* 1938 Hill & Range Songs, renewed Unichappell Music, Inc. C. Michael Hawn is University Distinguished Professor of Church Music, Perkins School of Theology, SMU. Like most obituaries, the death notice for Thomas A. Dorsey offered a lot of facts, but told little of the life behind them. [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. [27] Although he was not the first to join elements of the blues to religious music, he earned the honorific "Father of Gospel Music", according to gospel singer and historian Bernice Johnson Reagon, for his "aggressive campaign for its use as worship songs in black Protestant churches". Tommy Dorsey. "Dedication: Thomas Dorsey Dedication Day". His theme song was "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You".His technical skill on the trombone gave him renown among other musicians. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Photo courtesy of Stephenson-Nelson Funeral Home - Sebring. [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. Heres a look into the late legend's life. Thomas Dorsey. Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone. Birth of the Gospel Blues. Recordings of these sold millions of copies in both gospel and secular markets in the . The son of a Baptist minister, he grew up on the hymns of Isaac Watts and counted hearing Homer Rodeheaver at a Billy Sunday revival in Atlanta as one of the most memorable experiences of his youth. Thomas A Dorsey was born on October 17, 1915. Thomas Andrew Dorsey (July 1, 1899 - January 23, 1993) was known as "the father of black gospel music" and was at one time so closely associated with the field that songs written in the new style were sometimes known as "dorseys." [2] Earlier in his life he was a leading blues pianist known as Georgia Tom. Thomas was retired from Trinity Hospital where he worked as a technician in sterile processing Department, where he was affectionately called "Big Daddy" for many years. He was also very handy and if you didnt know how to fix it, he would teach you. Milton, Santa Rosa County, Florida . . His father, Thomas Madison, served as a Baptist minister while his mom, Etta Plant worked as a church organist. Birth Year: 1899. And its not your business to know.. Michael Landon. Her . In fact it won't go anywhere. The night Rainey opened at Chicago's largest black theater Dorsey is remembered as "the most exciting moment in my life". Thomas Andrew Dorsey, singer, composer, born Villa Rica Georgia 1 July 1899, died Chicago 23 January 1993. Dorsey returned to Chicago in 1921, and his uncle encouraged him to attend the National Baptist Convention. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. "Precious Lord" has been recorded by many famous singers including Elvis Presley, Mahalia Jackson, Roy Rogers, and Tennessee Ernie Ford. He recalled visiting Damascus, Syria, where he was approached in a bathroom by a man who recognized his name. He began the Thomas A. Dorsey Gospel Song Music Publishing Company, a publisher of inexpensive gospel blues music. Over the next 60 years, Dorsey became known as the "Father of Gospel Music," penning hundreds of songs and redefining the genre in beat, rhythm, and tempo. Also preceding Thomas is death are his brothers, James and Robert Dorsey, and one sister Norma Jean Dorsey. Atlanta ' s " Barrel House Tom ". Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories! | Photo: Getty Images, In 1928, Dorsey collaborated with popular music act, Tampa Red and together they produced the song, Its Tight Like That which sold over seven million copies. Sources. Dorsey had eaten a heavy meal and began choking in his sleep. [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. Third Sunday in Lent, Year A, Learning to Live Inside Out From 1932 Dorsey was choral director of the Pilgrim Baptist Church in Chicago. [53][54] Though he never returned to his hometown, efforts to honor Dorsey in Villa Rica, Georgia, began a week after his death. By 1931, Dorsey had formed one of the nations first gospel choirs at Chicagos Pilgrim Baptist Church. Foley's version has been entered into the National Recording Registry as a culturally significant recording worthy of preservation. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombone playing. [33][50][51], Despite racial segregation in churches and the music industry, Dorsey's music had widespread crossover appeal. Between 1932 and 1944, he held "Evenings with Dorsey" on this circuit, teaching novices the best ways to deliver his songs. [23] Faced with rapid changes, old-line church members who preferred formal, more sedate music programs objected, leading to conflicts in and between Chicago's black churches. Thomas Andrew Dorsey was born in Villa Rica, a small rural town near Atlanta, Georgia. Summary Thomas E Dorsey was born on June 30, 1923. . The third stanza begins, "When the darkness appears," reminiscent of Psalm 23:4: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death . But as Dorsey told blues scholar Anthony Heilbut: When a thing becomes a part of you, you dont know when its gonna manifest itself. His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. 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. Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 - November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. Prominent hymnal publishers began including his compositions in the late 1930s, ensuring his music would be sung in white churches. "[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. Handy for inspiring a flock of lowdown, dirty blues.. We will love you and miss you always. Since its debut it has been translated into 50 languages. "When she started singing, the gold in her teeth would sparkle," Rainey's longtime musical director Thomas A. Dorsey wrote in his unpublished memoirs. [3][a], Religion and music were at the center of the Dorseys' lives, and young Thomas was exposed to a variety of musical styles in his early childhood. Black musicians during the pre-Civil Rights era often formed their own publishing companies in order to make their music available. Through the storm, through the night, lead me on to the light: Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home. He stopped recording in 1934 but toured widely into the 1940s. . His death was ruled to have been caused by an accidental choking which occurred when he threw up while sleeping. He promoted the gospel song through the formation of the National Association of Gospel Choirs and Choruses, serving as the organizations president. He was . He died on May 16, 2000 at 84 years of age. 23 January 1993 (aged 93) Thomas Andrew Dorsey (July 1, 1899 - January 23, 1993) was known as "the father of black gospel music" and was at one time so closely associated with the field that songs written in the new style were sometimes known as "dorseys." Earlier in his life he was a leading blues pianist known as Georgia Tom. It was sung at the rally in Memphis the night before the civil-rights leader's assassination. GREENWICH, Conn.. W A medical examiner ruled today that bandleader Tommy Dorsey, the I "sentimental gentleman of swing." accidentally choked to death in his sleep. True, he was born into a Christian household in Villa Rica, Ga. Ill be back to Lakeland in January if you want to get together and chat! Death Year: 1972; Death date: January 27 . While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. It would hardly be an exaggeration to say that gospel music would not exist as we know it today were it not for Thomas A. Dorsey. Because as much as Dorseys life testified to the power of faith and the promise of salvation, it also seemed to prove that the real difference between the devils music and the Lords is not a matter of notes, but of inspiration. But they just didnt understand.. 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. After the death of Thomas A. Dorsey's first wife and son in childbirth, he composed one of the saddest gospel songs, "Precious Lord, Take My Hand." He eventually married the second love of his life, Kathryn, and composed a lovely song in her honor on their 17th anniversary. Death Date: 01-23-1993. When the pastor at Pilgrim Baptist, Chicago's second largest black church, saw the way it moved the congregation, he hired Dorsey as music director, allowing him to dedicate all his time to gospel music. ex. One of the most popular bandleaders of the Big Band era, Tommy Dorsey grew up learning his future profession from his music-teacher father alongside his older brother Jimmy . 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. They had two children, a son named Thomas M. "Mickey" and a daughter, Doris. Each stanza concludes effectively with the refrain, "Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home," perhaps an image of the Good Shepherd in the Gospel of John. Police and Dorsey's family denied there was any mystery surrounding his death Monday in the locked master bedroom of . (Harris, pp. For persons dying between 1940-1997, you can order a copy of the death certificate via Ancestry.com for a fee. All Rights Reserved. Touring with singer Sallie Martin, Dorsey brought new hope to millions of black churchgoers, packing churches and filling collection baskets even during the darkest days of the Depression. View Entry. Billionaire Financier Thomas H. Lee's Cause of Death Ruled a Suicide by NYC Medical Examiner The 78-year-old businessman died at his 5th Avenue office building in New York on Thursday 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. Thomas Andrew Dorsey was born in Villa Rica, Georgia, on 1 July 1899. Discover Precious Lord: The Great Gospel Songs of Thomas A. Dorsey by Rev. AKA Thomas Andrew Dorsey. AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. 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". Thomas Dorsey, a popular Chicago blues pianist turned gospel songwriter, sent Sallie Martin, called the "Queen of Gospel," on solo tours around the country. Nix elongated some notes to emphasize specific syllables and words and sped up others. [4], Directionless, Dorsey began attending shows at the nearby 81 Theater, that featured blues musicians and live vaudeville acts. 20072023 Blackpast.org. Several times I have been thrown out of some of the best churches, Dorsey remembered in a 1980 interview. She was asked to sing it twice more; the response was so enthusiastic that Dorsey sold 4,000 print copies of his song. We know that Thomas A Dorsey had been residing in Hampton, Hampton City County, Virginia 23669. 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