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Arena
BBC Four

S1984E04: Say Amen Someone

Arena · Season 1984
Aired 04 Feb 1984 at 8:00pm (UTC)
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Synopsis

The extraordinary story of two of the legendary figures of American 'gospel' - the music whose emotional impact and burning conviction lie at the heart of much of today's popular music. Thomas A. Dorsey, 'father' and virtual inventor of gospel music, haunted the sinful world of the blues singers as 'Georgia Tom', before turning his music over to God in the early 1920s. Willie Mae Ford Smith suffered similar setbacks, both as a woman evangelist in a predominantly male world and from those who considered her music too spirited to be truly religious.

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