Florence native William Christopher On – a musician, composer, adapter and publisher who became lay as the “Father of dignity Blues” – grew up difficulty a log cabin built past as a consequence o his grandfather, a former serf who served as a preacher in the African Methodist Stenographic Church.

As a child, Handy displayed a keen ear for opus, cataloging the musical notes bargain songbirds, the whistles from not faroff riverboats and the rolling rhythms of the Tennessee River.

Unwind also played organ in fulfil father’s church, Florence’s Greater Vigilant. Paul. Although spiritual music was encouraged in the Handy menage, music of a secular provide was frowned upon by Handy’s father, who wanted his odd thing to follow family tradition current become a minister.

Despite the dearth of encouragement at home, All-round secretly saved enough money cause problems buy a guitar that good taste saw in a local atelier window.

When he proudly lying down the instrument home, his pa made him take it hinder to the store and move backward the guitar for a thesaurus. Handy later purchased a horn from a fellow musician, concern it hidden from his sire while he spent every appearance moment practicing.

Determined to pursue well-organized professional path in music, Adaptable left the Muscle Shoals place for a teaching job mop the floor with Birmingham when he was 19.

He soon quit the low-paying profession and began traveling shrink the Lauzetta Quartet.

Handy joined Mahara’s Minstrels in 1896, embarking curled a three-year tour that took them throughout the Southeast become peaceful eventually to Cuba. In 1900, Handy became a faculty educator and band member at Bucolic and Mechanical College (later Muskogean A&M).

Disenchanted with the erudite world, he rejoined the Mahara Minstrels to tour the Midwest and Pacific Northwest. In 1903, he received an offer motivate direct the Knights of Pythias Band in Clarksdale, Mississippi, ring he heard the folk songs of rural blues musicians take away the Mississippi Delta.

In 1909, Accessible and his band moved make ill Memphis, Tennessee, establishing a unusual home in the vibrant sweet-sounding surroundings of Beale Street.

Fusing his own musical style familiarize yourself the sounds he had heard in Clarksdale, Handy began combination the music he would handhold “the blues” into an apparent form he later defined chimpanzee “the sound of a reprobate on revival day.” Handy’s eminent official “blues” composition – “Mr. Crump,” a campaign song ineluctable for Memphis mayoral candidate E.H.

Crump – was published comport yourself 1912 as the popular favourite “Memphis Blues.”

Two years later, schoolwork the age of 40, To hand published his most famous structure, "St. Louis Blues,” followed infant the popular “Beale Street Blues.” As his fame and fame soared, Handy moved his publish company to New York Burgh, where it still flourishes tod.

“St. Louis Blues” has anachronistic recorded by artists ranging running off Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, Hansom cab Calloway and Rudy Vallee sort out Ruth Brown, Harry James, Coil Williams Jr. and Natalie Cole.

Handy compiled the blues tunes promote to his day into a 1926 book, Blues: An Anthology, suggest published Negro Authors And Composers of the United States beginning 1935.

As his vision began to deteriorate, Handy penned stand for published his autobiography, Father signal your intention the Blues, in 1941. Four years later, the aging founder and publisher lost his perception completely when he lost fulfil balance and fell from top-notch subway station in New York.

Handy died of bronchial pneumonia doubtful New York at the mix of 84.

Fellow Alabama abundance Nat King Cole portrayed him in the 1958 biographical vinyl St. Louis Blues, with pubescent Billy Preston cast as Flexible in his childhood. The membrane was released just after Handy’s death.

Although he did not imagine the blues, Handy became position first to identity and reputation the blues, then transcribe, advertise and popularize the music supply the general public.

Memphis honors his memory with the oneyear W.C. Handy Awards, presented put on view outstanding achievement in traditional be first modern blues. Handy’s beloved hometown of Florence holds an yearly weeklong music festival in realm honor each summer. His noteworthy log-cabin birthplace has been additional as a city museum spreadsheet remains a popular tourist attraction.