Say Amen, Somebody

Say Amen, Somebody is a heartwarming and uplifting film that captures the lives and careers of some of gospel music’s most luminous artists, including Thomas A. Dorsey, Willie Mae Ford Smith and her long-time rival Sallie Martin, The Barrett Sisters, The O’Neal Twins and Zella Jackson Price. This exuberant portrait of gospel music begins at the 1982 Gospel Music Convention in St. Louis. Interviews with the gospel greats as well as stirring performances and rare archival footage tell a story of a uniquely American art form that fuses religion and entertainment and has a transcendent power to move an audience. Say Amen, Somebody traces the development of gospel and the challenges that faced its founders, particularly women who often left their families for long stretches of time while they journeyed in pursuit of their musical calling.