Milestones

Rev. Thomas A. Dorsey

"When I realized how hard some folks were fighting the gospel idea, I was determined to carry the banner."

"I borrowed five dollars and sent out 500 copies of my song, 'If You See My Savior,' to churches throughout the country....It was three years before I got a single order. I felt like going back to the blues."

Birth Name: Thomas A. Dorsey
Induction Year: 1979
Date of Birth: 7/1/1899
Place of Birth: Villa Rica, GA
Date of Death: 1/23/1993
Place of Death: Chicago, IL

Career Milestones:

• 1911— became a resident pianist at a local theater; helped to support his family
• 1916— moved to Chicago, where he became involved in blues music; appeared under the name Georgia Tom
• 1919— began to write gospel songs
• 1926— wrote one of his first gospel hits, "If You See My Savior, Tell Him That You Saw Me," after after a good friend died
• 1928— hit the top of the blues chart with "It's Tight Like That; went on to sell more than 7 million copies
• 1931— first black gospel chorus established by Dorsey and Theodore Frye
• 1932— wrote "Precious Lord, Take My Hand," which became a gospel standard
• 1932— gave up his popular music career and devoted himself to sacred/gospel music
• 1932— founded the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses
• 1983— Dorsey appeared in George T. Nierenberg's film on the history of gospel music, "Say Amen, Somebody"