'Say Amen, Somebody' Restoration Unveils The Wonder Of The Gospel Pioneers

Say Amen, Somebody, a documentary about the men and women who pioneered African American gospel music, was widely praised upon its release in 1982; the late Roger Ebert called it "One of the most joyful movies I've ever seen." But it hasn't been seen in theaters in nearly 30 years. Now George T. Nierenberg's film has been restored and re-released to theaters and DVD.

At the time, Nierenberg was looking for a follow-up to his award-winning 1979 tap dance documentary, No Maps on My Taps, when he had dinner with musician Ry Cooder.

"I asked him for any suggestions that he had for another topic for an interesting film, and he said — these were his exact words — he said, 'You oughta look into gospel music; those cats are really neat,' " Nierenberg remembers.

Two of those "cats" became the focus of Nierenberg's film. The first was Thomas A. Dorsey, known as the father of gospel music.