W.C. Handy

W.C. HANDY

William Christopher Handy (1873-1958) left his birthplace of Florence, Alabama, to fulfill his musical aspirations and became one of the most notable musicians to emerge from the Shoals area. Handy developed a passion for music at a very young age, but his devout Methodist family did not approve. His father and grandfather, both preachers, believed that secular music was wicked, and forced Handy to trade his first instrument, a guitar, for a dictionary. After watching another musician play the cornet, Handy saved $1.75 to buy his own, which he wrapped up and hid in the woods behind his family’s home.

Handy’s musical career began in 1896, when he left the Shoals to accept a cornet position with the Chicago-based ensemble Mahara’s Minstrels. Four years later, he returned to Alabama and became bandmaster at the Agricultural and Mechanical College for Negroes. In 1903, Handy left his home state once again and moved to Clarksdale, Mississippi. There, he served as director of the Knights of Pythias band until 1909, when he relocated to Memphis and began performing on Beale Street.

While in Memphis, Handy composed the theme song for the mayoral campaign of local politician Edward Hull Crump. After the election, Handy altered the lyrics and changed the name of the song from “Mr. Crump” to “Memphis Blues.” Several years later, Handy moved to St. Louis and immortalized that city in song, as well, combining African rhythms with European musical styles and techniques to create “St. Louis Blues.” By 1930, it had become the most recorded song in popular music.

Today, Handy is regarded as the “Father of the Blues” and one of the most influential songwriters in American music history. His contributions to music are commemorated annually in his hometown of Florence, Alabama, during the W.C. Handy Music Festival, and his birthplace has been turned into a museum and library.

Sources:

Christopher S. Fuqua, Music Fell on Alabama (Huntsville: Honeysuckle Imprint, 1991).

Daphne Pruitt, “The Making of a Blues Legend: W.C. Handy,” Alabama Heritage, Summer 2009.