WC+Handy

W.C. Handy

 Composer and conductor William Christopher “W.C” Handy was born on November 16, 1873, in Florence, Alabama. He was the son and grandson of ministers. After attending Teachers Agricultural and Mechanical College in Huntsville, Alabama, Handy worked as a schoolteacher and bandleader, and conducted his own orchestra from 1903 to 1921. During the period in which ragtime music was evolving into jazz, Handy used elements of the blues in his orchestral arrangements. Two of his best- known pieces are “Memphis Blues,” composed in 1911, and “St. Louis Blues,” composed in 1914. One of the first people to write down and publish blues music, he is often called the father of the blues. Handy died in New York City on March 28, 1958. William Christopher "W.C" Handy The son of former slaves, Handy left home as a teenager, performing in travelling minstrel shows, teaching school and leading a variety of bands, until settling in Memphis, Tennessee. While in Memphis, Handy founded a music publishing company with Harry Pace (they later moved to New York City). Although he lost his eyesight when he was 30, Handy continued to lead bands and write music. His music combined elements of folk ballads and spirituals with ragtime, and Handy is credited with adding flatted thirds and sevenths, creating what has since been known as the blues.

This is a picture of William Christopher "W.C" Handy. Musicians jamming with W. C. Handy.

Memphis/Shelby County Public Library. || ||
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