Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. Dorsey's luck appeared to be on the upswing by 1932, the year he organized one of the first gospel choirs at Chicago's Pilgrim Baptist Church; his pianist, Roberta Martin, would in a few years emerge among the top talents on the church circuit. His theme song was "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You". Feel free to contribute! Dorsey's father was a minister and his mother a piano teacher. Dorsey was also a great influence on other Chicago-based gospel artists such as Albertina Walker and The Caravans and Little Joey McClork.Dorsey wrote "Peace in the Valley" for Mahalia Jackson in 1937, which also became a gospel standard. By the '50s, with the rise of hard gospel, Dorsey's influence began to slip a bit, although the popularity of his greatest material held on; during the middle of the decade, with the rise of R&B, his melodies began to resurface in many of the era's secular hits. In his grief, he wrote his most famous song, one of the most famous of all gospel songs, "Precious Lord, Take My Hand".Unhappy with the treatment received at the hands of established publishers, Dorsey opened the first black gospel music publishing company, Dorsey House of Music. It was also a favorite of President Lyndon B. Johnson, who requested it to be sung at his funeral. Thomas Andrew Dorsey was born in Villa Rica on July 1, 1899, to Etta Plant Spencer and Thomas Madison Dorsey, an itinerant preacher and sharecropper. Thomas Dorsey, the Father of Gospel Music. His papers are preserved at Fisk University, along with those of W.C. After breaking through with the Singers Convention, Convention and Martin next hit the so-called "gospel highway," a touring circuit previously restricted to a cappella quartets. His best known composition, "Take My Hand, Precious Lord", was performed by Mahalia Jackson and was a favorite of the Rev. As James Cleveland emerged as the undisputed king of contemporary gospel, Dorsey began to curtail his writing and traveling, essentially retiring from active duty during the '60s; however, he continued spearheading the annual NCGGG event for years to follow, and remained among the most revered figures in spiritual music until his death on January 23, 1993. Thomas Dorsey Music videos [][][] “The Father of Black Gospel Music” Thomas Dorsey was born in Villa Rica, Georgia on July 1, 1899. Prior to starting Dorsey, Wright & Associates, his experience included 9 years at Wheat, First Securities where he developed and managed their Risk Management & Options Strategy department. He was the first African American elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and also the first in the Gospel Music Association's Living Hall of Fame. He put together a band for Ma Rainey called the "Wild Cats Jazz Band" in 1924.He started out playing at rent parties with the names Barrelhouse Tom and Texas Tommy, but he was most famous as Georgia Tom. He died on November 26, 1956 in Greenwich, Connecticut, USA. A child prodigy, he taught himself a wide range of instruments, and was playing blues and ragtime while still in his teens; under the stage name Georgia Tom, he was a prolific composer, authoring witty, slightly racy blues songs like the underground hit "It's Tight Like That.". Thomas Andrew Dorsey (1900-1993), often called the Father of Gospel Music, migrated from Atlanta to Chicago as a young man, thus exemplifying the experience of many southern blacks of his day. 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. By now, Dorsey's songs were enormously popular, not only among Black churchgoers but also among white Southerners; by 1939, even the leading White gospel publishers were anthologizing his music. However, a few months later -- while traveling with Theodore R. Frye to organize a choir in St. Louis -- tragedy struck when Dorsey discovered that his wife had died while giving birth to their son, who himself died two days later. The father of gospel music was a prolific composer whose influence upon his genre remains widespread. Together they would produce what would later become known as the father of gospel music. After studying music formally in Chicago, he became an agent for Paramount Records. Between the early '30s and mid-'40s, he toured the nation under the banner "Evenings with Dorsey," training young singers to perform his material; between 1939 and 1944, he also toured regularly with Jackson. Setting his loss behind him, he enjoyed his most prolific period in the years that followed, authoring dozens of songs with a distinctively optimistic sensibility for audiences held in the grip of the Depression. Dorsey was first exposed to music in church, where he heard shape-note singing and emotional, "Georgia Tom" Dorsey. That same year, he also founded the first publishing house