Black History Month Music: W.C. Handy

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Happy Galentine’s Day! It’s funny how sitcoms give us new holidays, isn’t it? “Galentine’s Day” is from Parks and Recreation (which I’ve never seen, but I can read about these things), and it’s a day for the girls to get together! Ha, we need no special day for that! We need no special day for music, but this month is celebrating Black History Month with 28 of the great African-American musicians in history. Here’s one MAJOR influence. W.C. Handy And he’s not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame????? The Father of the Blues isn’t there??!! Do you need any other reason to shake your head in utter disbelief at that place? If you walk down Beale Street in Memphis, you’ll see a little park. It’s the W.C. Handy Park. In that park, you’ll find a statue of W.C. Handy. He was nicknamed “The Father of the Blues,” but he really didn’t invent the blues. What Handy did do was publish the blues. In 1913 Handy made history when he became the first black to have his own publishing company. Shortly after that, he wrote “St. Louis Blues,” so he had instant success with his company. In the old days, it was more “fox-trot” or “jazz” than what we think of today as blues; however, Handy’s popularization of the music helped open a lot of doors. If you’re ever in Memphis, stop by and see Handy’s statue. Or let his music take you there anytime you want! W.C. Handy Born William Christopher Handy, November 16, 1873, Florence, Alabama Died March 28, 1958, New York City (pneumonia) (age 84) HALLS OF FAME: Songwriters, 1970; Nashville Songwriters, 1983; Alabama Music, 1993; Alabama Jazz, 1985; Memphis Music, 2012 Here’s a 75-year-old Handy playing “St. Louis Blues” on Toast of the Town in 1949!