“Beyond Boundaries: The Phenomenal Thomas Dorsey and the Song Precious Lord”
Keynote Presentation by Dr. Tammy Kernodle
Wednesday, March 6 at 6:00 p.m.
Michigan Room, Fairlane Center
Please join the University of Michigan-Dearborn in welcoming Dr. Tammy Kernodle, scholar and noted author as the keynote presenter for a program commemorating the 80th anniversary of the song “Precious Lord”.
In her presentation, Professor Kernodle will examine 1) composer Thomas A. Dorsey and his approach to “gospel blues,” 2) the song “Precious Lord” and what it reveals about Dorsey as a businessman and a pioneer in translating gospel music across racial and cultural lines, and 3) Dorsey as a lyricist who articulates a progressive yet personal perspective within the gospel song.
About Tammy Kernodle
Dr. Tammy Kernodle is a Professor of Musicology at Miami University. Her work is based o
n different genres of music across cultures and particularly within African American music, American music and jazz.
She graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree in choral music education and piano from Virginia State University in Petersburg, Virginia. She obtained both a Master of Arts and Doctorate in music history from The Ohio State University, and has served as a Scholar in Residence for the Women in Jazz Initiative at the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. She has also facilitated lectures on the operas of Williams Grant Still.
Kernodle’s work has appeared in “Music Quarterly”, American Music Research Journal, as well as in a new anthology addressing the contributions of women to music entitled,” Women’s Voices across Musical Worlds”.
Her presentation will bring the many variations by which the song “Precious Lord” has been transmitted over the years by different groups and generations. She will also highlight the work of Thomas Dorsey as an entrepreneur.
The University of Michigan-Dearborn does not necessarily endorse speakers' views.