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WILLIAM CHRISTOPHER "W.C." HANDY 
"The Father of the Blues."
William Christopher "W.C." Handy was born in Florence, Lauderdale County on November 16, 1873, the son of freed slaves. He showed a keen interest and talent for music at a very early age. However, this was frowned on by his deeply religious family. As a child, unknown to his parents,he saved enough money to buy a guitar, however, his father made him take in back to the store and exchange the instrument for a dictionary, he also enrolled him in organ lessons, which Handy soon gave up in favor of the trumpet. As a teenager, he secretly joined a local band, and while he was a member, he purchased a cornet from a fellow band member. He carefully documented the music that influenced him, and possessed a very good memory that enabled him to transcribe much of the music the he heard. Handy was an excellent student. At the age of eighteen, he traveled to Birmingham to take a teaching exam, which he passed easily. He took up a teaching position, but quit shortly afterwards to take up better paid work at a steelworks in Bessemer. He formed a quartet called the "Lauzetta Quartet", who traveled north to perform at the upcoming World's Fair in Chicago, paying their way by performing. The group traveled a little more, but disbanded shortly afterwards. He then traveled to Evansville, Indiana, where he joined another band. It was whilst traveling with this group in Kentucky that Handy met his wife, Elizabeth. They married on July 19, 1896, and she joined his traveling lifestyle. He joined a minstrel group entitled "Mahara's Minstrels," with whom they would travel for three years across the United States and the Caribbean before the couple took a break with family in Florence. It was here that Elizabeth gave birth to the first of their six children. While he was here, he accepted a music teaching position at Alabama A & M University which was offered by William Hooper Councill. He left the college two years later, and rejoined the Mahara Minstrels. In 1903, he joined a band in Mississippi named the Knights of Pythias, he stayed with this band for six years. In 1909, he and the band moved to Memphis, where his music developed into what would later be described as the blues. He composed a song for a candidate for Mayor called "Mr. Crump,". The song was published in 1912, became incredibly popular and was later renamed "Memphis Blues." His most famous composition, "St. Louis Blues,", was published in 1914. Some of his other more famous compositions included "Beale Street Blues," "Yellow Dog Blues," "Joe Turner Blues," and "Loveless Love." In 1918, he moved to New York City. He opened his own publishing business, and despite failing eyesight, he continued to publish his music very successfully throughout the 1920s and 1930s. He also published books which included "Blues: An Anthology", which was published in 1926, and his biography "Father of the Blues", which was published in 1941. In 1937, his wife, Elizabeth died. He later remarried at the age of 80 to Irma Louise Logan. He suffered a stroke one year later and died at the age of 84. An estimated 150,000 people lined his funeral route. Links To Other William Christopher "W.C." Handy Internet Resources: VH1 - W.C. Handy : Biography. Wikipedia - W.C. Handy. World Book - W.C. Handy. Jass.com - W.C. Handy. Alabama Music Hall of Fame - W.C. Handy. SIGN UP TO OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER If you would like us to keep you updated with changes and improvements to thatsalabama.com, please enter your email address here: If you would like to support thatsalabama.com with a donation via paypal, please click on this button: |
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