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 151-175 of 298 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | W148547 | 10-in. | 5/17/1929 | Beale Street blues | Deep River Orchestra ; Willard Robison | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
| Columbia | W149722 | 10-in. | 12/13/1929 | St. Louis blues | Kate Smith | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | composer, lyricist | |
| Columbia | W149784 | 10-in. | 1/20/1930 | Aunt Hagar's blues | Ted Lewis and his Band | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Columbia | W150482 | 10-in. | 4/18/1930 | The Yellow Dog blues | Ted Lewis and his Band | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Columbia | W151293 | 10-in. | 2/9/1931 | Beale Street blues | Charleston Chasers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist, composer | |
| Columbia | W151979 | 10-in. | 10/29/1931 | Careless love | Riley Puckett | Male vocal solo, with guitar | composer | |
| Columbia | W152269 | 10-in. | 8/12/1932 | The St. Louis blues | Aaron Sisters | Female vocal trio, with male vocal quartet | lyricist, composer | |
| Columbia | W152284 | 10-in. | 8/17/1932 | The newest St. Louis blues | Frankie Trumbauer’s Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and male vocal ensemble | lyricist, composer | |
| Columbia | W98711 | 12-in. | 6/24/1930 | St. Louis blues | Guy Lombardo ; Royal Canadians | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Columbia | W98722 | 12-in. | 10/1/1930 | St. Louis blues | Guy Lombardo ; Royal Canadians | Jazz/dance band, with vocal ensemble | lyricist, composer | |
| Columbia | 76007 | 12-in. | approximately 1918 | St. Louis blues | Ciro's Club Coon Orchestra | Instrumental ensemble | composer | |
| Columbia | 28874 | 10-in. | 10/15/1940 | St. Louis blues | Benny Carter All Star Orchestra ; Billie Holiday | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | composer, lyricist | |
| Columbia | 28875 | 10-in. | 10/15/1940 | Loveless love | Benny Carter All Star Orchestra ; Billie Holiday | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | composer, lyricist | |
| Columbia | W365044 | 10-in. | 12/8/1931 | St. Louis blues | The Three Night Caps | Male vocal trio | composer, lyricist | |
| OKeh | 458 | 10-in. | ca. Nov. 1918 | The St. Louis blues | All Star Trio | Instrumental trio | composer | |
| OKeh | 477 | 10-in. | ca. Nov. 1918 | Ole Miss | New Orleans Jazz Band | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| OKeh | S-7163 | 10-in. | approximately Jan. 1920 | Yellow Dog blues | Paul Biese’s Novelty Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| OKeh | S-7674 | 10-in. | Nov. 1920 | The St. Louis blues | Palace Trio ; Rudy Wiedoeft | Instrumental trio | composer | |
| OKeh | S-7751 | 10-in. | Feb. 1921 | Beale Street blues | Black and White Melody Boys ; Ray Miller | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| OKeh | S-7856 | 10-in. | Apr. 1921 | Aunt Hagar's children blues | Tim Brymn’s Black Devil Four | Male vocal quartet | composer | |
| OKeh | S-7873 | 10-in. | Apr. 1921 | The Memphis blues | Black Devil Orchestra ; J. Tim Brymn | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| OKeh | S-7982 | 10-in. | June 1921 | The hesitating blues | Brown and Terry Jazzola Boys | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| OKeh | 8610 | 12-in. | Mar. 1924 | John Henry blues | Fiddlin' John Carson | Fiddle (violin) solo, with male vocal solo | composer | |
| OKeh | 9377 | 10-in. | September 1925 | St. Louis blues | Jimmy Joy ; St. Anthony Hotel Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with 2 clarinets | composer | |
| OKeh | 9829 | 10-in. | 10/28/1926 | Aunt Hagar's blues | Scottdale String Band | Instrumental trio | composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Handy, W. C.," accessed May 1, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/101964.
Handy, W. C.. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved May 1, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/101964.
"Handy, W. C.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 1 May 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
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