W. C. Handy Letter

Known as the “Father of the Blues,” W. C. (William Christopher) Handy was born November 16, 1873, in Florence, Alabama. Despite his religious family’s misgivings, he was always interested in music, and as a teenager he joined a band in Florence. By 1892 he had passed the teacher’s examination and moved to Birmingham, Alabama, to teach. He left his teaching job to work in a pipe works plant and formed a musical group called the Lauzetta Quartet. During the next decade he traveled with several musical groups including Mahara’s Minstrels and the Knights of Pythias. By 1909 he was living in Memphis, Tennessee, where he wrote a campaign song for Edward Crump, a mayoral candidate. The song, “Mister Crump,” gained popularity in Memphis, and in 1912 he changed the tune and published the new version as “Memphis Blues.” During the next several years he started his own music company, and he published sheet music to other popular songs such as “St. Louis Blues” and “Beale Street Blues.” In the 1920s he moved to New York where he started another music company. Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, Rudy Vallee, Benny Goodman, and Cab Calloway are among the artists who have recorded his songs. In addition to music recordings and sheet music he also wrote five books, including his autobiography. W. C. Handy died in New York City on March 28, 1958.