Starring Thomas A. Dorsey, Willie Mae Ford Smith, Delois Barrett Campbell, and Zella Jackson Price
Directed by George Nierenberg
Music and Lyrics by Thomas A. Dorsey and others
We celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. weekend with this joyous celebration of gospel music, from the director of the delightful tap documentary No Maps On My Taps I reviewed in 2021. Considering King himself was a minister, a musical on gospel and those who brought it to the masses seems extremely appropriate. Nierenberg was a young Jewish man who knew little about the subject, but like with the revival of tap, thought its story deserved to be told. Let's begin with one of the extraordinary performers he brought back into the limelight, Father of Gospel Thomas A. Dorsey, and see how well he did...
The Story: We hear the story of gospel and how it was brought to the masses, via long-time performers like Dorsey, "Mother" Willie Mae Ford Smith, and the Barrett Sisters. Smith and Dorsey in particular recall the difficulties they had bringing gospel music to churches in the 1930's and the creation of Dorsey's most famous song, "Take My Hand, Precious Lord."
The Song and Dance: What a delight! I'm glad Nierenberg found these people. It's sheer happiness to see them belting their religious numbers to the heavens. They're all obviously having a wonderful time, especially in the finale during the gospel convention. Their stories are fascinating. I've only seen one or two other documentaries on gospel music, so it was interesting to hear it performed and discussed by people who made it what it is today. And thankfully, unlike Maps, there's more than enough time to learn about all of these people and how many of them sacrificed everything to bring gospel to the masses.
The Numbers: We open with Willie Mae Smith, the mother herself, belting "Singing In My Soul" and "What Manner of Man" for the huge crowds at the convention. Dorsey gets a brief "When I've Done My Best." We see no less than beloved gospel singer Mahalia Jackson performing Dorsey's "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" in older footage. Zella Jackson Price gets "I'm His Child," Smith reprises "Soul" later for a smaller crowd.
The O'Neal Twins with the huge Interfaith Choir get the dynamic "He Chose Me" and "Highway to Heaven," along with "Jesus Dropped the Charges." The Barrett Sisters' numbers include "The Storm Is Passing Over," "No Ways Tired," and "He Brought Us." Dorsey gets a chance to sing his own "Precious Lord" in front of that enormous crowd at the gospel convention near the end of the movie.
What I Don't Like: Honestly, this might have the opposite problem from Maps. Sometimes, these people go on a little too long before they actually show how good they still are at singing. I kind of wish it had gone even further into its subject, including the reasons these people and their music were barred from so many churches in the 30's and 40's - namely, the racism. that kept the music from spreading faster then.
The Big Finale: Even non-gospel fans like me can appreciate this joyous celebration of how gospel music and attitudes towards it and those who sing it have changed over the years.
Home Media: The discs are currently out of print but can be found on the secondary market. You're better off looking for this one on streaming.
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