Thomas A. Dorsey and the Gospel Sound Gospel music, the infusion of traditional spirituals and hymns with the rhythms of jazz and blues, was born in the early 20th century with the African American church as its birthplace. It is a musical genre which varies in flavor as well as style and differs according to social context and culture.
Multi-faceted in purpose – aesthetic pleasure, ceremonial/religious purposes, entertainment, etc. – its overall purpose is praise, thanks, and worship to God. It is generally characterized by dominant vocals coupled with a strong use of harmony. Among gospel music’s most creative forces was Thomas Andrew Dorsey.
He is often revered as “the Father of Gospel music.” (Petrie) Born during a time when blacks were discovering a world previously closed to them, Thomas A. Dorsey epitomizes for me, the struggle for self-definition. Although he did not invent gospel blues, he was one of its earliest performers and remains one of its most prolific composers with more than 400 songs to his credit.
His combination of spiritual lyrics and honky tonk sounds helped create a musical genre that would revolutionize American religious praise.Dorsey was born July 1, 1899 to a Baptist preacher and piano teacher in Villa Rica, Georgia. In 1908, Thomas Madison Dorsey, his wife, Etta and their four children left Villa Rica and moved to Atlanta, Georgia. It was here that young Dorsey, already familiar with the spiritual sounds of the black church, was introduced to the sound of the blues as performed by the likes of Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith and the piano players Ed Butler, James Henningway, and Lark Lee of the 81 Theater on Decatur Street.
Employed selling “soda pop”, he took every available opportunity to pester the house piano players into teaching him. By the age of 14, Dorsey had earned the moniker “Barrelhouse Tommy” and was well known as a piano player at bars and bordellos in the area. In 1916, Dorsey left the South and moved to Chicago where, as “Georgia Tom” he played piano in one of Al Capone’s speakeasies. From 1919 – 1922 he studied music at the Chicago School of Composition and Arranging and later took a job with Paramount Records as a talent scout and song arranger.
His contribution to American music is even greater for his ability to read music.Dorsey dreamed of becoming a famous blues star and worked toward that end throughout the 1920’s. His self-published songs “Riverside Blues” were recorded by King Oliver, while Monette Moore recorded “I Want a Daddy to Call My Own” (Hill) worked with Will Walker’s Whispering Syncopators and arranged for Ma Rainey after she joined Paramount Records. When Paramount decided to send Rainey on a tour of the Midwest and the South, Dorsey went along forming a five-piece band called the Wild Cat Jazz Band.
Thomas Dorsey recorded “Black Eye Blues” and “Sleep Talking Blues” with Rainey. In 1924, Thomas Dorsey married Ma Rainey’s dresser, Nettie Harper. She was his first wife. He also toured with three other blues artists during the same period: Bertha “Chippie” Hill, Big Bill Broonzy and Papa Charlie Jackson.
It was only after a nervous breakdown brought on by excessive touring, late night gigs and composing that Dorsey slowed down. It took two years for him to recover.“Georgia Tom” recorded the tune “Tight Like That” with Hudson “Tampa Red” Whittaker in 1928. It was wildly popular and the duo recorded three versions of this raunchy song.
Among other blues tunes accredited to “Georgia Tom” are: “All Alone Blues”, “Eagle Riding’ Papa”, “Pig Meat Blues”, “Second-Hand Woman Blues”, “Terrible Operation Blues” (Gennett Records).The struggle that raged within him between the holy and the profane continued throughout the 1920’s. Dorsey registered his first spiritual musical composition in 1922. He became musical director of New Hope Baptist Church and the music he composed magnified the dichotomy of the “old settlers” of black Chicago and the new migrant arrivals from the southern states.
The worship music of black Chicago was comprised of compositions by Rossini, Mendelssohn, Handel, and Schubert – a sound borrowed from the white church and through which northern blacks were determined to divorce themselves from the sound of the more passionate southern black church. This dichotomy was one that Dorsey knew well; his uncle was a composer who preferred to style songs in the tradition of southern white religious music. Drawn to both blues and spirituals, Dorsey chose to fuse the two, creating music that many considered “too racy” for church. But not everyone agreed; gospel blues became popularized first, in the churches of Chicago and spread like ‘wildfire’ to St.
