He was born in Villa Rica, Georgia, July 1, 1899, to Thomas Madison and Etta Plant Dorsey. Dorsey's father was a preacher and his mother played the organ at church. Between 1914-1920, the 'Great Migration' saw African Americans move North looking for a better life. The freedom sought by Thomas Dorsey was found in the new music of Jazz, Blues, and Gospel. He was known during these early years by several stage names like 'Barrelhouse Tom', 'Texas Tommy' and most commonly, 'Georgia Tom'. By 1930, Tom Dorsey had become a success as a Bluesman. He was composing, performing, and recording the Blues with many talented musicians, including Ma Rainey and Tampa Red. 'Georgia' Tom Dorsey worked with many of the significant early Blues performers of Chicago. In late summer 1932, Dorsey went to a meeting in St. Louis for a few days. His wife was pregnant, and Dorsey felt sure that on his return he would see his wife and newborn child safe and healthy at home. While he was gone he received word that his wife Nettie had died during childbirth. His newborn son died the next day. Dorsey wrote 'Precious Lord, Take My Hand' in the days after this affliction. By 1932, he had already put together the first-ever Gospel choir with Theodore Roosevelt Frye at Ebenezer Baptist Church and now he directed the choir at Pilgrim Baptist Church. In 1933, the first National Convention of Gospel Choirs was held at Pilgrim Baptist Church. The growth of the Dorsey House of Music publishing and the creation of the National Convention of Gospel Choirs would demonstrate the power of his commitment to Gospel. Thomas A. Dorsey became the first African-American inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
MP3- Precious Lord, Take My Hand - performed by Aretha