Читать книгу Sisters In Song; Women Hymn Writers - Leslie Clay - Страница 6

1922-1995

“Sweet, Sweet Spirit”

This African-American woman with an indepen-dent spirit was born in Brookfield Missouri, one of ten children. This was in a time and place when African-Americans had an especially difficult time in American society, education, and jobs. Her family moved to Kirksville, Missouri when she was five. She learned to play the piano by ear and by age ten, had composed her first song. At age twelve, she organized a band. By the time she was twenty-two, Doris had moved to Los Angeles where she met a thriving gospel music community. Several years later, she formed the publishing firm, Akers Music House. In 1958, she started a racially mixed gospel group, The Sky Pilot Choir, for the Sky Pilot Church in Los Angeles. That same year, she and Mahalia Jackson wrote “Lord, Don’t Move the Mountain”, which sold a million records. Beginning in the 1950s, she also published with white-owned Manna Music, bridging the then separated black and white gospel music businesses. During her career, she wrote more than 300 songs and is one of the better known twentieth century gospel composers. She was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2001. The Smithsonian Institute honored her and labeled her songs and records, “National Treasures.” Doris is sometimes referred to as “Mrs. Gospel Music.”

One Sunday morning in 1962, the Sky Pilot Choir prayed before the service as was usual, but she told her singers, “You aren’t ready to go in” to perform. She didn’t think they had prayed enough! They needed to pray until they felt sure they had heard God. She asked for more prayer, and they did so with renewed fervor. As they prayed, she wondered how she could stop that wonderful prayer meeting in order to begin the service. Finally, the call of the congregation compelled her to tell them to leave the room to perform. “I hate to leave this room and I know you hate to leave, but you know we do have to go to the service. But there is such a sweet, sweet spirit in this place.” The next morning, she composed “Sweet, Sweet Spirit.” Doris said, “Songwriters always have their ears open to a song. The song started ‘singing’ to me. . . . The next morning, to my surprise, I heard the song again, so I went to the piano and wrote it.”