A native of Florence, W. C. Handy was a songwriter, arranger, music publisher, and folklorist who became known as the “Father of the Blues”. Handy produced a string of hits between 1914 and 1921, including “Yellow Dog Blues,” “Joe Turner Blues,” “Aunt Hagar’s Children Blues,” “Beale Street Blues” and his masterpiece, “St. Louis Blues.” In 1941, after almost a decade’s work, he published his autobiography, Father of the Blues, which immediately became a classic first-hand account of American music and history. He appeared repeatedly on television’s Ed Sullivan Show and fronted a band at Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s first inaugural ball. Handy was honored with a postage stamp in 1969 and a block of 52nd Street in Manhattan was renamed in his honor. His boyhood home in Florence now operates as a museum and Florence hosts the annual weeklong W. C. Handy Music Festival, which celebrate the city’s most famous native son.
Photos courtesy of: University of Alabama