Handy, W. C. (1873-1958), was an American composer and cornet player, and an important publisher of African American music. Handy did not invent the blues, but he became known as the “father of the blues” because he brought the music to widespread public attention.
Handy wrote some of the earliest commercially successful blues songs. These songs include “St. Louis Blues” (1914), “Beale Street Blues” (1916), “Memphis Blues” (1913), and “Joe Turner Blues” (1915).
William Christopher Handy was born on Nov. 16, 1873, in Florence, Alabama. A minister’s son, Handy studied music both in the public schools and in college. In the 1890’s, he played cornet with, and became the bandleader of, a famous touring show, Mahara’s Minstrels. He performed ragtime, light classics, and marches. While touring in the South, he heard and developed a respect for the blues.
Handy moved to Memphis about 1905. He formed his own band, which toured the South for many years. In 1917, Handy moved to New York City, formed a new band, started his own music publishing company, and founded a recording company. During the 1920’s, Handy was an important figure in the Harlem Renaissance, a black cultural movement. In 1943, he was blinded in an accident, but he continued to work as a publisher, author, and concert promoter. He wrote an autobiography, Father of the Blues (1941), and a book on African American musicians, Unsung Americans Sung (1944). Handy died on March 28, 1958.