Louis, Detroit, Cincinnati and Philadelphia (Harris). “If You See My Savior”, published in 1928 (the same year of his blues hit “Tight Like That”) is a gospel classic.None of us is the result of a single influence; parents, siblings, friends, media and society at large converge to create each individual’s unique interpretation of what life is. Conflicts develop within us regarding what we feel versus what others deem appropriate.
Often, by choosing our own path, we risk judgment. To be true to ourselves, as Thomas A. Dorsey was true to the musical voice within him, is difficult and often results in feelings of alienation, resentment, confusion, doubt. Why must we choose one voice? Shouldn’t everything that we do be a reflection of our worship, an expression of the life and love within? Thomas A.
Dorsey appears to have thought so. When summing up his life, he once said that all his work was “from God, for God, and for his people (Miller).In 1932, Dorsey’s wife died in childbirth and their newborn son died the following day. In the midst of this great tragedy, Thomas Dorsey penned one of the greatest gospel blues songs ever written – “Take My Hand Precious Lord (Augsut 1932).
” The melody, although primarily credited to Dorsey, was taken from “Maitland” – a hymn composed in 1844 by American composer, George N. Allen. The earliest known recording was done by vocalist Emory Johnson – August 16, 1938 (Decca 7546). The lyrics are as follows:Precious Lord, take my hand.
Lead me on, let me stand.I am tired, I am weak, I am worn. Through the storm, through the nightLead me on to the light. Take my hand precious Lord, lead me homeWhen my way grows drear, Precious Lord linger near.
When my light is almost gone, hear my cry, hear my callHold my hand lest I fall. Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home.When the darkness appears, and the night draws nearAnd the day is past and gone. At the river I stand.
Guide my feet, hold my hand. Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home.Precious Lord, take my hand. Lead me on, let me stand.
I’m tired, I’m weak, I’m worn. Through the storm, through the night.Lead me on to the light. Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home.
“Take My Hand Precious Lord” grabs the heart and musically as well lyrically embodies the pain of loss coupled with the desperate need for the strength of a higher power to bear such a burden. This song never fails to reach a place deep within me, even when there is no immediate pain in my life because it reminds me that I do not have to bear my burdens alone. The melody is perfectly reminiscent of the wailing sound of the Negro spirituals, a sound that mingles despair with hope for a better life. The sense of lose and pain evoked in this song conjures up images of this man as he struggled to deal with his grief.
In 2007, “Take My Hand Precious Lord” was inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame. The National Endowment for the Arts, along with the Recording Industry of America included it in the list of Songs of the Century. First recorded by Mahalia Jackson, it has been performed by a diverse cadre of talented performers, including, Elvis Presley, Jimmy Dean, Little Richard, Nina Simone, Marion Williams, Aretha Franklin, Pat Boone, Gladys Knight, and Merle Haggard.When I hear this song, I understand why it was Dr.
Martin Luther King’s favorite song. Often times, as a means of inspiring crowds at civil rights rallies, Dr. King would invite Mahalia Jackson to perform. She honored the request of her long time friend in death as she had in life by singing it at his funeral.
Even in its sorrow, it holds out a hope for the love and comfort that religion offers. This song shows how deeply committed Dorsey was to his religion. His music became a balm that soothed the pain and carried him through. That is why it resonates with people across racial and cultural lines to this day.
The many achievements of Thomas A. Dorsey, despite adversities that presented itself in his life, in defiance of opinions that said his direction was wrong, serve to constantly remind me that through steadfast belief in one’s goals, persistence and faith in yourself, there is nothing that cannot be accomplished. BibliographyThomas A. Dorsey and the Gospel Sound Petrie, Phil.
The History of Gospel Music afgen.com Hill, Ian. “’Georgia’ Tom Dorsey (1899-1993).” The New Georgia Encyclopedia, 2005.
www.georgiaencyclopedia.org Ely, Don. “’Georgia’ Thomas A.
Dorsey.” Starr-Gennett Foundation, Inc, 2005 www.starrgennett.org Harris, Michael W.
The Rise of Gospel Blues: The Music of Thomas Andrew Dorsey in the Urban Church 1992. Miller, Zell. They Heard Georgia Singing, Mercer University Press 1996
