ABOUT THE EPISODE, God Is a Negro takes place after Emancipation, as the minister and journalist Henry McNeal Turner uses the black church to engage newly freed blacks in the political realm. Amazon.com: Say Amen, Somebody : Thomas A. Dorsey, Mother Willie Mae Thomas Dorsey 1899 - 1993. 16: The Gospel Song Legacy Of Thomas Andrew Dorsey, Wade In The Water Ep. Now George T. Nierenberg's film has been restored and re-released to theaters and DVD. 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. Say Amen, Somebody - Letterboxd I owned it years ago on VHS. [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. I miss her everyday. One of the best documentaries going I reckon. It is the story of two sourthern migrants, Rev. These migrants were refugees from poverty and the systemic racism endemic throughout the Jim Crow South. Pun. Thank you for remembering and honoring a great legend [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. He began studying piano and organ. The Dorsey brothers' father, Thomas Dorsey, Sr., was a cornet-playing coal miner who also led the Shenandoah town band and gave music lessons on the side. 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. Say Amen, Somebody is one of my favorite music documentaries of all time. With church no longer the focal point of his parents' lives, his connection to organized religion waned. Less than a year later, however, Dorsey was back in the secular blues business full-time. 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 explores Islam and Yoruba. The manager of a gospel quartet active in the 1930s stated that songs written by Dorsey and other songwriters copying him spread so far in such a short time that they were called "dorseys". Thomas A. Dorsey was one of the gospel pioneers profiled in George Nierenberg's Say Amen, Somebody. Rehearsals for sales pitches took place in Dorsey's nearly bare room in his uncle's house. 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. by George Allen. "It goes between the marrow and the bone. Latest Movies and TV Shows With Thomas A. Dorsey - IMDb [47], Encountering a "golden age" between 1940 and 1960, gospel music introduced recordings and radio broadcasts featuring singers who had all been trained by Dorsey or one of his protges. ", Wade In The Water Ep. They would tour together in the 1940s. 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. 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. These folks added boogey woogey to the hymns and were heretics. 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. However, both used their voices in very different ways-one chooses retribution and the other, engagement. 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. From then on, Dorsey vowed to do the Lord's work. 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. [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. 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. 1: Songs And Singing As Church. Fulfilled, perhaps. In Chicago, Dorsey adopted the name Georgia Tom and found work as a session musician. 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. Six years later, he teamed with Mahalia Jackson, and the team ushered in what was known as the Golden Age of Gospel Music. Dorsey himself became known as the father of gospel music. Dorsey's mother took work as a domestic servant; his father curtailed his pastoring and worked as a laborer. 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 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. In 1924, Dorsey made his debut as "Georgia Tom" with Ma Rainey at the Grand Theater and continued to tour with her, even after he wed in 1925, until he suffered the second of his breakdowns in 1926. Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2022, Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2022. 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. 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. It featured syncopated notes in an eight-bar blues structure; but instead of themes of defiance in the face of despair - the theme most common in the blues - this new music told stories of hope and affirmation. His first gospel song, "If You See my Savior Tell Him That You Saw Me" was published in 1932. [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. 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. Gospel music did not start with Dorsey. 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. 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.". Its a documentary set in a time period around 70's of old time gospel . And Dorsey's own Pilgrim Baptist Church choir performed at the 1933 World's Fair. 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. 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. 2015 NHD Thomas A Dorsey Documentary - by Adero Brooks RicardoBDC 23 subscribers Subscribe 6K views 7 years ago "Make A Joyful Noise" is the 2015 - 1st place winning documentary entered into. 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. As the blues grew in popularity in the 1920s, black churches condemned it widely for being associated with sin and hedonism. 209240. Documentaries really don't get much better than this. 2015 NHD Thomas A Dorsey Documentary - by Adero Brooks Folk was wipin' their eyes, and some cryin' and bawlin' on, and I told em, 'What is this happenin' here? 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. Patty Thomas - Wikipedia Obituary: Thomas Dorsey | The Independent | The Independent Say Amen Somebody - AllMusic [f], Chapters of the NCGCC opened in St. Louis and Cleveland. And I think the choir meant so much to those people because for a few hours on Sunday, they were royalty. So spiritual and uplifting! These churches discouraged expressive congregational participation and attempted to incorporate white church traditions in both service and music. 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. Black gospel choirs were asked to perform at several white churches in Chicago. 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. They created enclaves within neighborhoods through church choirs, which doubled as social clubs, offering a sense of purpose and belonging. [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? It's incredible how Gospel produced such top tier talents with such ease. Extremely entertaining documentary that takes a look at religious music as we get to meet two key people. Music publisher. I first encountered it as an LP from the documentary and have enjoyed it ever since. The Lord has too much work for you to let you die.". 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. In 1932 Dorsey was appointed musical director of Pilgrim Baptist Church in Chicago, a post he held until his retirement in 1983. As a result, his sales pitches and chorus performances were not always well received. He penned 3,000 songs, a third of them gospel, including "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" and "Peace in the Valley". 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. Thomas A. Dorsey was one of the gospel pioneers profiled in George Nierenberg's Say Amen, Somebody. Thomas Andrew Dorsey | Encyclopedia.com 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. He was his sons' first teacher. 