W. C. Handy Beale Street Collection
Processed by
Mathew Jehl
2012
Memphis and Shelby County Room
Memphis Public Library and Information Center 3030 Poplar Avenue Memphis, TN 38111 Biography
“Whenever I come to Memphis, a freedom comes over me that I feel nowhere else. The past fills me with a boundless joy and the present prompts me to every fond delight when I am in the midst of these comforting scenes.” -W.C. Handy On November 16, 1873, the “Father of the Blues” was born in Florence, Alabama. At an early age, William Christopher Handy showed an interest in music, and by the age of ten, he could already read sheet music. Although his parents wanted him to become a minister, Handy set out to become a professional musician, heading to Birmingham in 1892. While in Birmingham, Handy spent time teaching and working in a factory. Meanwhile in his free time, Handy worked to hone his craft playing with several small bands. In his youth, Handy played with a number of different bands, which travelled all across the South, but he finally landed in Memphis, Tennessee. He quickly found work and popularity in Memphis when he wrote and performed “Mr. Crump” for E. H. Crump’s mayoral election campaign in 1909. Handy would later rename and rewrite this song with the more famous title “The Memphis Blues.” After receiving moderate success from this composition and others, Handy began collaborating with Harry Pace. While Handy wrote the music, Pace wrote the lyrics. The two would eventually go into business together more formally when they established the Pace and Handy Music Company. Originally based out of Memphis, the two would publish a number of songs before they moved the company to New York City, including the aptly named “Beale Street Blues.” While in New York, Handy led the effort to popularize the blues. Based at 1650 Broadway, Handy and Pace published numerous compositions that would be featured in shows on Broadway. Even after Pace left the business, the Handy Brothers Music Company continued publishing compositions. By the time of his death on March 28, 1958, Handy was widely recognized as a music legend across the country. While he was not the first person to publish blues compositions, Handy was integral to the popularization of the blues with the publication of numerous compositions. Today he is still remembered as the “Father of the Blues” for his work.
2 Scope & Content
Comprising 0.92 linear feet, the material contained in the W. C. Handy Beale Street Collection was donated from a number of different sources, including items donated by Mrs. Roy Collins and Bob Crowder. Because the Collection was compiled over a period of several decades from many different sources, the collection was organized logically rather than in the order that they were received. The W. C. Handy Beale Street Collection contains numerous compositions by Handy, including “The Memphis Blues,” “St. Louis Blues,” and “Beale Street Blues.” In addition, the collection also holds several other compositions that were not composed or published by Handy, including Danny Thomas’ “Bring Back Beale Street.” The collection also houses letters, speeches, articles, and pamphlets that honor the life of W. C. Handy. Those interested in W. C. Handy should also consult the W. C. Handy Collection, which contains materials related to the efforts to have a U.S. postage stamp printed in his honor, the E. H. Crump Collection, and the Papers of Memphis Mayor Walter Chandler which also reside in the Memphis and Shelby County Room.
Single photocopies or scans of unpublished writings in these papers may be made for purposes of scholarly research.
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3 Container List
Box Folder Folder Name Number Number
1 1 Compositions 1 2 Compositions 1 3 Compositions 1 4 Remembrances 1 5 Miscellaneous
4 Inventory
Box No. Folder No. Item
“Ethiopia Stretches Forth Her 1 1 Hands Unto Thee” composed by Wm. C. Handy 1 1 “I’ll Never Turn Back No More” Arranged by William C. Handy
“They That Sow in Tears (Shall 1 1 Reap in Joy)” composition with musical setting by William C. Handy (Five Copies) 1 1 “Vesuvius (There’s a Red Glow in the Sky Above Vesuvius)” composition with Music by William C. Handy
“St. Louis Blues” composition 1 2 published by Alfred Music Co.
“Saint Louis Blues” composition 1 2 published by Handy Brothers Music Co.
“Beale Street Blues” composition 1 2 published by Handy Brothers Music Co. (Eight Copies)
“Beale Street Shimmie 1 3 (Metropolitan Blues)” played by Johnson’s Jazz Band of Memphis, Tenn
“Bring Back Beale Street” by 1 3 Danny Thomas
“Jazzman’s Blues” composition 1 3 with Words and Music by Harry Godwin, Brainerd Kremer, and Ray Sterling
5 “Memphis Blues” book 1 3 published by Handy Brothers Music Co.
“The Memphis Blues” 1 3 composition published by Handy Brothers Music Co. (Two Copies)
“The Memphis Blues” 1 3 composition published by Theron C. Bennett Co.
Letter from Mrs. Alice Lake 1 4 Morison encouraging the construction of a W.C. Handy Monument
Abyssinian Baptist Church 1 4 program from the Final Tribute of Respect for William Christopher Handy
Dedication of W.C. Handy 1 4 Memorial Home and Museum, November 23, 1970
“The Birth of the Blues” by 1 4 Helen Hirsch from an August, 1947 Issue of the Jewish Forum, New York Monthly
“The Legend of W.C. Handy” 1 4 pamphlet written by George W. Lee (Three Copies)
Fact Sheet of the W.C. Handy 1 4 Memorial Scholarship Club, Inc.
Minutes from the W.C. Handy 1 4 Memorial Fund Committee, September 15, 1960
2 Eight Tickets from the 20th 1 4 Annual Blues Bowl Game, 1958
Letter Regarding the 21st Annual 1 4 Blues Bowl Game, 1959
Fact Sheet of the W.C. Handy 1 4 Memorial Scholarship Club, Inc.
Celebration announcement from 1 4 the W.C. Handy Memorial Scholarship Club, Inc.
“I Knew Handy Eulogy,” an 1 4 extension of remarks of Hon. Clifford Davis of TN in the House of Representatives, April 27, 1958
Information carved on the Handy 1 4 Memorial in Handy Park on Beale Street 4 Dedication of the W.C. Handy 1 Monument
Stax Fax with an article on the 1 5 first Memphis W.C. Handy Blues Festival 1 5 “They Called Him the Father of the Blues,” no author listed 1 5
W.C. Handy Christmas Card 1 5
Letter to Mr. Williams, April 9, 1 5 1970, regarding W.C. Handy stamp
Picture of Handy Park in the 1 5 Memphis Press-Scimitar, June 6, 1969
3 “Handwriting Analysis, the 1 5 Science of Determining Personality by Graphanalysis” by M.N. Bunker with a mention of W.C. Handy
The Southern Literary Messenger, May, 1939, containing “The King of Beale 1 5 Street” by George W. Lee
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