W. C. Handy
American blues composer and musician (1873-1958) · United States · On the map · Musicians · Died at 84
William Christopher Handy was an American composer and musician who referred to himself as the Father of the Blues. He was one of the most influential songwriters in the United States.
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Handy's birthplace in Florence, Alabama
Handy at age 19
Handy, c. 1900, director of the Alabama Agriculture & Mechanical College Band
"The Memphis Blues" sheet music cover, 1913
1914 sheet music cover of "Yellow Dog Rag"
W. C. Handy in November 1949, playing trumpet in his music publishing office overlooking Times Square
Bronze statue of Handy in Handy Park, Beale Street, Memphis, TennesseeAwards
About this person
One of many musicians who played the distinctively American blues music, Handy did not create the blues genre but was one of the first to publish music in the blues form, thereby taking the blues from a regional music style with a limited audience to a new level of popularity.
