Take My Hand, Lord

There is a saying that people love to quote when things go wrong: A setback is a setup for a comeback. Yet, this statement, though encouraging, would fall on deaf ears in the life of Thomas Andrew Dorsey. You see, in 1932 he lost both his wife and his newborn son.

Thomas Andrew Dorsey was born in Georgia but moved to Chicago. He was a secular musician who suffered a severe illness and that experience led to his conversion. He joined Pilgrim Baptist Church and served as the choir director for forty years. He is known as the Father of Black Gospel Music. He combined traditional gospel music with jazz and blues.

While he was a young man, he got married and they were expecting their first child. He had an engagement as the soloist for a revival in St. Louis. He was reluctant but decided to attend the event…