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 251-275 of 298 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brunswick | E22992-E22993 | 10-in. | 5/5/1927 | The St. Louis blues | Lew White | Organ solo | composer | |
| Brunswick | E22994-E22995 | 10-in. | 5/5/1927 | The Memphis blues | Lew White | Organ solo | composer | |
| Brunswick | XE27194-XE27195 | 12-in. | 3/29/1928 | St. Louis blues | Casa Lopez Orchestra ; Vincent Lopez | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Brunswick | XE31688-XE31689 | 12-in. | Dec. 1929 | Beale Street blues | Colonial Club Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with vocal; without vocal (take G) | lyricist, composer | |
| Brunswick | IND646 | 10-in. | 6/21/1928 | Careless love blues | Lulu Jackson | Female vocal solo, with guitar | composer | |
| Brunswick | C1858 | 10-in. | 4/2/1928 | St. Louis blues | Sid Williams | Piano solo | composer | |
| Brunswick | C2431 | 10-in. | 10/10/1928 | Who was the husband of Aunt Jemina? | Elder George | Comic sermon, with concertina | composer | |
| Brunswick | C3005 | 10-in. | 2/26/1929 | St. Louis blues | Jimmie Noone’s Apex Club Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Brunswick | C5361 | 10-in. | Feb. 1930 | St Louis blues | Lee Sims | Piano solo, with trumpet | composer | |
| Brunswick | C5362 | 10-in. | Feb. 1930 | St Louis blues | Lee Sims | Piano solo, with trumpet | composer | |
| Brunswick | C5737 | 10-in. | May 1930 | Yellow Dog blues | Paul Estabrook | Piano solo | composer | |
| Brunswick | C5739 | 10-in. | May 1930 | Beale Street blues | Paul Estabrook | Piano solo | composer | |
| Brunswick | C598-C599 | 10-in. | 9/9/1926 | New St. Louis blues | Abe Lyman’s California Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Brunswick | C779-C780 | 10-in. | 4/21/1927 | The new St. Louis blues | Johnny Dodds | Clarinet solo, with piano and guitar | composer | |
| Brunswick | C1242-C1243 | 10-in. | 10/7/1927 | Joe Turner blues | Black Bottom Stompers ; Johnny Dodds | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Brunswick | LAE6 | 10-in. | Dec. 1927 | St. Louis blues | Sonny Clay Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Brunswick | LAE121 | 10-in. | Mar. 1928 | Yellow Dog blues | David Burrows ; Johnny Noble's Hawaiians | Instrumental ensemble (Hawaiian), with steel guitar solo, Hawaiian guitars, and ukulele | composer | |
| Brunswick | LAE248 | 10-in. | 8/18/1928 | St. Louis blues | Randolph’s Royal Hawaiians | Instrumental ensemble (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| Brunswick | [Br cat 16385-a] | 10-in. | approximately Aug. 1931 | St. Louis blues | Dixie Serenaders [Sonny Clay Orchestra] | Jazz/dance band, with vocal | composer, lyricist | |
| Brunswick | A107-A109 | 10-in. | 5/15/1924 | Beale Street blues | Cinderella Roof Orchestra ; Herb Wiedoeft | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Brunswick | K121 | 10-in. | 8/27/1929 | Yellow Dog blues | Wise String Orchestra | Instrumental trio | composer | |
| Brunswick | MEM805 | 10-in. | Feb. 1930 | St. Louis blues | Jim Jackson | Male vocal solo, with guitar | composer, lyricist | |
| Brunswick | DAL133 | 10-in. | 9/23/1935 | St Louis blues | Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys | String band, with male vocal duet | composer, lyricist | |
| Brunswick | DAL235 | 10-in. | 6/9/1937 | The new St. Louis blues | Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys | String band, with male vocal solo | composer, lyricist | |
| Brunswick | BX11263 | 12-in. | 2/11/1932 | St.-Louis blues | Bing Crosby ; Duke Ellington Orchestra ; Duke Ellington | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Handy, W. C.," accessed April 26, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/101964.
Handy, W. C.. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 26, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/101964.
"Handy, W. C.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 26 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
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