faith" follows those who seek spiritual fulfillment outside of Christianity. The documentary was originally released in 1982, and has been remastered and re-released.. I love it. And they insisted; they pursued it nonetheless.". After his recovery three years later, Dorsey committed himself to composing sacred music. The luminaries of gospel are. The pressures of touring overwhelmed him, and Dorsey considered suicide. My soul was a deluge of divine rapture; my emotions were aroused; my heart was inspired to become a great singer and worker in the Kingdom of the Lord--and impress people just as this great singer did that Sunday morning." 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. With his brother Jimmy, Dorsey helped define American popular music from the 1920s through the mid 1950s. Rehearsals for sales pitches took place in Dorsey's nearly bare room in his uncle's house. Through their work, Dorsey & Williams create new expressions of faith. He visited a faith healer, Bishop H.H. Dorsey also recorded under the names George Ramsey, Memphis Jim, Memphis Mose, Railroad Bill, Smokehouse Charley, Texas Tommy, and others. [3], The Dorseys moved to Atlanta to find better opportunities when Thomas was eight years old. "Brother Dorsey," Bishop Haley reportedly said, "there is no reason for you to be looking so poorly and feeling so badly. 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. In 1925, he married Nettie Harper, who Rainey hired as a wardrobe mistress despite her inexperience, so she could join Dorsey on tour. 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, one of five children, was born in Villa Rica, Georgia, but soon moved with his family to Atlanta. In 1975 he appeared in WBBM TV's documentary film The Devil's Music - A History of . Give me a song, I stick to the note and play it like it is, you won't pay much attention to it. In San Francisco, the Reverend Cecil Williams develops a "come as you are" church. In his grief, he turned to the piano for comfort. As a result, his sales pitches and chorus performances were not always well received. 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. 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. Peter Levinson tells Linda Wertheimer about his biography. No cable. Dorsey described it as serving as a channel through which God spoke. Martin Luther King Jr.. Warts and politics. [e] His grief prompted him to write one of his most famous and enduring compositions, "Take My Hand, Precious Lord". He died in 1993. documentary "Say Amen, Somebody" (1982), where he is shown singing, remembering the past . 1982 Directed by George T. Nierenberg Synopsis Pure joy Documentary on modern black gospel music, focusing on the pioneering Rev. 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. I bet he and God are having a ball in Heaven! There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. [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. Mr. Dorsey's work reached a wider audience in 1983 through the documentary film, "Say Amen, Somebody," and in 1992, he was honored with the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences National . He is a truly mesmerizing figure, the stuff of which legends are made. It charts the devbelopment of underground churches, and attempts by slaves and free blacks to unify the black community. Two of those "cats" became the focus of Nierenberg's film. 1: Songs And Singing As Church. I love this DVD it is full of history and over the top singing. Lyrically, according to Boyer, Dorsey was "skilled at writing songs that not only captured the hopes, fears, and aspirations of the poor and disenfranchised African Americans but also spoke to all people". [17] Frye and Sallie Martin were two of the first and most effective singers Dorsey took with him to market his work. 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 I think that that respect is then reflected in the way in which the film is produced and directed. [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. The documentary follows their lives from the early days and leads up to a big conference when the two dynamic subjects share an auditorium. [39][40] Folklorist Alan Lomax claims that Dorsey "literally invented gospel". The adjustment for the entire family was difficult, culminating in Thomas being isolated, held back at school, and eventually dropping out after the fourth grade when he was twelve years old. 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]. The film also explores the role of the Nation of Islam, led by Elijah Muhammad. 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. Built in 1890, the church became a catalyst for the popularity of gospel music in the 1930s under choir director Thomas Dorsey. [10][12], Dorsey tried to market his new sacred music by printing thousands of copies of his songs to sell directly to churches and publishers, even going door to door, but he was ultimately unsuccessful. 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. It is presented on PBS by WGBH and ITVS. According to Dorsey, she asked him to coach her, and for two months they worked together on technique and repertoire. Saw the original release. In Chicago,. [39] Anthony Heilbut further explains that "the gospel of [Charles] Tindley and Dorsey talks directly to the poor. 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. As the blues grew in popularity in the 1920s, black churches condemned it widely for being associated with sin and hedonism. Lornell, Kip, "Dorsey, Thomas (18991993) Blues and Gospel Musician and Composer". He is a musical genius!!! People are saying amen because it feels good! '"[35][g], He remarried in 1941 to Katheryn Mosley. Whether you are religious or not,this is an inspiring documentary about the power of faith. 