W. C. Handy
William Christopher Handy (November 16, 1873 – March 28, 1958) 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. |
Birth and Death Data: Born November 16, 1873 (Florence), Died March 29, 1958 (New York City)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1903 - 1949
Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, lyricist, leader, songwriter
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 126-150 of 298 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | W140423 | 10-in. | 3/10/1925 | The St. Louis blues | Ferera and Paaluhi | Guitar-steel guitar duet (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| Columbia | W140586 | 10-in. | 5/6/1925 | The Yellow Dog blues | Fletcher Henderson’s Hot Six ; Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with jazz/dance ensemble | composer, lyricist | |
| Columbia | W140604 | 10-in. | 5/15/1925 | Careless love blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with clarinet, trombone, and piano | composer | |
| Columbia | W140626 | 10-in. | 5/26/1925 | Careless love blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with cornet, trombone, and piano | lyricist | |
| Columbia | W141192 | 10-in. | 10/24/1925 | Memphis blues | Art Gillham | Piano solo | composer | |
| Columbia | 141546 | 10-in. | 1/22/1926 | Memphis blues | Honey Duke | Ukulele solo | composer | |
| Columbia | W142276 | 10-in. | 6/3/1926 | The new St. Louis blues | Ted Lewis and his Band | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Columbia | 142316 | 10-in. | 6/18/1926 | The St. Louis blues | Gus Mulcay | Harmonica solo, with piano | composer | |
| Columbia | W142541 | 10-in. | 8/19/1926 | St. Louis blues | Virginia Childs | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with guitar | lyricist, composer | |
| Columbia | W143043 | 10-in. | 11/3/1926 | The St. Louis blues | Daisy Douglas | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with violin and guitar | lyricist, composer | |
| Columbia | 143222 | 10-in. | 12/27/1926 | Beale Street blues | University Six | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Columbia | W143432 | 10-in. | 3/7/1927 | St. Louis blues | Sol Hoopii's Novelty Trio | Instrumental trio (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| Columbia | W143730 | 10-in. | 3/31/1927 | Fantasy on St. Louis blues | Don Voorhees and his Earl Carroll's Vanities Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Columbia | W143731 | 10-in. | 3/31/1927 | Fantasy on St. Louis blues | Don Voorhees and his Earl Carroll's Vanities Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Columbia | W143769 | 10-in. | 3/26/1927 | St. Louis blues | Clayton McMichen | Violin solo, unaccompanied | composer | |
| Columbia | W143997 | 10-in. | 4/21/1927 | The Memphis blues | Ted Lewis and his Band | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Columbia | 144136 | 10-in. | 5/12/1927 | The St. Louis blues | Dixie Stompers | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Columbia | W144262 | 10-in. | 6/8/1927 | Beale Street blues | Ted Lewis and his Band | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Columbia | W146139 | 10-in. | 4/19/1928 | Careless love | Clarence Cronic | Male vocal solo | composer | |
| Columbia | W146181 | 10-in. | 4/24/1928 | St. Louis blues | Barrel-House Pete | Piano solo | composer | |
| Columbia | W146182 | 10-in. | 4/24/1928 | Memphis blues | Barrel-House Pete | Piano solo | composer | |
| Columbia | W146529 | 10-in. | 6/15/1928 | The new St. Louis blues | Roy Evans | Male vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
| Columbia | W147929 | 10-in. | 2/6/1929 | The Yellow Dog blues | Nonpareil Trio | Male vocal trio, with guitar and piano | composer | |
| Columbia | W147993 | 10-in. | 2/5/1929 | St. Louis blues | Johnny O'Brien | Harmonica solo, with guitars | composer | |
| Columbia | W148546 | 10-in. | 5/17/1929 | Harlem blues | Deep River Orchestra ; Willard Robison | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Handy, W. C.," accessed April 30, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/101964.
Handy, W. C.. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 30, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/101964.
"Handy, W. C.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 30 April 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: William Christopher Handy
Discogs: W. C. Handy
Allmusic: W. C. Handy
Grove: W. C. Handy
IMSLP: W. C. Handy
RILM: W. C. Handy
RISM: W. C. Handy
IMDb: W. C. Handy
Britannica: W. C. Handy
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Handy, W. C. (William Christopher), 1873-1958 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n50024270
Wikidata: William Christopher Handy - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q352967
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/66546785
MusicBrainz: William Christopher Handy - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/2e37d3ed-afc7-42ca-bbb4-d21c7135f548
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
Feedback
Send the Editors a message about this record.