William Christopher Handy was a composer and musician, and called himself the Father of the Blues. An African American, 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 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.
Wikipedia
“Life is like a trumpet. If you don't put anything into it, you don't get anything out.”
Music Preservation Society biography http://www.wchandymusicfestival.org/downloads/HandyBiography.pdf
Variant: Life is like a trumpet - if you don't put anything into it, you don't get anything out of it.
Music Preservation Society biography http://www.wchandymusicfestival.org/downloads/HandyBiography.pdf
Profiles In Black http://www.theblackmarket.com/ProfilesInBlack/WCHandy.htm
