There was a great deal of early resistance to Dorsey's work, partly because it was rooted in the rural southern African-American culture from which the old-line urban churches sought to distance themselves in favor of assimilation. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images documentary "Say Amen, Somebody" (1982), where he is shown singing, remembering the past . Many churches sought prestige in their musical offerings, which were often ornate and sophisticated liturgical compositions by classical European composers, such as Handel's Messiah (1742) and Mozart's Alleluia (1773). Then, he began to think more seriously about his faith. Young Thomas Dorsey describes feeling alienated from school and church during his first years in Atlanta. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. 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. Thomas Andrew Dorsey, singer, composer, born Villa Rica Georgia 1 July 1899, died Chicago 23 January 1993. . Prominent hymnal publishers began including his compositions in the late 1930s, ensuring his music would be sung in white churches. 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. Dorsey returned to Chicago in 1921, and his uncle encouraged him to attend the National Baptist Convention. ABOUT THE EPISODE, "Inheritors of the Faith" follows those who seek spiritual fulfillment outside of Christianity. 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". 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. [27], During his blues period, Dorsey presented himself as dapper and dignified, which carried over into his gospel work. Nierenberg's other main character was Mother Willie Mae Ford Smith, one of gospel's pioneering female ministers and performers, and a mentor to younger singers. Amazon.com: Say Amen, Somebody : Thomas A. Dorsey, Mother Willie Mae "He is coming in as a collaborator with them, as opposed to this notion or feeling of voyeurism," she says. [25] Others took offense to such lively music overshadowing the minister's spoken word, or women delivering spiritual messages through song, taking the place of the preacher who was typically male. ), The song is attributed to Dorsey; the melody is influenced by "Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone?" 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. [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. IMDb [32][33] Never considering himself a strong singer, Dorsey recorded gospel music sporadically up to 1934, and two songs in 1953 were his last, though he continued to write. It features one of the first gospel soloists, Willie Mae Ford Smith and the father of gospel music, Thomas Dorsey late in their lives. Thomas A. Dorsey - Wikipedia Thomas Dorsey and Mother Willie Mae Ford Smith, 100mins 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. 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. Dorsey was the first black person to be inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. These churches discouraged expressive congregational participation and attempted to incorporate white church traditions in both service and music. She says another thing that sets the film apart is its focus on female performers; Nierenberg says the women faced opposition from both the Church and their families, "They were bucking the system when it came to performing their music in churches," he says. The emotionality of gospel music is always spectacular to witness, and while a large portion of Say Amen, Somebody is devoted to the massive productions of black church music, it goes behind the scenes to illuminate the culture, both good and bad. However, mainstream churches rejected his songs. (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.) 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. "[36], To accomplish this, Dorsey traveled beyond the U.S., through Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe, and the Middle East. Say Amen, Somebody (1982) - IMDb He moved to Chicago and became a proficient composer and arranger of jazz and vaudeville just as blues was becoming popular. Loud Pictures - A Music Movie Project38/65, Even without the explanation of the title from Say Amen, Somebody's Wikipedia page, its meaning is obvious once the film gets rolling. Sacred music could not sustain him financially, however, so he continued to work in blues. The lyrics, however, were written by Dorsey. I'll never get out of this place alive. ), 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." . "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. He convalesced back home in Atlanta. It goes beyond the series to explore the full diversity of African-American religious expression. He was part of the Great Migration north. 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. Labowskie, Mark, ". [30][31], Dorsey lived a quiet life despite his influence. Thomas A. Dorsey | Songwriters Hall of Fame [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. Thomas A Dorsey was truely one of pop-music cultural best kept secrets. This Far by Faith. 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]. This freed the choir members' hands to clap, and he knew anyway that most of the chorus singers in the early 1930s were unable to read music. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. [20] He also mentored many young musicians, including training a teenage Mahalia Jackson when she first arrived in Chicago, although he said she did not entirely accept his instruction: "She said I was trying to make a stereotyped singer out of her.
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