devoted exclusively to selling music by Black gospel composers. Martin Luther King Jr.. Another composition, "Peace in the Valley", was a hit for Red Foley in 1951 and has been performed by dozens of other artists, including Queen of Gospel Albertina Walker, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. Thomas J. Dorsey (Richmond, VA) is President of Dorsey, Wright & Associates, a registered investment advisory firm that uses point and figure charting as its main source of technical analysis. That year, he composed "Peace in the Valley"; although written for Mahalia Jackson, his demo singer at the time, its greatest success was in the White market -- both Elvis Presley and Red Foley, among others, scored major hits with the song. Rev. As Georgia Tom, he teamed up with Tampa Red (Hudson Whittaker) with whom he recorded the raunchy 1928 hit record "Tight Like That", a sensation, eventually selling seven million copies. Dorsey was born in Villa Rica, GA on July 1, 1899 and raised in the Atlanta area; there, in addition to the traditional Dr. Watts hymns, he also absorbed early blues and jazz. He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey. He died on December 30, 1999 at 55 years old. He also founded his own gospel choir and was a founder and first president of the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses.His influence was not limited to African American music, as white musicians also followed his lead. While at a service, he had a vision, after which he pledged to work for the Lord. Read Full Biography, The acknowledged father of gospel music, Thomas A. Dorsey remains arguably the most influential figure ever to impact the genre. Dorsey was born in Villa Rica, GA on July 1, 1899 and raised in the Atlanta area; there, in addition to the traditional Dr. Watts hymns, he also absorbed early blues and jazz. Born into a preacher’s family in rural Georgia, Thomas Dorsey began playing the family organ at age six. … Dorsey died in Chicago, aged 93.In 2002, the Library of Congress honored his album Precious Lord: New Recordings of the Great Songs of Thomas A. Dorsey (1973), by adding it to the United States National Recording Registry. Thomas Dorsey Biography Dorsey also conducts risk management seminars across the country for industry professionals as well as individual investors. Biography of Thomas A. Dorsey on OLDIES.com. Thomas A. Dorsey, often called the Father of Gospel Music, migrated from Atlanta to Chicago as a young man, thus exemplifying the experience of many southern blacks of his day. A 'Great Big' Biography of Tommy Dorsey A major big band leader is the subject of a new book: Tommy Dorsey: Livin' in a Great Big Way.With his brother Jimmy, Dorsey … In 1924, Dorsey made his debut as "Georgia Tom" with Ma Rainey at the Grand Theater. Despite her unrefined vocal style, she instantly connected with audiences; over time Dorsey became increasingly aware of her value not only as a performer but also as an entrepreneur, as she took over his music store and within a few months was turning a tidy profit. Dorsey’s father was an itinerant preacher and his mother was the church organist. Earlier in his life he was a leading blues pianist known as Georgia Tom.As formulated by Dorsey, gospel music combines Christian praise with the rhythms of jazz and the blues. Devastated, Dorsey locked himself inside his music room for three straight days, emerging with a completed draft of "Take My Hand, Precious Lord," a song whose popularity in the gospel community is rivaled perhaps only by "Amazing Grace." As the child of a preacher Thomas attended elementary school where he would learn academics and observe the benefits associated with being the child of a … After Dorsey … He died on January 23, 1993 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. In 2007, he was inducted as a charter member of the Gennett Records Walk of Fame in Richmond, Indiana. Thomas has ranked on the list of those famous people who were born on July 1, 1899. In 1933, Dorsey and Martin -- along with Frye, Magnolia Lewis Butts, and Beatrice Brown -- organized the annual National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses, where they introduced new songs to choir directors from across the nation. We know that Thomas R Dorsey had been residing in Keansburg, … He continued to tour with her, even after he wed in 1925, until he suffered the second of his breakdowns in 1926. Thomas Andrew Dorsey was born in Villa Rica, Ga., had his schooling in Atlanta and went on to study at the Chicago Music College, where he led a … Gospel music-Wikipedia When he was eight years old, the family moved to Atlanta where he soon was working part time selling ginger ale at a local theater, halfway between a pool hall and a barber shop. 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