Most observers believe that gospel music has been sung in
African-American churches since their organization in the late 1800s.
Yet nothing could be further from the truth, as Michael W. Harris's
history of gospel blues reveals. Tracing the rise of gospel blues as
seen through the career of its founding figure, Thomas Andrew Dorsey,
Harris tells the story of the most prominent person in the advent of
gospel blues.
Also known as "Georgia Tom," Dorsey had considerable
success in the 1920s as a pianist, composer, and arranger for prominent
blues singes including Ma Rainey. In the 1930s he became involved in
Chicago's African-American, old-line Protestant churches, where his
background in the blues greatly influenced his composing and singing.
Following much controversy during the 1930s and the eventual
overwhelming response that Dorsey's new form of music received, the
gospel blues became a major force in African-American churches and
religion. His more than 400 gospel songs and recent Grammy Award
indicate that he is still today the most prolific composer/publisher in
the movement. Delving into the life of the central figure of gospel
blues, Harris illuminates not only the evolution of this popular musical
form, but also the thought and social forces that forged the culture in
which this music was shaped.
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