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 101-125 of 298 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | 77373 | 10-in. | 9/24/1917 | A bunch of blues | Handy's Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
| Columbia | 77375 | 10-in. | 9/24/1917 | Those draftin' blues | Handy's Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
| Columbia | 77376 | 10-in. | 9/24/1917 | Sweet child | Handy's Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader, songwriter | |
| Columbia | 77377 | 10-in. | 9/24/1917 | Livery stable blues | Handy's Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
| Columbia | 77379 | 10-in. | 9/25/1917 | The Story Book Ball | Handy's Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
| Columbia | 77380 | 10-in. | 9/25/1917 | Sweet cookie mine | Handy's Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader | |
| Columbia | 78334 | 10-in. | 3/4/1919 | The hesitating blues | Adele Rowland | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | composer, lyricist | |
| Columbia | 78679 | 10-in. | 9/20/1919 | The hesitating blues | Art Hickman's Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Columbia | 78695 | 10-in. | 9/25/1919 | Yellow dog blues | Art Hickman's Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Columbia | 79124 | 10-in. | 4/16/1920 | The "St. Louis blues" | Marion Harris | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | composer, lyricist | |
| Columbia | 79395 | 10-in. | 8/31/1920 | Long gone | Marion Harris | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Columbia | 79747 | 10-in. | 3/2/1921 | The Memphis blues | Marion Harris | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Columbia | 79748 | 10-in. | 3/2/1921 | Beale Street blues | Marion Harris | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | composer, lyricist | |
| Columbia | 80711 | 10-in. | 12/7/1922 | St. Louis blues | Ted Lewis Jazz Band | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Columbia | 80763 | 10-in. | 1/4/1923 | The Memphis blues | Ted Lewis Jazz Band | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Columbia | 80916 | 10-in. | 3/29/1923 | Aunt Hagar's blues | Frank Westphal Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Columbia | 80970 | 10-in. | 4/16/1923 | Aunt Hagar's blues | Ted Lewis Jazz Band | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Columbia | 80979 | 10-in. | 4/19/1923 | Beale Street blues | Ted Lewis Jazz Band | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Columbia | 81278 | 10-in. | 10/11/1923 | Save your man and satisfy your soul | Porter Grainger ; Edna Hicks | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with piano | songwriter | |
| Columbia | 140052 | 10-in. | 9/20/1924 | The basement blues | Clara Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with clarinet and piano | composer | |
| Columbia | 140241 | 10-in. | 1/14/1925 | St. Louis blues | Bessie Smith | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with cornet and organ | composer, lyricist | |
| Columbia | 37010 | 12-in. | 7/24/1914 | The Memphis blues | Prince's Band ; G. Hepburn Wilson | Band | composer | |
| Columbia | 37439 | 12-in. | 10/21/1915 | The hesitation blues | Prince's Band | Band | composer | |
| Columbia | 37476 | 12-in. | 11/20/1915 | St. Louis blues | Prince's Band ; G. Hepburn Wilson | Band | composer | |
| Columbia | 48880 | 12-in. | 7/21/1916 | Joe Turner blues | Prince's Band ; G. Hepburn Wilson | Band | composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Handy, W. C.," accessed April 25, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/101964.
Handy, W. C.. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 25, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/101964.
"Handy, W. C.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 25 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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