(Thomas Andrew Dorsey)
(7CD)
Born in rural Georgia, Dorsey grew up in a religious family but
gained most of his musical experience playing blues at barrelhouses
and parties in Atlanta. He moved to Chicago and became a proficient
composer and arranger of jazz and vaudeville just as blues was
becoming popular. 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.
After a spiritual awakening, Dorsey began concentrating on writing
and arranging religious music. Aside from the lyrics, he saw no real
distinction between blues and church music, and viewed songs as a
supplement to spoken word preaching. 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.
In 1932, he co-founded the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and
Choruses, an organization dedicated to training musicians and
singers from all over the U.S. that remains active. 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.
Author Anthony Heilbut summarized Dorsey's influence by saying he
"combined the good news of gospel with the bad news of blues".
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.....
(Wikipedia)
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1965-Georgia Tom & Friends @FLAC
TAMPA RED
2012-Music Making (1928-35) @FLAC.CDD
