I Do, Don't You

Album: Through Many Dangers (1890)

Songfacts®:

  • This hymn - apparently with no question mark in its title - was responsible, indirectly, for the birth of a genre. Written by the white American composer, Baptist and choirmaster Edwin O. Excell, it was performed at the National Baptists Convention in 1921 (the year of Excell's death) by the Reverend A.W. Nix. Present at this meeting was jobbing musician Thomas A. Dorsey, and after hearing this he spent the rest of his life writing religious music, and founded the gospel genre as it is understood today.
  • "I Do, Don't You" has been recorded fairly widely, including by Mahalia Jackson, who also recorded what is recognised universally as Dorsey's greatest song, "Take My Hand, Precious Lord." >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 2

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Is That Song Public Domain?

Is That Song Public Domain?Fact or Fiction

Are classic songs like "Over The Rainbow" and "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in the public domain?

Jethro Tull

Jethro TullFact or Fiction

Stage urinals, flute devices, and the real Aqualung in this Fact or Fiction.

Tony Banks of Genesis

Tony Banks of GenesisSongwriter Interviews

Genesis' key-man re-examines his solo career and the early days of music video.

Matt Sorum

Matt SorumSongwriter Interviews

When he joined Guns N' Roses in 1990, Matt helped them craft an orchestral sound; his mezzo fortes and pianissimos are all over "November Rain."

Boy Bands

Boy BandsFact or Fiction

From NKOTB to 1D, how well do you know your boy bands?

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New York

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New YorkSong Writing

Can you be married in one country but not another? Only if you're part of a gay couple. One of the first famous singers to come out as a lesbian, Janis wrote a song about it.