“...Whereas the year 2003 is the centennial anniversary of when W.C. Handy, a classically-trained musician, heard the blues for the first time, in a train station in Mississippi, thus enabling him to compose the first blues music to distribute throughout the United States, which led to him being named ‘Father of the Blues’: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate designates the year beginning February 1, 2003,
as the ‘Year of the Blues’.”

So it was declared in September of 2002 by the U.S. Senate. The Resolution further characterizes the blues as “the most influential form of American roots music, with its impact heard around the world in rock and roll, jazz, rhythm and blues, country, and even classical music; a national historic treasure, which needs to be preserved, studied, and documented for future generations” and “…an important documentation of African-American culture in the twentieth century.”

The "Father of the Blues" referred to in the Congressional resolution was William Christopher Handy. Handy was born in a tiny log cabin in post-slavery Florence, Alabama, on November 16, 1873. Being the son and grandson of African Methodist Episcopal ministers, his first exposure to music was inside the Greater St. Paul A.M.E. church. From spirituals and work songs, the young Handy was inspired by the music he heard and gleaned as much as he could from local musicians, at the dismay and disappointment of his family. He once saved enough money from picking berries and nuts and making lye soap to buy a guitar. His father made him return it in exchange for a dictionary.

Not easily discouraged, Handy acquired a small cornet (small trumpet). He would play it at the local barber shop during the Florence Concert Band practice sessions. At a very young age, Handy could easily be described as a musical prodigy. He could read, write and arrange music, and most importantly, he could inspire. He performed at the Chicago World’s Fair and eventually joined Mahara’s Colored Minstrels playing cornet. Handy traveled extensively with the band for the next several years, becoming the troupe leader. He spent two years teaching music at A&M College in Huntsville, Alabama before the age of 19. He discovered teaching to be less than lucrative and left it for a factory job.

In 1903, Handy found himself in Clarksdale, Mississippi where he formed the band “Knights of Pythias,” a marching/dance band that appealed to both white and black audiences. There are many tales of Handy’s turning points, but popular legend has it that one afternoon at a train station in Tutwiler, Mississippi, he heard a wandering musician picking a guitar with a knife blade and singing “Going where the Southern Crosses the Yellow Dog.” (The Southern and Yellow Dog were railroad lines). This unexpected, unique song and style left an indelible impression on Handy. He commented, “It was the weirdest thing I’d ever heard.”

Handy moved to Memphis and set up headquarters on the now famous Beale Street. He found it difficult to land the big paying jobs as exploding music scene proved to be quite competitive. His contemporaries, Eckford and Higgins’ Imperial Orchestra and Bynum’s Superb Orchestra, were crowd pleasers and in big demand.

It was here that Handy began to marry the classical western music with the wailing, guttural tones of the music he heard as a boy. He was combining ingredients for the first time – conjuring a new concoction of the invigorating, soulful and primitive rural sounds of his childhood with the regimented sounds of western music proper. “Each one of my blues is based on some old Negro song of the South....Something that sticks in my mind, that I hum to myself when I’m not thinking about it. Some old song that is a part of the memories of my childhood and of my race. I can tell you the exact song I used as a basis for any one of my blues. “

The 1909 Memphis mayoral race ticket sported three candidates who each had a band in tow. Handy and his band were hired by E.H. Crump’s campaign, a huge political influence in Memphis. Drawing on his encounters with unique and primitive beats, Handy composed “Mister Crump” which some believe to be the first blues song. The lyrics were less than complimentary to the candidate, but Crump, the consummate politician, recognized Handy’s ability to draw and entertain a crowd at a stump meet.

“Mr. Crump doan allow no easy riders here.
We doan care what Mr. Crump doan allow,
We gonna Barrel-house anyhow.
Mr. Crump can go and catch himself some air.”

Crump defeated his opponents easily. In 1913, a Denver publisher named Bennett reissued the song with lyrics added by George A. Norton as “The Memphis Blues.” The song was a huge success, however, Handy was duped into thinking the song was worthless and consequently sold the copyright for some say as little as $50.00. Racism has always played a prevalent factor in who profits from original genius in music. Handy encountered his share of people who would exploit his talent, but he always recognized where his inspiration came from. He once commented, “I think America concedes that (true American music) has sprung from the Negro. When we take these things that are our own, and develop them until they are finer things, that’s pure culture. You’ve got to appreciate the things that come from the art of the Negro and from the heart of the man farthest down.”

