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Thomas A. Dorsey: Difference between revisions

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To accomplish this, Dorsey traveled beyond the U.S., through Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe, and the Middle East. He recalled visiting [[Damascus, Syria]], where he was approached in a bathroom by a man who recognized his name. A tour group of 150 demanded he sing "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" right there. Obliging, Dorsey began, but the multinational group took over: "And they knew it in Damascus, too. Folk was wipin' their eyes, and some cryin' and bawlin' on, and I told ‘em, 'What is this happenin' here? I'll never get out of this place alive.'"<ref name="oneal"/>
 
When he gave interviews later in his life, he never condemned blues music or his experiences in that period. He remained in contact with his friends and fellow blues musicians, saying, "I'm not ashamed of my blues. It's all the same talent. A beat is a beat whatever it is."<ref>Heilbut, p. 34.</ref><ref name="oneal"/> Dorsey began to slow down in the 1970s, eventually showing symptoms of [[Alzheimer's disease]]. He retired from Pilgrim Baptist Church and the NCGCC soon after, though he continued to participate and perform when he was able. He and the NCGCC were featured in the critically acclaimed documentary ''[[Say Amen, Somebody]]'' in 1982. The 1981 meeting featured in the film was the last convention he was able to attend. Dorsey died of Alzheimer's Disease in 1993, listening to music on a [[Walkman]]. He was 93 years old.<ref name="dedication ajc"/> He is buried at [[Oak Woods Cemetery]] in Chicago.<ref>Reich, Howard, "[https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1993-01-29-9303173594-story.html Spirit of Dorsey's Songs Fills His Funeral Service]", ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'', (January 29, 1993). Retrieved August 2020.</ref>
 
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