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. This Far by Faith . About the Series | PBS A Moment with Thomas Dorsey, from the Movie Say Amen, Somebody Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2022, Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2022. As a native Georgian I was pleased to have met Mr. Dorsey back in the early 70's. The documentary follows their lives from the early days and leads up to a big conference when the two dynamic subjects share an auditorium. In time, they discover that the true wounds lie within themselves. 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. I don't go and take it just straight; I got to put something in it to get over. 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%42%65%63%6b%79%20%26%6c%74%3b%61%6e%74%62%77%6f%6c%66%66%40%73%62%63%67%6c%6f%62%61%6c%2e%6e%65%74%26%67%74%3b%5c%22%3e%42%65%63%6b%79%3c%5c%2f%61%3e%27%29%3b')). Thomas A. Dorsey - Wikipedia Both were born enslaved; both used the Gospel to shape their identities. 1932 was also the year he formed the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses with blues singer Sallie Martin. Author Anthony Heilbut summarized Dorsey's influence by saying he "combined the good news of gospel with the bad news of blues". 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). Women swooned who had lost their men. Before long he was back to writing and performing secular blues, and in 1928, "It's Tight Like That" became a hit, selling seven million copies. 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. 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. 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')). 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. Easter Flowers for Composer and Musician Thomas A. Dorsey, the "Father Thomas Andrew Dorsey | Encyclopedia.com Young Thomas Dorsey describes feeling alienated from school and church during his first years in Atlanta. Black gospel choirs were asked to perform at several white churches in Chicago. [e] His grief prompted him to write one of his most famous and enduring compositions, "Take My Hand, Precious Lord". He was his sons' first teacher. ", Though the new biopic about Aretha Franklin starring Jennifer Hudson is earning tepid reviews, I'm going to see it this afternoon. [41] Horace Boyer attributes this popularity to "simple but beautiful melodies", unimposing harmonies, and room for improvisation within the music. 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.". I bet he and God are having a ball in Heaven! [6] The experience prompted him to copyright his first religious song in 1922, "If I Don't Get There", a composition in the style of Charles Tindley, whom Dorsey idolized. Despite being meagerly compensated, he played rent parties, house parties, barrelhouses, and brothels, but enjoyed the social life of a musician. He gained fame accompanying blues belter Ma Rainey on tour and, billed as "Georgia Tom", joined with guitarist Tampa Red in a successful recording career. But Dorsey's conversion was fleeting; he was soon playing with the Whispering Syncopators, making a salary commensurate with professional theater musicians. "[b] after hearing him perform at the National Baptist Convention. 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. 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. A new 4K restoration of Say Amen, Somebody opens at Film at Lincoln Center on Friday, September 5, featuring an a cappella gospel performance by Songs of Sol. 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. He considered suicide. Through their work, Dorsey & Williams create new expressions of faith. However, both used their voices in very different ways-one chooses retribution and the other, engagement. 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. Dorsey served as the music director at Chicago's Pilgrim Baptist Church for 50 years, introducing musical improvisation and encouraging personal elements of participation such as clapping, stomping, and shouting in churches when these were widely condemned as unrefined and common. 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 After a spiritual awakening, Dorsey began concentrating on writing and arranging religious music. His uncle was also a musician, a traveling guitarist concentrating on country blues while it was in its infancy. Thank you for remembering and honoring a great legend By what name was Say Amen, Somebody (1982) officially released in Canada in English? The record sold more than seven million copies. 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). Folk was wipin' their eyes, and some cryin' and bawlin' on, and I told em, 'What is this happenin' here? 1982 Directed by George T. Nierenberg Synopsis Pure joy Documentary on modern black gospel music, focusing on the pioneering Rev. [45] Choruses were stocked primarily with women, often untrained singers with whom Dorsey worked personally, encouraging many women who had little to no participation in church before to become active. By far the best documentary Ive seen! [57], List of people considered a founder in a Humanities field, This article is about the pianist, and composer of jazz, blues, and gospel. [f], Chapters of the NCGCC opened in St. Louis and Cleveland. With his brother Jimmy, Dorsey helped define American popular music from the 1920s through the mid 1950s. 16: The Gospel Song Legacy Of Thomas Andrew Dorsey, Wade In The Water Ep. Director: George T. Nierenberg | Stars: Willie May Ford Smith, Thomas A. Dorsey, Sallie Martin, Delois Barrett Campbell. 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. [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. This Far by Faith. Recordings of these sold millions of copies in both gospel and secular markets in the 20th century.[1]. See production, box office & company info. There was just something special happening when you walked into these churches and much of that power is on display in this. Loved the film!! His sister-in-law convinced him to attend church, and, while at a service, he had a vision, after which he pledged to work for the Lord. 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. It goes beyond the series to explore the full diversity of African-American religious expression. 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. Then there were the new hymns of the 1800's. "From a childhood day I dreamed of being a great singer, and singing over in Europe. That's not surprising, but it is surprising that the filmmakers exposed it as they did because it's quite unflattering. 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 provided the courage needed to fight Jim Crow. [49] In Dorsey's wake, R&B artists Dinah Washington, who was a member of the Sallie Martin Singers, Sam Cooke, originally in the gospel band the Soul Stirrers, Ray Charles, Little Richard, James Brown, and the Coasters recorded both R&B and gospel songs, moving effortlessly between the two, as Dorsey did, and bringing elements of gospel to mainstream audiences. 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, In 1998, 60 people embarked on an Interfaith Pilgrimage of the Middle Passage. I hope others will take the time to research the real facts and give Thomas A. Dorsey credit for his great Gospel works. 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. Throughout his early years he felt torn between the sacred and the secular. I feel I've thoroughly blessed over the years with an abundance of songs and materialThere is definitely God behind this thing that I do. As Dorsey related in The Rise of Gospel Blues: "My inner-being was thrilled. The 1981 meeting featured in the film was the last convention he was able to attend. "Thomas Dorsey, Father of Gospel Music, Dies at 93". In so many words, it's about rising above poverty while still living humble deserting the ways of the world while retaining its best tunes. He penned 3,000 songs, a third of them gospel, including "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" and "Peace in the Valley". Nothing worked. It is very moving and heart lifting documentary, Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2022. . In his grief, he turned to the piano for comfort. 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." Thomas A. Dorsey continue to be a giant in gospel music, and after his death his music is still alive and well. Dorsey described it as "good news on either side." One night, onstage, Dorsey noticed an "unsteadiness" in his playing. Dorsey, one of five children, was born in Villa Rica, Georgia, but soon moved with his family to Atlanta. Top subscription boxes right to your door, 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates, Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon. He experienced a spiritual re-invigoration of sorts in 1928. In Chicago,. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. He retired from Pilgrim Baptist Church and the NCGCC soon after, though he continued to participate and perform when he was able. India's economy is likely moving into a low inflation regime as supply shocks fade and demand cools, according to a paper co-authored by Reserve Bank of India Deputy . To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we dont use a simple average. 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. 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. It's all the same talent. Then, in August 1932, Dorseys life was thrown into crisis when his wife and son died during childbirth. He infused joy and optimism in his written music as he directed his choirs to do perform with uplifting fervor as they sang. 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. In fact it won't go anywhere. The biggest hinderance to the next thing God wants to do is the last thing God did. The film also explores the role of the Nation of Islam, led by Elijah Muhammad. I'll never get out of this place alive. We feel the purity of expression here and see very little of the commercial trappings we see in so much of organized religion. Status is huge in this world. 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! In doing so, he became one of the first musicians to copyright blues music. 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.
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