In 1914, he wrote and produced “St. Louis Blues,” hailed as the “National Anthem of Blues” and one of the most recorded songs in history. In September of 1917, Handy, along with four band members from Memphis, made the trip to Chicago. There, Handy acquired 4 Chicago musicians and 4 others who had previously played under his direction. With the band assembled, Handy’s Orchestra of Memphis headed to New York to make their first recordings. He understood the importance of publishing his own music and founded Handy’s Recording Company in New York City with partner Harold Pace. Handy continued to write and perform.

In his later years, even after the gradual loss of his eyesight, Handy continued to write, perform, arrange and publish music that is now considered cornerstones of pure American music. He also worked diligently to document and preserve the blues for future generations, compiling three books - Blues: An Anthology in 1926. He later published Negro Authors And Composers of the United States (1935), and Unsung Americans Sung (1944).  His biography, Father of the Blues was published in 1941.

W.C. Handy died in New York City on March 28, 1958.  His beloved hometown of Florence has paid tribute to the immortal “Father of the Blues” with the week-long W.C. Handy Music Festival. He is also memorialized by the industry with the coveted annual W.C. Handy Awards. The Handy Award is often referred to as the “Blues Grammy” and represents the highest accolade afforded musicians, songwriters, and record labels in the Blues industry. The show is presented each spring in Memphis and is syndicated across America on noncommercial television stations.

Success in the music industry can rely just as heavily on chance encounters as it can talent. But the blues are a different story from the rest of the musical palette. Not every one can write and play the blues. You have to feel the blues and have some real understanding of the blues – and life itself – before you can even approach the style or achieve any level of mastery. The very nature of the music itself separates the wheat from the chaff.

Perhaps just as important and more than any other form of music, the Blues’ survival depends on grass roots families of blues societies and volunteer-run festivals. This struggling genre enjoys just 1 percent of the market share in U.S. record sales. Blues albums rarely sell in the volume that rock, rap, or country music do. Even successful blues artists have to constantly tour to keep their careers viable. Word of Mouth Productions is part of an immense network of volunteers that produce these festivals around the country - and the world.

Other events featuring this celebrated music form include the annual South Carolina Celebration of Blues and Jazz at the South Carolina State Museum Sept. 26. Seven top South Carolina blues and jazz acts will be playing the 7:30-11:30 p.m. event. Scheduled to play are Rev. Marv Ward and the Blues Disciples, Ross Holmes Band, Gene Dykes Big Band, The Shades, Nappy Brown, Caesar, Skipp Pearson and Jazzology, and Kom’en In’Trist. It has become a fall tradition looked forward to by thousands of South Carolinians and features food and beverages, and select galleries of the museum will be open. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door and can be purchased at the museum, 301 Gervais St. in Columbia, or by calling 803-898-4933.

The Seventh Annual Carolina Downhome Blues Festival in Camden is three nights this year, Thursday – Saturday, October 2 – 4. Gary Erwin of Erwin Music and the Lowcountry Blues Society does an incredible job keeping the blues alive in South Carolina and has put together an amazing line up. Check it out at www.bluesbash.com/camden. Scheduled artists include Shrimp City Slim, Rusty Davis And Jon Bolin, Barbara Martin, Bradley Litwin, The King Bees, Elliott & The Untouchables, The Wiyo’s, Drink Small, Chris Daniels & The Kings, Joe Turner & His Memphis Blues Caravan, Eugene “Hideaway” Bridges, Louisiana Red, Delta Moon, and Motor City R&B Pioneers. The festival is a blues ‘club crawl’ with performances in the Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County each night plus gigs in the town’s bars & restaurants. Most venues are in walking distance of each other. Armbands per night are $15 and a weekend pass is $35. To buy tickets, contact the Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County at 803-425-7676.
 

The centennial anniversary of the fabled chance encounter between Handy and the wandering musician that afternoon in Mississippi is a true reason to celebrate for the blues community. Like any living entity, it must be nurtured. And by participating in an event, even as a spectator, you become a vital element in this pure art form that transcends time and has a message for everyone.

Contributed by Wendy Brinker