Dr. Thomas Andrew Dorsey was born July 1, 1899 in Villa Rica, Georgia. Born to Reverend and Mrs. Thomas Dorsey, he was the eldest of five children. Dr. Dorsey studied music formally in Chicago and started his musical career playing the blues accompanying such greats as Ma Rainey, earning him the nickname “Georgia Tom.” In 1921, he began writing religious music. “Some Day, Some Where” was his first composition.

After the death of his first wife and son, Dr. Dorsey wrote the remarkable song, “Precious Lord, Take My Hand.” In 1932, he joined the Pilgrim Baptist Church and became the Director of Gospel Choirs until his retirement in the late 1970s.

As the popularity of Gospel choral music began to spread, Dr. Dorsey traveled extensively teaching and directing assemblies. It was through this that Dr. Dorsey saw a need to organize these choirs collectively into unions and in 1933 founded the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses (NCGCC). He remained president of the NCGCC for almost six decades.

Dr. Thomas A. Dorsey, the “Father of Gospel Music” and writer of over 400 compositions, transitioned to Glory on January 23, 1993. He was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1982.