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 201-225 of 302 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OKeh | S-71720 | 10-in. | August 1923 | Ole Miss blues | Handy's Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader, composer | |
| OKeh | S-71721 | 10-in. | August 1923 | Darktown reveille | Handy's Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | leader, composer | |
| OKeh | S-71736 | 10-in. | August 1923 | Blue gum blues | Sara Martin | Female vocal solo, with piano | songwriter | |
| OKeh | S-72023 | 10-in. | 11/8/1923 | Tom Watson special | Fiddlin' John Carson | Fiddle (violin) solo, with male vocal solo | composer | |
| OKeh | S-72561 | 10-in. | 5/23/1924 | Chicago gouge | Broadway Syncopators ; Billy Page | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| OKeh | W80324 | 10-in. | 1/21/1927 | New St. Louis blues | Eddie Lang ; Boyd Senter | Clarinet solo, with guitar and piano | composer | |
| OKeh | W80544 | 10-in. | 3/16/1927 | Beale Street blues | Birmingham Society Serenaders ; Jack Linx | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| OKeh | W80987 | 10-in. | 6/7/1927 | Beale St. blues | Eddie Lang ; Boyd Senter | Clarinet solo, with guitar and piano | composer | |
| OKeh | W81820 | 10-in. | 11/14/1927 | St. Louis blues | Al Bernard | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance ensemble | composer, lyricist | |
| OKeh | W81884 | 10-in. | 11/27/1927 | St. Louis blues | Walter Beasley ; Sylvester Weaver | Guitar duet | composer | |
| OKeh | W82095 | 10-in. | 12/17/1927 | St. Louis blues | The Three Jacks | Instrumental trio | composer | |
| OKeh | W400704 | 10-in. | 5/23/1928 | St. Louis blues | Kalama Quartette | Instrumental quartet (Hawaiian) | composer | |
| OKeh | W400999 | 10-in. | 7/8/1928 | St. Louis blues | Charles Anderson | Male vocal solo, with piano | composer, lyricist | |
| OKeh | W401061 | 10-in. | 8/9/1928 | St. Louis blues | Emmett Miller | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer, lyricist | |
| OKeh | W402285 | 10-in. | 3/12/1929 | Careless love | Gus Clark ; Theo Clark | Fiddle (violin) and guitar duet | composer | |
| OKeh | W403495 | 10-in. | 12/13/1929 | St. Louis blues | Louis Armstrong Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer, lyricist | |
| OKeh | W403874 | 10-in. | 3/21/1930 | St. Louis blues | Seger Ellis | Piano solo | composer | |
| OKeh | W490016 | 10-in. | 12/13/1929 | St. Louis blues | Louis Armstrong Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Brunswick | 5523 | 10-in. | approximately May 1921 | Memphis blues | Al Bernard ; Carl Fenton’s Orchestra | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Brunswick | 9812 | 10-in. | approximately Feb. 1923 | St. Louis blues | Marion Harris ; Benny Krueger | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band and saxophone solo | composer, lyricist | |
| Brunswick | 4603-4605 | 10-in. | approximately Nov. 1920 | Beale Street blues | Al Bernard | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer, lyricist | |
| Brunswick | 4606-4608 | 10-in. | approximately Nov. 1920 | St. Louis blues | Al Bernard | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | composer, lyricist | |
| Brunswick | 9130-9132 | 10-in. | approximately Nov. 1922 | Aunt Hagar's children blues | Isham Jones Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Brunswick | 9791-9793 | 10-in. | approximately Jan. 1923 | Memphis blues | Isham Jones Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Brunswick | E27656 | 10-in. | 6/6/1928 | Long gone | Richard Brooks ; Rueben Puckett | Male vocal duet, with violin and guitar | composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Handy, W. C.," accessed September 15, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/101964.
Handy, W. C.. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved September 15, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/101964.
"Handy, W. C.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 15 September 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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