He was waiting in the auditorium, wanting to start the service. She said, 'I sent word to the pastor letting him know what was happening. "As they prayed, Doris began to wonder how she could stop this wonderful prayer meeting. She said, 'I feel that prayer is more important than great voices.' They had already prayed, but this particular morning she asked them to pray again, and they did so with renewed fervor. Lindsay Terry comments on the origins of this song in an interview with Doris Akers in the late 1980s: "he related to me that one Sunday morning in 1962, while directing the Sky Pilot Choir, she said to her singers, 'You are not ready to go in.' She didn’t believe they had prayed enough! They were accustomed to spending time with her in prayer before the service, asking God to bless their songs. Reynolds noted that Akers' ability to capture the attention of a congregation came through "just letting go and releasing the Spirit of God." In 2001, Doris Akers was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.īaptist hymnologist William J. Known affectionately as "Miss Gospel Music," she was involved in every aspect of the industry from composing, arranging, publishing, choir directing, recording, as well as performing as a soloist and with ensembles. She was honored by the National Organization of Black Catholics in 1987 when they named their official hymnal after her 1955 composition "Lead Me, Guide Me." Lead Me, Guide Me, Second Edition, was published by GIA Publications, Inc. Honors include being named the Gospel Music Composer of the Year for both 19. In the late 1990s she was featured in Bill Gaither's gospel videos "Old Friends" and "Turn Your Radio On."
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Other collaborations included recordings for the Gaither label and appearances at their concerts and TV productions. Many famous singers have recorded Dot Akers' songs, including George Beverly Shea, Mahalia Jackson, the Roberta Martin Singers, Aretha Franklin, and the Stamps-Baxter Quartet. She formed a relationship with Manna Music in the mid-1950s, just a few years before she composed "Sweet, Sweet Spirit" in 1962. This choir was devoted to African American gospel music. In 1958 Akers formed the Sky Pilot Choir, the first interracial choir in Los Angeles. Soon after arriving, she joined the Sallie Martin Singers as a pianist and singer, formed the Akers Singers, and established her own publishing company, Akers Music House. Earl Hines, and Eugene Douglas Smallwood. In 1945 Akers moved to Los Angeles where she met some of the important names in gospel music of that era, including Sallie Martin, J. By ten, she had composed her first song, "Keep the fire burning in me," and by age twelve had organized a five-piece jazz band, "Dot Akers and Her Swingsters." One of ten children, Dot Akers, as many called her, demonstrated her interest in music at the young age of six, teaching herself to play the piano by ear.
Because it is easily memorized, the song is often played and sung as parishioners shake hands and embrace others gathered for worship. When The United Methodist Hymnal was published in 1989, "Sweet, sweet Spirit" immediately became one of the favorite new hymns, and for many congregations, it became a staple during the greeting time in worship. It is a fitting hymn for Pentecost Sunday or any Sunday where God’s people gather to worship. "Sweet, sweet Spirit" expresses in simple, heartfelt language the work of the Holy Spirit as it works in the life of the church.
Akers connected with some of the most important gospel songwriters of her era until her death in Minneapolis, Minnesota. One of the most notable "Spirit Songs" of the twentieth century is "There's a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place" by African American gospel songwriter Doris Mae Akers (1923-1995). There’s a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place,Īnd I know that it’s the Spirit of the Lord