Thomas A. Dorsey

Thomas Andrew Dorsey ( July 1 , 1899 - January 23 , 1993 ) is known as the '''Father of Gospel Music'''. As formulated by Dorsey, Gospel Music combines Christian praise with the rhythms of Jazz and the Blues .

Dorsey was the music director at Pilgrim Baptist Church in Chicago from 1932 until the late 1970s .

His best known composition, " Take My Hand, Precious Lord ", was performed by Mahalia Jackson and was a favorite of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr .

REFERENCES

Michael W. Harris, ''The Rise of Gospel Blues: The Music of Thomas Andrew Dorsey in the Urban Church'' Oxford University Press, 1992, ISBN 0193090378.

Tony Heilbut, ''The Gospel Sound: Good News and Bad Times'' Limelight Editions, 1997, ISBN 0879100346.

Horace Clarence Boyer, ''How Sweet the Sound: The Golden Age of Gospel'' Elliott and Clark, 1995, ISBN 0252068777.

Bernice Johnson Reagon, ''We'll Understand It Better By And By: Pioneering African-American Gospel Composers'' Smithsonian Institution, 1992, ISBN 1560981660.

EXTERNAL LINKS

	CATEGORIES ABOUT THOMAS A. DORSEY

	1899 births

	1993 deaths

	country blues musicians

	gospel blues musicians

	piano blues musicians

	african american musicians

	american jazz musicians

	american songwriters

	american gospel singers

	songwriters

Information About