[Dixielandjazz] Tom Dorsey & Precious Lord

[TBW504 at aol.com]

Some details missed by B Haesler regarding Tom Dorsey:
DORSEY, Thomas Andrew aka "Georgia Tom"     Piano; guitar; vocals
1899, Jul 1: Villa Rica, Carroll County, GA         1993, Jan 23
Son of a revivalist Baptist minister (Thomas Madison Dorsey) and Etta Dorsey, 
his church organist mother. The family moved to Georgia for a time after Tom 
was born, but returned to Villa Rica in 1903. Studied music formally in his 
teens. His first composition was a spiritual, "If I Don't Get There". Despite 
his background he began his career in secular music performing as "Barrelhouse 
Tommy" in Atlanta. Later, worked in clubs in Chicago, then accompanied Ma 
Rainey's Wild Cats Jazz Band on tour, marrying Rainey's wardrobe mistress, Nettie 
Harper. Notably, he was one of the first artists to recognise the importance of 
copyrighting compositions: his 1928 bawdy hit "Tight Like That" was a money 
spinner for him. Recorded with many blues artists but eventually felt the call 
of religion in 1932 when his wife and son died in childbirth: shortly 
afterwards he wrote "Take My Hand, Precious Lord". He was to become the most important 
composer and publisher of gospel music. Discovered Mahalia Jackson and Clara 
Ward. Among his more than 1,000 songs are "Peace in the Valley", "Take My 
Hand, Precious Lord" , "If You See My Saviour" and "In the Sweet Bye and Bye" as 
well as a great number of blues from his secular days. Interestingly, he is 
quoted in later years as saying, "I'm a good church man, but I don't put the 
blues away." ( Quoted in Blues and Evil by J. M. Spencer, University of Tennessee 
Press, 1993) In 1975 he sang at the Newport Jazz Festival. His compositions 
have proved continually popular with jazz musicians.
Brian Wood