W.C HANDY

NAME OF MUSCIANS

TIMELINE

W.C HANDY

HE WAS AN AMERICAN COMPOSER AND MUSICIAN WHO REFERRED TO HIMSELF AS THE FATHER OF THE BLUES HANDY WAS ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL SONGWRITERS IN THE UNITED STATES. ONE OF MANY MUSICIANS WHO PLAYED THE DISTINCTIVELY AMERICAN BLUES MUSIC, HANDY DID NOT CREATE THE BLUES GENRE BUT WAS THE FIRST TO PUBLISH MUSIC IN THE BLUES FORM, THEREBY TAKING THE BLUES FROM A REGIONAL MUSIC STYLE (DELTA BLUES) WITH A LIMITED AUDIENCE TO A NEW LEVEL OF POPULARITY. HANDY WAS AN EDUCATED MUSICIAN WHO USED ELEMENTS OF FOLK MUSIC IN HIS COMPOSITIONS. HE WAS SCRUPULOUS IN DOCUMENTING THE SOURCES OF HIS WORKS, WHICH FREQUENTLY COMBINED STYLISTIC INFLUENCES FROM VARIOUS PERFORMERS. HANDY TRAVELED THROUGHOUT MISSISSIPPI, LISTENING TO VARIOUS STYLES OF POPULAR BLACK MUSIC. THE STATE WAS MOSTLY RURAL AND MUSIC WAS PART OF THE CULTURE, ESPECIALLY IN COTTON PLANTATIONS IN THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA. MUSICIANS USUALLY PLAYED GUITAR OR BANJO OR, TO A MUCH LESSER EXTENT, PIANO.

NAME OF SITE	DESCRIPTION	CITY	STATE
WC HANDY BIRTHPLACE	CABIN	FLORENCE	ALABAMA
WC HANDY BIRTHPLACE & MUSEUM	MUSEUM	FLORENCE	ALABAMA
EDUCATION	ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY	NORMAL	ALABAMA
EDUCATION	WILLIAM HOOPER COUNCIL	FLORENCE	ALABAMA
HE PLAYED THE CORNET IN THE CHICAGO WORLD’S FAIR	CHICAGO WORLD FAIR	CHICAGO	ILLINOIS
HE PUBLISHED MUSICAL BOOKS	SOLVENT SAVINGS BANK AND TRUST	MEMPHIS	TENNENSEE
WC HANDY’S HOUSE	HOUSE	MEMPHIS	TENNENSEE
HANDY TRAVELED THROUGHOUT MISSISSIPPI, LISTENING TO VARIOUS STYLES OF POPULAR BLACK MUSIC.	MARKER	MEMPHIS	TENNENSEE
GAIETY THEATRE –	THEATRE- WHERE HE HAD OFFICE BUILDING	MANHATTAN	NEW YORK CITY
BLACK SWAN RECORDS- PLAYED MUSIC	BLACK SWAN RECORDS-	HARLEM	NEW YORK CITY
ST. NICHOLAS HISTORIC DISTRICT (“STRIVER’S ROW”)	RESIDENCE	MANHATTAN	NEW YORK CITY
WALDORF ASTORIA –	HOTEL – MORE THAN 800 PEOPLE ATTENDED HIS 84TH BIRTHDAY PARTY AT THE WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL.	MANHATTAN	NEW YORK CITY
DEATHPLACE	SYDENHAM HOSPITAL -BRONCHIAL PNEUMONIA	NEW YORK CITY	NEW YORK CITY
BURIAL	WOODLAWN CEMETRY	BRONX	NEW YORK CITY
FUNERAL CHURCH	ABYSSINIAN BAPTIST CHURCH – OVER 25,000 PEOPLE ATTENDED	HARLEM	NEW YORK CITY