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. These migrants were refugees from poverty and the systemic racism endemic throughout the Jim Crow South. Music publisher. Available as a boxed vhs set or as a DVD for $199.95. "You have this kind of new tradition of people singing and re-invigorating gospel music in a different sort of way," she says. [57], List of people considered a founder in a Humanities field, This article is about the pianist, and composer of jazz, blues, and gospel. "Amen" is a response a congregation offers readily and without hesitation after something agreeable and rousing. 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. In doing so, he became one of the first musicians to copyright blues music. 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. Dorsey based the music of his most popular and widely performed gospel song on and old hymn called "Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone?" "From a childhood day I dreamed of being a great singer, and singing over in Europe. I owned it years ago on VHS. I feel like I can fly away!". Doing the Lord's work, absolutely. Anthony Heilbut writes that "the few days following his death, 'Precious Lord' seemed the truest song in America, the last poignant cry of nonviolence before a night of storm that shows no sign of ending". 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. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we dont use a simple average. 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. She also helped him with his publishing business, which quickly became so successful that people nationwide called any piece of gospel sheet music a "Dorsey.". 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. He also toured extensively with Mahalia Jackson in the 1940s, who was by this time the preeminent gospel singer in the world. 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. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. 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 INR. 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. But it hasn't been seen in theaters in nearly 30 years. January 7, 2006 A fire has destroyed the landmark Pilgrim Baptist Church on Chicago's South Side. Despite featuring musical genres that couldn't be more different from one another, it's interesting how both Say Amen, Somebody and Imagine the Sound (which came out the year before) document the end of the same era in American music. 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. There he was impressed by the singing of W. M. Nix. Learn more. Birth of the Gospel Blues. And a good Christmas gift. The documentary was originally released in 1982, and has been remastered and re-released. In Chicago, Dorsey adopted the name Georgia Tom and found work as a session musician. Please consider upgrading to a Pro accountfor less than a couple bucks a month, youll get cool additional features like all-time and annual stats pages (example), the ability to select (and filter by) your favorite streaming services, and no ads! 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. Recordings of these sold millions of copies in both gospel and secular markets in the 20th century.[1]. Since its debut it has been translated into 50 languages. "[b] after hearing him perform at the National Baptist Convention. Men groaned who had given their week's pay to a woman who betrayed her promises. Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2022. 84.00. 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. Loved it. Willie Mae reminded me so much of my grandmother, the moment she began to sing I immediately got teary eyed. Thomas A. Dorsey was one of the gospel pioneers profiled in George Nierenberg's Say Amen, Somebody. Folk was wipin' their eyes, and some cryin' and bawlin' on, and I told em, 'What is this happenin' here? The life of Professor Dorsey was immortalized in the documentary, Say Amen Somebody. 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. I miss her everyday. With church no longer the focal point of his parents' lives, his connection to organized religion waned. 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. They pray for their ancestors and seek to heal the country's wounds of slavery through prayer vigils at historical slave sites. 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. But the Lord's work would not be easy for him. In terms of the personalities that occupy the film, their presence is remarkable. [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. Black gospel choirs were asked to perform at several white churches in Chicago. Thomas A. Dorsey was one of the gospel pioneers profiled in George Nierenberg's Say Amen, Somebody. Ive been trying to get this DVD for a while Thanks, Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2022. In Dorsey's story, he was stuck until a friend suggested he try adding "precious" to his address. Everything I do - that's good, at least - is a reflection of His hand. Copyright 2003 The Faith Project, Inc. All rights reserved. A tour group of 150 demanded he sing "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" right there. 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. 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. It tells the stories of Sojourner Truth and Denmark Vesey. 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. By far the best documentary Ive seen! This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of serviceapply. 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.
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