A Documentary Showing in Detroit Highlights Gospel’s Rebellious Legacy

August 2, 2019

“Say Amen Somebody!” screens this weekend at the Detroit Film Theatre inside the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Detroit Film Theatre
Detroit Film Theatre

The late Thomas A. Dorsey is considered the godfather of modern gospel music today, but his injection of rhythm and blues into the genre once got him kicked out of churches around the country.

Dorsey’s pioneering story is featured alongside peers like Willie Mae Ford Smith and Zella Jackson Price in the 1982 documentary “Say Amen Somebody!,” which is screening this weekend at the Detroit Film Theatre.

“Say Amen Somebody!” director George Nierenberg will be in Detroit to introduce two screenings of the documentary on Saturday (4 p.m. and 7 p.m.).

Click the player above to hear CultureShift’s Ryan Patrick Hooper interview “Say Amen Somebody!” director George Nierenberg.

Author

  • Ryan Patrick Hooper inside the WDET studio.
    Ryan Patrick Hooper is the award-winning host of "In the Groove" on 101.9 WDET-FM Detroit’s NPR station. Hooper has covered stories for the New York Times, NPR, Detroit Free Press, Hour Detroit, SPIN and Paste magazine.

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