Migration

Between 1914 and 1920, the Great Migration saw countless African Americans move North looking for a better life. As Dorsey remembered of his decision to move North, "[T]hey said it was a place of freedom. I was looking for that. And it was freer."

The freedom and opportunity sought by Dorsey and his fellow migrants found expression in an explosion of new music in Chicago-jazz, blues, and gospel. Soon Chicago's thriving music scene attracted African Americans from all over the nation. Almost all of Chicago's gospel legends were born elsewhere, but found an outlet for their talents here.

Dorsey's migration
from Villa Rica, Georgia, to Chicago.