Hymn #472: Precious Lord, Take My Hand | First Congregational Church

Thomas A. Dorsey (1899-1965) wrote this prayer hymn in 1932 after hearing of the death of his wife and newborn son. Consoling himself at the piano with the familiar Protestant hymn “Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone,” Dorsey forged his own text affirming the presence of Jesus in times of extreme grief.

Thomas A. Dorsey experienced a “definite spiritual change” and began writing gospel songs to express his feelings. Already an accomplished and successful performing musician in the jazz and blues field, Dorsey eventually became known at the “father of gospel music.”

Thomas A. Dorsey developed PRECIOUS LORD from an old Sunday-school tune called MAITLAND. The hymn was first sung in 1932 at Ebenezer Baptist Church on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, by the choir director, Theodore Frye, with Dorsey serving as accompanist.

Thomas A. Dorsey was born in Villa Rica, Georgia, and was influenced by the blues pianists of Atlanta, Georgia. In 1923, he formed the Wildcat’s Jazz Band, with whom Ma Rainey performed. For forty years, Dorsey was choir director at Pilgrim Baptist Church in Chicago, Illinois.