How Did William Christopher Handy Influenced
William Christopher Handy (W.C. Handy) was born on November 16, 1873, in a log cabin built by his grandfather. The town was called Florence, Alabama.He was considered the “Father of the Blues.” His parents were Elizabeth Brewer and Charles Barnard Handy. His father was a pastor and much of Handy’s musical style was influenced by the songs he sang and played in church. His father, however, believed that musical instruments were tools of the devil (Wikipedia). This inspired Handy even more to play a musical instrument. For example, he once ran off and bought a guitar without his parent’s permission. When he was a teenager he secretly joined a band. He worked on a “shovel brigade” and was completely amazed by the sounds the shovels made when they struck the iron buggies. This was the starting point of his musical career. His songs were influenced by the sounds around him. He used nature as inspiration. In September of 1892, he traveled to Birmingham, AL to teach there.The job did not pay well and he moved on to work in a pipes plant. When he was
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He wrote his Memphis Blues song for Edward Crump (who was running for mayor). This song introduced his style of 12-bar blues. It was also the inspiration for the foxtrot dance step. He used folk step style in his music. He said, “The primitive southern Negro, as he sang, was sure to bear down on the third and seventh tone of the scale, slurring between major and minor. Whether in the cotton field of the Delta or on the Levee up St. Louis way, it was always the same. Till then, however, I had never heard this slur used by a more sophisticated Negro, or by any white man. I tried to convey this effect... by introducing flat thirds and sevenths (now called blue notes) into my song, although its prevailing key was major..., and I carried this device into my melody as well... This was a distinct departure, but as it turned out, it touched the
He wrote his Memphis Blues song for Edward Crump (who was running for mayor). This song introduced his style of 12-bar blues. It was also the inspiration for the foxtrot dance step. He used folk step style in his music. He said, “The primitive southern Negro, as he sang, was sure to bear down on the third and seventh tone of the scale, slurring between major and minor. Whether in the cotton field of the Delta or on the Levee up St. Louis way, it was always the same. Till then, however, I had never heard this slur used by a more sophisticated Negro, or by any white man. I tried to convey this effect... by introducing flat thirds and sevenths (now called blue notes) into my song, although its prevailing key was major..., and I carried this device into my melody as well... This was a distinct departure, but as it turned out, it touched the