This documentary focuses on two of the seminal individuals in African American gospel music: Willie May Ford Smith and Thomas A. Dorsey. At the time of the filming Smith was in her late 70s and Dorsey in his early 80s. The primary filming locations are in a church in Saint Louis, where Smith was being honored, and at a National Convenion of Gospel Choirs and Choruses in Houston where Dorsey made an appearance. One place I would find fault is the lack of information about time, place, and people. For example, it took me a long time to figure out who Smith's relatives were--a few simple subtitles would have cleared up a lot of confusion for me.
It would be hard to come away from this without recognizing the indisputable appeal of the music and singing, and the artistry of the performers. One theme that ran throughout for me was trying to determine the extent to which the gospel singing came from an inner spirit versus being a manifestation of ego. Smith herself remarked on her categorizing those who sang from the soul versus those who sang for show, saying that "Some people get into gospel singing just to get the dollar." Two people Smith identified as singing from the soul were the O'Neal brothers. Indeed the segments shown of he O'Neal's were one of the film's highlights and, as we see, they were the result of much rehearsing. Even the O'Neals expressed reservations about the direction gospel singing was taking, saying, "Gospel music has become a business. Now, years ago gospel singing was evangelizing. Unfortunately we live in the hit record society." They also commented that a contemporary gospel singer had to appeal to a younger audience to stay alive.
As much as I enjoyed the Barrett sisters, their act seemed quite practiced. And the histrionics of Zella Jackson Price give those of Mick Jagger a run for his money.
I found Dorsey and his business manager Sallie Martin a bit stern, and at times threatening. Dorsey's comment, "If you can't talk to God, if you can't say something to your neighbor about God. If you don't know God, you need to start over again," is one that many will not find endearing. Dorsey was on occasion referred to as "Doctor" and "Professor" and it was not clear if those were simply terms of endearment, or whether they connoted some past training. There was one interesting scene that had Dorsey, Martin, and Smith in an unpleasant heated debate over who started the first gospel convention.
There may be a bit too many "Praise the Lord," "Hallelujah," "Amen," and "Thank you Jesus," comments for some viewers. And, as far as any evidence of true caring we mainly get the usual Christian bromides. When an older man in some distress turns to Smith for consolation, he gets only, "In the name of Jesus, touch this brother, he's your child. Deliver him," after which she moves on. On another occasion, after Smith hears a man uttering a single, "Praise the Lord," she comments, "He's got the spirit all over him. He's got what it takes." I did not see much spiritual depth in Smith based on such incidents.
Smith's grandson's view on women is off-putting. He takes from the Bible that women shouldn't be preaching, "The proper place for a woman is behind a man."
And then there is the whole question of career versus family. In giving advice to Zella Price, Smith says that it's hard to be a gospel singer having a career, "Get the children, and the support of the children and the husband and the family all that out of your mind and see souls out there who are drifting and you throwing out a lifeline." The idea of having more concern for those you don't know versus those you do has always been a mystery to me.
DeLois Barrett Cambell had a similar career versus spousal support conflict with her minister husband, Reverend Campbell, but she allowed as how she was not going to be deterred from her life's dream of being a known singer just in order to support her husband and his ministry. The film is not without humor; when Campbell says to his wife over the breakfast table, "I'll be glad when the time comes when our ministry can be together as a husband and wife team more than you and your sister's team," DeLois turns to him and says, "You want eggs with your sausage?" Another scene I found humorous has Reverend Campbell in his church saying, "The Lord is in his holy temple, all of us ought to keep silent and be reverent in his presence," and that segues almost immediately into loud singing, jumping up and down, and clapping.
There are frequent admonitions to "Do what God wants you to do." It's interesting how often it seems that what God wants you to do is what you want to do.
I credit this film for delving behind the scenes for us to see things that many of us would not otherwise see. We are left to judge for ourselves how we feel about these people and about gospel music.
In the end I came to feel that, what with world tours and cutting CDs for the more popular groups, the gospel music scene is not that much different from the rock music scene. Both genres have a mighty power to move us and both attract the devoted, the egotist, and the greedy, and various combinations thereof.
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