{"product_id":"9780195090574-the-rise-of-gospel-blues-the-music-of-thomas-andrew-dorsey-in-the-urban-church","title":"The Rise of Gospel Blues","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Music of Thomas Andrew Dorsey in the Urban Church. A well researched account of gospel blues that encompasses the broader cultural and religious histories of the African-American experience between the late 1890s and the 1930s. Harris skilfully contextualizes sacred and secular music styles within African-American religious history and significant social developments of the period. Thomas A. Dorsey, also known as `Georgia Tom', had considerable success in the 1920's as a pianist, composer, and arranger for prominent blues singers including Ma Rainey. In the late 1930s, Dorsey became involved in African-American old-line Protestant churches, where his background in the blues greatly influenced his composing and singing. At first these `respectable' Chicago churches rejected this new form, partially because of the unseemly reputation blues performance had, but more because of the excitement that gospel blues produced in the church congregation. A controversy developed between two conflicting visions; one segment idealized an institution that nurtured a distinct African-American religion and culture, the other saw the church as a means by which African Americans would assimilate into American Christianity and the dominant Anglo-American culture. However, by the end of the 1930s the former group prevailed by the power of the music. From that time on, gospel blues became a major force in African-American churches and religion.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41050728071265,"sku":"9780195090574","price":18.62,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/f7ff2158655486fec485d72f4d0fae15.jpg?v=1698311834","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9780195090574-the-rise-of-gospel-blues-the-music-of-thomas-andrew-dorsey-in-the-urban-church","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}