For 3 many years, Villa Rica has honored the legacy of town’s most inventive and prolific musical expertise, and a stellar three-day celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of the Thomas A. Dorsey Birthplace and Gospel Heritage Pageant is deliberate for subsequent month.
The competition will happen June 28 – 29 at numerous venues on the town, beginning with a singular gala jazz night on the V-Plex, and performances at The MILL amphitheater and Mt. Prospect Baptist Church. Mt Prospect was the church the younger Dorsey and his household attended, and it’s now the house of the Thomas A. Dorsey Birthplace Choir, which additionally celebrates its thirtieth anniversary this 12 months.
Dorsey, who was born in Villa Rica 124 years in the past, had a big profession in jazz and blues through the early twentieth century. However he rose to fame with blues-inspired Gospel tunes that revolutionized worship music – and earned him the title of “Father of Gospel Music.”
Dr. Dorsey left Villa Rica when he was a younger boy, however shortly after his 1993 demise in Chicago, outstanding leaders in Villa Rica determined to honor his legacy with an annual competition. The occasion is supposed to honor the three musical genres he grew to become recognized for, significantly Gospel music.
The competition will launch on Friday, June 28, with a 7 p.m. formal Black and White Gala jazz efficiency on the Villa Rica Civic Heart, situated at 1605 Freeway 61. This semi-formal, after-six occasion has a black and white gown code and is the one a part of the three-day competition that requires an admission cost. Tickets price $35 and might be obtained via the Eventbrite web site.
The featured performers for the gala are the Mose Davis Trio, that includes Atlanta recording artist Toni Byrd.
Davis is called “The Music Specialist” for his mastery of jazz, R&B, Pop, Rock, and Gospel. Classically educated on the Detroit Conservatory of Music, Davis and his band are a outstanding function of the Atlanta music scene. They’ve shared the stage with Items of A Dream, Michael Franks, Ahmad Jamal, Roy Ayers and Frankie Beverly. Davis has made quite a few appearances at jazz festivals, together with The Atlanta Jazz Pageant, The Macon Jazz Pageant, and the world-renowned Spoleto Pageant in Charleston.
Ms. Byrd is a well known Atlanta singer, songwriter, actress and recording artist. She has opened for Gladys Knight and carried out for Dionne Warwrick and George Benson.
The competition continues Saturday, June 29, with Gospel music within the afternoon and a Blues efficiency within the night, capped by a fireworks present.
Gospel songs – a lot of which had been written by Dorsey – will likely be carried out on the Mt. Prospect church, situated at 133 Dorsey Drive, beginning at 3 p.m.
At 6:30 p.m., the motion shifts to The MILL amphitheater, situated downtown at 106 Temple St., for a “Saturday Night time Blues” present.
Featured performers would be the Soul Cartel Band, a basic R&B and Soul band that has been entertaining audiences for the previous 14 years. The group consists of musicians and vocalists with backgrounds starting from R&B, gospel, jazz, and funk; a mix of sounds that has confirmed very talked-about with audiences.
Becoming a member of the Soul Cartel on the Thomas Dorsey stage would be the Atlanta band Cocomotion.
The live performance is free, and there will likely be barbecue and different distributors on website. Afterward, the skies will likely be lit by spectacular fireworks present.
The competition will finish with a Sunday afternoon Gospel efficiency that may even have fun the thirtieth anniversary of the Thomas A. Dorsey Birthplace Choir.
Becoming a member of the Choir and Dr. Eddie Robinson at Mt. Prospect will likely be famend Gospel producer and performer Luther Barnes and the Sundown Jubilaires. Barnes has been inducted into the Worldwide Gospel Music Corridor of Fame in Detroit and holds different prestigious awards and honors.
Thomas Dorsey is essentially the most achieved musical artist to have come from the west Georgia space. He was born in Villa Rica on July 1, 1899, and his father, additionally named Thomas, typically preached at Mt. Prospect.
The household moved to Atlanta in 1908, the place younger Thomas was uncovered to the Ragtime and early jazz sounds of the period. After he moved to Chicago in 1916, Dorsey composed common jazz and Blues tunes and later traveled with the legendary Ma Rainey.
However Dorsey was all the time drawn to worship music. His early compositions, infused with the rhythms of the jazz age, weren’t common with conservative ministers – however churchgoers quickly embraced them.
In 1932, Dorsey suffered a devastating private loss when each his spouse and toddler son died. Out of despair, Dorsey was moved to compose “Take My Hand, Valuable Lord,” a music that grew to become a favourite of Martin Luther King Jr. and has since been popularized by many secular artists, together with Elvis Presley.