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. Education: Attended Morehouse College; attended Chicago School of Composition and Arranging. Warts and politics. Dorsey based the music of his most popular and widely performed gospel song on and old hymn called "Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone?" Give me a song, I stick to the note and play it like it is, you won't pay much attention to it. Through their work, Dorsey & Williams create new expressions of faith. [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. In 1983 he was featured in the documentary "Say Amen, Somebody." He died of Alzheimer's disease in 1993 after spending the last year of his life in a coma. [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, who was born in Villa Rica, Georgia, was the music director at Pilgrim Baptist Church in Chicago from 1932 until the late 1970s. Dorsey found refuge in downtown Atlanta's black community. Dorsey described it as serving as a channel through which God spoke. [9], Rainey enjoyed enormous popularity touring with a hectic schedule, but beginning in 1926 Dorsey was plagued by a two-year period of deep depression, even contemplating suicide. Since its debut it has been translated into 50 languages. 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. He demanded that members attend practice regularly and that they should live their lives by the same standards promoted in their songs. Saw the original release. Young Thomas Dorsey describes feeling alienated from school and church during his first years in Atlanta. Under the name "Georgia Tom". 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. He returned to blues, recording "It's Tight Like That" with guitarist Hudson "Tampa Red" Whittaker despite his misgivings over the suggestive lyrics. 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. 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). Their collaboration would continue over the years as his fame spread, Martin often accompanying him on his tours around the country. Dorsey married again in 1941. Aside from the lyrics, he saw no real distinction between blues and church music, and viewed songs as a supplement to spoken word preaching. The Thomas A. Dorsey Birthplace and Gospel Heritage Festival, established in 1994, remains active. During the early 1930s, Thomas Dorsey created gospel music -- the African American religious music which married secular blues to a sacred text. Dorsey, Thomas A. | Encyclopedia.com Never was released on dvd, only tape way back when. ", 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 instead asked his singers to rely on feeling.[43]. 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. Dorsey visited doctors, sought treatment, took time off. I hope others will take the time to research the real facts and give Thomas A. Dorsey credit for his great Gospel works. As he related in the documentary Say Amen Somebody, "People tried to tell me things that were soothing to me none of which have ever been soothing from that day to this." There is no sense of social performance outside of what is naturally there. Under the name Georgia Tom he performed with blues artist Ma Rainey and her Wild Cats Jazz Band. Ma Rainey's listeners swayed, rocked, moaned and groaned with her. 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. 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. ABOUT THE EPISODE. Try it free. 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. It tells the stories of Sojourner Truth and Denmark Vesey. For women, that included not wearing make-up. 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. 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. Thomas A. Dorsey, Barrett Sisters, Mother Willie Mae Ford Smith, O'Neal Twins, Nierenberg, George T., Zella Jackson Price, Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2023. And I think that that respect is then reflected in the way in which the film is produced and directed. In Dorsey's story, he was stuck until a friend suggested he try adding "precious" to his address. In addition, the blues factor of the gospel blues equation had associations with secular venues and activities often discouraged by the church. Norton, Kay, "'Yes, [Gospel] Is Real': Half a Century with Chicago's Martin and Morris Company". 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. Due to the spontaneous nature of the events Dorsey worked, he became proficient at improvising, and along the way, learned to read musical notation. Thomas Dorsey. It is the story of two sourthern migrants, Rev. Loved the film!! He penned 3,000 songs, a third of them gospel, including "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" and "Peace in the Valley". See production, box office & company info. And a good Christmas gift. 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. Was so happy to see it available on DVD at a price I could afford. Film data from TMDb. (Marovich, p. For the big band trombonist and bandleader, see, Thomas Dorsey during his "Georgia Tom" blues period, late 1920s, Accounts of how many children the Dorseys had depend on the source. 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. Moreover, Dorsey refused to provide musical notation, or use it while directing, because he felt the music was only to be used as a guide, not strictly followed. I'll never get out of this place alive. 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. 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. [36] He is buried at Oak Woods Cemetery in Chicago. 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, one of five children, was born in Villa Rica, Georgia, but soon moved with his family to Atlanta. Multiple Celebrations Honor The Father Of Gospel Music, Professor 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 was demoted a grade and ostracized by the other children. Director: George T. Nierenberg | Stars: Willie May Ford Smith, Thomas A. Dorsey, Sallie Martin, Delois Barrett Campbell. 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. Dorsey also recorded under the names George Ramsey, Memphis Jim, Memphis Mose, Railroad Bill, Smokehouse Charley, Texas Tommy, and others. Including all the embellishments in gospel blues would make the notation prohibitively complicated. Yoruba worshipers find a means of gaining strength and spirituality from within. 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. Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations. In 1923, he became the pianist and leader of the Wild Cats Jazz Band accompanying Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, a charismatic and bawdy blues shouter who sang about lost love and hard times. Thomas Francis Dorsey Net Worth - Celebrity Net Worth Wiki 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. Dorsey returned to Chicago in 1921, and his uncle encouraged him to attend the National Baptist Convention. [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.
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