Villa Rica in Carroll County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Thomas A. Dorsey
Father of Gospel
Photographed by David Seibert, December 8, 2007
1. Thomas A. Dorsey Marker
Dorsey wrote the world's most popular gospel-blues song after his wife and newborn son died unexpectedly on August 26 and 27, 1932. That song, Take My Hand, Precious Lord has been translated into 32 languages. Aretha Franklin recorded Take My Hand, Precious Lord in 1956, the same year Tennessee Governor Frank Clement recited it. It became the anthem of Fannie Lou Hamer's Mississippi Summer. Dorsey's friend, Mahalia Jackson, sang it at Martin Luther King, Jr's funeral. Elvis Presley's recording of Dorsey's second-most-popular gospel song, Peace in the Valley, sold millions of copies.
For a while, any new gospel-blues song, regardless of who wrote it, was called a "Dorsey" until Dorsey himself coined the name "gospel". Dorsey died in Chicago on January 23, 1993.
Erected 1994 by Georgia Department of Natural Resources. (Marker Number 022-8.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed
this page online
Location. 33° 43.947′ N, 84° 55.569′ W. Marker is in Villa Rica, Georgia, in Carroll County. It is at the intersection of West Bankhead Highway (Georgia Route 78) and South Dogwood Drive, on the left when traveling west on West Bankhead Highway. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Villa Rica GA 30180, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Piedmont and in Metro Atlanta. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Bank of Villa Rica (approx. 0.4 miles away); Villa Rica Explosion Memorial (approx. 0.4 miles away); Villa Rica Explosion (approx. 0.4 miles away); Villa Rica's Textile Industry (approx. 0.4 miles away); Freedom Riders (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Mill (approx. half a mile away); Thomas Andrew Dorsey (approx. half a mile away); Fullerville Jail (approx. 0.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Villa Rica.
Additional commentary.
1. A little more about the Thomas A. Dorsey marker
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, April 12, 2025
2. Thomas A. Dorsey Marker
I composed the text for this marker. It is adapted from my biography of Thomas Dorsey that was first published in a flyer I designed for the Thomas A. Dorsey Birthplace and Gospel Heritage Festival, Inc., of which I am founder and executive director emeritus. This 501(c)(3) was organized on May 20, 1993, shortly after Dorsey's death. The marker was dedicated on July 2, 1994. The United States Marine Band and the Mercer University Choir participated in the ceremony. The Thomas A. Dorsey Birthplace Choir (founded by the Hon. Shirley M. Marchman) is loosely affiliated with the 501(c)(3) and Mt. Prospect Baptist Church, Dorsey's boyhood church in Villa Rica. The choir has recorded a CD and traveled as far as Boston to sing in concerts. It has also sung in Villa Rica's annual Thomas Dorsey Gospel and Blues Festivals each summer since 1994. Note To Editor only visible by Contributor and editor
— Submitted September 24, 2009, by Evan Wilson of Austin, Texas.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 24, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 7, 2008, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. This page has been viewed 3,979 times since then and 63 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on August 7, 2008, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. 2. submitted on April 14, 2025, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • Christopher Busta-Peck was the editor who published this page.
