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 26-50 of 302 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | BVE-43935 | 10-in. | 5/1/1928 | The St. Louis blues | Irene Beasley | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist, composer | |
| Victor | BVE-45562 | 10-in. | 6/6/1928 | St. Louis blues | Gene Austin | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist, composer | |
| Victor | CVE-47536 | 12-in. | 9/19/1928 | Yellow Dog blues | Nathaniel Shilkret ; Victor Orchestra | Orchestra, with male vocal solo | composer | |
| Victor | CVE-49007 | 12-in. | 12/20/1928 | St. Louis blues | Warren Mills and his Blue Serenaders | Jazz/dance band, with mixed vocal chorus | lyricist, composer | |
| Victor | BVE-49674 | 10-in. | 1/22/1929 | Yellow Dog blues | Ben's Bad Boys ; Ben Pollack | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Victor | BVE-51751 | 10-in. | 5/8/1929 | Memphis blues | Motion Picture Orchestra | Orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | BVE-57034 | 10-in. | 10/29/1929 | Beale Street blues | Boyd Senter ; Senterpedes | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Victor | BVE-58590 | 10-in. | 2/19/1930 | St. Louis blues | Connecticut Yankees ; Rudy Vallée | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist, composer | |
| Victor | BVE-59720 | 10-in. | 3/21/1930 | St. Louis blues | Bennie Paine ; Fats Waller | Piano duet | composer | |
| Victor | BRC-68942 | 10-in. | 3/27/1931 | Loveless love | Blanche Calloway and her Joy Boys ; Blanche Calloway | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | lyricist, composer | |
| Victor | ABRC-69907 | 10-in. | 6/9/1931 | Loveless love | Harlem Highlights ; Dave Nelson | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer, lyricist | |
| Victor | ABRC-69908 | 10-in. | 6/9/1931 | St. Louis blues | Harlem Highlights ; Dave Nelson | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer, lyricist | |
| Victor | BRC-70120 | 10-in. | 7/10/1931 | St. Louis blues | Manolo Castro ; Havana Yacht Club Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with vocal chorus | composer, lyricist | |
| Victor | BRC-71857 | 10-in. | 2/15/1932 | St. Louis blues | Rascals ; Hollis Smith | Male vocal ensemble, with guitar and piano | lyricist, composer | |
| Victor | BRC-72210 | 10-in. | 3/28/1932 | St. Louis blues | Pauline Alpert | PIano solo | composer | |
| Victor | BS-74755 | 10-in. | 12/29/1932 | St. Louis blues | Trini Varela | Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | lyricist, composer | |
| Victor | BS-75480 | 10-in. | 4/26/1933 | St. Louis blues | Louis Armstrong Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist, composer | |
| Victor | BS-77329 | 10-in. | 12/12/1933 | St. Louis blues | Jim & Bob | Guitar duet (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| Victor | PBS-79110 | 10-in. | 3/9/1934 | Saint Louis blues | Sol K. Bright’s Hollywaiians | Instrumental ensemble (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| Victor | BS-83614 | 10-in. | 7/23/1934 | The Memphis blues | Tom Berwick Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
| Victor | BVE-87718 | 10-in. | 1/27/1935 | St. Louis blues | Bill Boyd ; Jim Boyd ; Cowboy Ramblers | Male vocal duet, with string band | lyricist, composer | |
| Victor | BS-92232 | 10-in. | 6/10/1935 | St. Louis blues | Al Bowlly ; Ray Noble Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer, lyricist | |
| Victor | BS-92797 | 10-in. | 7/31/1935 | Loveless love | Little Ramblers ; Fred McElmurry | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
| Victor | BS-92910 | 10-in. | 8/1/1935 | Long gone | Willie Bryant Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Victor | PBS-97748 | 10-in. | 8/21/1936 | St. Louis blues | Benny Goodman Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Handy, W. C.," accessed November 1, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/101964.
Handy, W. C.. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 1, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/101964.
"Handy, W. C.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 1 November 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
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