[Dixielandjazz] Fw: Who wrote "Precious Lord Take My Hand"?

Mon May 19 10:25:31 PDT 2008

Wiki has a bit of info and some links for further research:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Take_My_Hand,_Precious_Lord

and there is this article about the song:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/tc/2003/004/16.16.html

Dave Richoux
On May 18, 2008, at 9:49 PM, Stan McDonald wrote:

> Dear DJML,
>
> Sorry, I left out the "ML" in your email address, so am forwarding  
> this correctly. Thank you.
>
> Stan McDonald
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Stan McDonald
> To: Edythe Harris
> Cc: Ellen ; Peter Gerler ; Tony Pappas ; dixielandjazz at islandnet.com
> Sent: Monday, May 19, 2008 12:15 AM
> Subject: Re: Who wrote "Precious Lord Take My Hand"?
>
>
> Hi Edythe,
>
> Thank you for reminding me in this touching  way of our Precious  
> Lord. I knew it was written by Tommy Dorsey  -- and not the swing  
> band leader of the same name -- but was unaware of the composer's  
> heart-wrenching circumstances at the time.
>
> I used to play and even sing it with the former band. I remember  
> the closing words, "...By the river I stand, guide my feet, hold my  
> hand. Precious Lord take my hand and lead me on."  God bless you  
> and yours.
>
> With love to you and Bill, from Stan, Ellen and our precious Andy  
> McDonald
>
> PS: On a lighter note, and not to be sacreligious, but did you know  
> there was a Chinese version? Well, I once had a pianist who  
> misheard the last line and thought it was: "Bind my feet, hold my  
> hand...." (He'Il never live that down!)
>
> DJML Members: I don't know the date or provenance of the letter  
> below, but wanted to share it. Edythe Harris (nee Roberts) is the  
> daughter of one of the most wonderful people and best banjoists I  
> will ever know: Gil Roberts, who recorded with the Blue Ribbon  
> Syncopators (in Chicago) in the 1920's; played all over Europe into  
> the 1930's; for King Farouk's harem in Egypt; and ultimately with  
> my band, the New Orleans Jazz Doctors, at U. Mass from about 1955  
> into the 1960's and a few more times as late as 1987. I have many  
> tape recordings from those days. Gil also recorded with the Black  
> Eagles after 1981 when I left them. He passed away in 2002, at the  
> age of 106 -- in the loving hands of our Precious Lord.
>
> -- Original Message ----- 
>   From: Edythe Harris
>   To: delores.benabou at verizon.net ; stanmm at comcast.net ;  
> Tony.Pappas1 at verizon.net ; whitsettrios at yahoo.com ;  
> cbat01202 at yahoo.com ; j.whitsett at comcast.net ;  
> Harris.charles at comcast.net
>   Sent: Sunday, May 18, 2008 1:10 PM
>   Subject: Fwd: Who wrote "Precious Lord Take My Hand"?
>
>
>   ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>   From: Ernestine Edmonds <eperry_ed at yahoo.com>
>   Date: May 16, 2008 9:56 AM
>   Subject: Who wrote "Precious Lord Take My Hand"?
>   To: Joan D Bethea <jdbeth3 at aol.com>
>
>   Who wrote "Precious Lord Take My Hand"?
>
>   Who Wrote "Precious Lord"? "THE BIRTH OF THE SONG PRECIOUS LORD"  
> Back in 1932, I was 32 years old and a fairly new husband. My wife,  
> Nettie and I were living in a little apartment on Chicago's  
> Southside. One hot August afternoon I had to go to St. Louis, where  
> I was to be the featured soloist at a large revival meeting.  I  
> didn't want to go.
>
>   Nettie was in the last month of pregnancy with our first  child.   
> But a lot of people were expecting me inSt. Louis. I kissed Nettie  
> good-bye, clattered downstairs to our Model A and in a fresh Lake  
> Michigan breeze, chugged out of Chicago on Route 66.
>       However, outside the city, I  discovered that in my anxiety  
> at leaving, I had forgotten my music case.  I wheeled around and  
> headed back.  I found  Nettie sleeping peacefully.  I hesitated by  
> her bed... something was strongly telling me to stay.  But eager to  
> get on my way and not wanting to disturb Nettie, I shrugged off the  
> feeling and quietly slipped out of the room with my music.
>
>       The next  night, in the steaming St. Louis heat, the crowd  
> called on me to sing again and again.  When I finally sat down a  
> messenger boy ran up with a Western Union telegram.  I ripped open  
> the envelope.  Pasted  on the yellow sheet were the words:  YOUR  
> WIFE JUST  DIED.
>
>       People  were happily singing and clapping around me but I  
> could hardly keep from crying  out.  I rushed to a phone and called  
> home.  All I  could hear on the other end was "Nettie is dead.  
> Nettie is dead."
>
>       When I  got back I learned that Nettie had given birth to a  
> boy  I swung between grief and joy.  Yet that night the baby died.   
> I buried Nettie and our little boy together in the same casket.  
> Then I fell apart.  For days I closeted myself.  I felt that God  
> had done me an injustice.  I didn't want to serve Him any more or  
> write gospel songs.
>
>       I just wanted to go back to that jazz world I once knew so  
> well. But then as I hunched alone in that dark apartment those  
> first sad days, I thought  back to the afternoon I went to St.  
> Louis   Something kept telling me to stay with Nettie.  Was that  
> something God?  Oh, if I  had paid more attention to Him that day,   
> I would have stayed and been with Nettie when she died.
>
>       From that moment on I vowed to listen more closely to Him.   
> But still I was lost in grief.  Everyone was kind to me especially  
> a friend, Professor Fry, who seemed to know what I needed. On the  
> following Saturday evening he took me up to Malone's Poro College,  
> a neighborhood music school.  It was quiet, the late evening sun  
> crept through the curtained windows.  I sat down at the piano and  
> my hands began to browse ov er the keys.  Something happened to me  
> then.  I felt at peace.  I felt  as though I could reach out and  
> touch God.  I found myself playing a melody, once into my head the  
> words just seemed to fall into  place:
>
>       Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, let me stand!  I  am  
> tired, I am weak, I am worn, through the storm, through the night  
> lead me on to the light, Take my hand, precious Lord, Lead me home.
>       The  Lord gave me these words and melody.  He also healed my  
> spirit.
>
>       I learned that when we are in our deepest grief, when we feel  
> farthest from God, this is when He is closest and when we are  most  
> open to His restoring power.
>
>       And so I go on living for God willingly and joyfully until  
> that day comes when He will take me and gently lead me home
>
>       -Tommy Dorsey
>
>       Did you know that Tommy Dorsey wrote this song?  I surely  
> didn't.   What a wonderful story of how God CAN heal the  
> brokenhearted!  Beautiful, isn't it?
>
>       Worth the reading wasn't it? Think on the message for a  
> while....................hope you will share
>
>
>
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