In this 2020 Covid World – music brings in an added dimension of reassurance. Songs from our past play melodies in our minds as we struggle to live through this “brave new world”. Nothing will ever been the same. We will refer to time as “pre- and post” Covid (Coronavirus 2020). Church musicals and musical conventions will change from packed auditoriums and concert halls to virtual watch parties and chat rooms. You Tube becomes a valued depository of a past world and reality.
June was National Music Month. I usually enjoy it in Villa Rica, GA, the birthplace of Thomas A. Dorsey where his legacy is celebrated during the month of June. The city has a festival which features all of his musical achievements: gospel, blues, and jazz. There are two or three days of soul-stirring, foot stomping, hand clapping music in all of those genres. This year was a flashback of how the event started. Featured music was gospels. Enjoy the virtual link to experience how a town celebrates one of the greatest musicians, writers, and singers of all times.
Readers and historians will enjoy learning more about this great man from my book “Anointed to Sing the Gospel: The Levitical Legacy of Thomas A. Dorsey.”
