Handy, W. C.

W. C. Handy Composer, lyricist, publisher, trumpeter, and bandleader William Christopher Handy, Florence, Alabama, November 16, 1873; New York City, March 29, 1958. As Scott Joplin and his “Maple Leaf Rag” were to ragtime , so W. C. Handy and his “St. Louis Blues ” were to blues . He composed and published the most significant blues for twenty years (1912–1932), and through various media, promoted the blues as part of popular music and jazz. As a youth, Handy played cornet in bands and formed…