Ever Heard of Thomas A. Dorsey? I Had Not... But He Wrote Favorites We All Know! A Study and Celebration of Black Gospel...

 

• Take My Hand, Precious Lord - (with Marion Williams)
• 2.It's A Highway To Heaven - (with Alex Bradford)
• 3.Hide Me In Thy Bosom - (with The Dixie Hummingbirds)
• 4.I'm Going To Live The Life I Sing About In My Song - (with Marion Williams)
• 5.Peace In The Valley, (There'll Be) - (with R.H Harris)
• 6.What Could I Do - (with Marion Williams)
• 7.I'm Waiting For Jesus - (with The Dixie Hummingbirds)
• 8.I Don't Know Why - (with Bessie Griffin)
• 9.If You See My Savior - (with Alex Bradford)
• 10.If We Never Needed The Lord Before - (with Marion Williams)
• 11.Thy Servant's Prayer Amen - (mono, with R.H. Harris)
• 12.Search Me Lord - (with Bessie Griffin)
• 13.When The Gates Swing Open - (with The Dixie Hummingbirds)
• 14.My Desire - (with Delois Barrett Campbell)
• 15.Old Ship Of Zion - (with Bessie Griffin)
• 16.How Many Times - (with Alex Bradford)
• 17.I'll Tell It Wherever I Go - (with Sallie Martin)
• 18.Never Turn Back - (with R.H. Harris)
• 19.Lord Will Make A Way Somehow, The - (with Marion Williams)

Sooo, how did I get into this post? Well I had recorded a PBS program on Black Gospel and thought it would be a good video for a Sunday... Actually it turned out to be more historical narrative, at least as far as I got... But I had hooked onto a name, Thomas A. Dorsey, and learned that he had written one of the top 10 Christian songs that I've often sung as favorites, Precious Lord Take My Hand... Also, Peace in the Valley... 

Sure, I'll go back and finish the PBS show, but I just had that song in my mind, knowing that I've been thinking about Him so much more recently...

Especially about my Black "neighbors" as Jesus called them when He asked us to Love (ALL) Our Neighbors (some had added the words which I liked)... As Myself... Do you love yourself? I do... We should... After all, we were created in His image! Even if there are many who have blackened His image over the many years since He died for all of us, by acts of hatred, jealousy, prejudice... and especially by placing the desire for money or power over any other part of our lives... We all have done it, you know... 

There was a period in my life, that I chose to turn away from listening to Him... Yet, there was always nudges, whispers in my ear... When I was forced into a medical leave, my pastor gave me a recording of Christian music without words... I didn't want words at that time... It was words on the job that would not stop even when I left to go home, often after working late. At night I would have nightmares of those words, scenes, that had resulted with me walking out one day to seek help...

Even when I was better with medication, I still  have nightly recalls of what had happened on the job... I began to use the words that I wanted to hear... I began to sing my favorite songs--as many as I needed to finally fall asleep... Precious Lord, Take My Hand, was always one of those songs...and I now know that Thomas A. Dorsey had written it, also in a time of distress and loss (of his wife and child). If I was especially troubled by something that had happened to "spike" my emotions, I began to sing through the alphabet--some I knew all the words, others I just sung what I remembered... Sometimes I went through the alphabet twice, and most of the time I would pick out other songs that had the alphabet letter I was thinking of which had that letter in the song's title.

Words of music were always what I looked for first, then the music and what emotional response I got from the accompaniment... Most of the time, the songs I select to listen to is based upon the title... So I went through the above video's selection and those songs I shared today are based only on the title--a song that I thought I might like to sing...

When I lived in Brookhaven, WV, and worked at the University, I began going to the home church of my best friend... There was a Black Church in the same neighborhood, and on holidays, the choirs of the two churches would always join together providing a community recital. I loved when it was Easter and we would, weather wise, be able to have a sunrise service...  

Anyway, I've provided a list of Dorsey's songs at the bottom, in case, some title attracts your interest...you'll know what to look for! And if you are, like me, sometimes unable to feel like singing, just listen and allow the words about Jesus to speak to your heart and mind... I started with Take My Hand...because it is so important that we all turn to God and His infinite mercy and ask for patience, with  a sure knowledge, that all that is projected for the next 4 years, will only be used to incite another type of feeling, other than hate and retribution... I pray that we all Turn Our Eyes Upon Jesus... for we KNOW that love will always win over hate! So, sometime, today, maybe every day or just when you need to KNOW His presence... Listen to Whitney tell us to find a quiet place and allow His peace to come to you...however way you want to spend time with your God... Because God is An Awesome God!

God Bless Us All

Gabby