W.C. Handy: The Life And Times Of The Man Who Made The Blues by David Robertson. Knopf, 2009.

In Memphis there is a statue of W.C. Handy, “the Father of the Blues,” in Handy Park on Beale Street. Handy named his autobiography, The Father of the Blues but, according to author David Robertson in his new biography of Handy,

“He was not properly the Father of the Blues, as he was later acclaimed, but he was certainly the maker of the blues in the early twentieth century. He made the blues as a consciously composed art—working as an ‘American composer’—and he also made them in that word’s sense of guaranteeing their success and of commercially promoting this music.”

William Christopher Handy was born in 1873 in Florence, Alabama and learned the cornet, which was the electric guitar of its day—an essential part of any band that wanted to be heard—and moved to Clarksdale, Mississippi when he was 29. At a train station one night waiting to catch the train back to Clarksdale, Handy heard “the weirdest music I had ever heard.” This was Handy’s first exposure to what is now known as “Delta blues.”

Author Robertson elaborates, “While Handy and his musicians took an intermission to smoke cigarettes, a rustic-looking black string band consisting of players of a bettered bass, mandolin, and guitar, led ‘by a long-legged chocolate boy,’ in Handy’s description, took the stage and began to play the new music later known as the blues… ‘a rain of silver dollars began to fall around the outlandish, stomping feet’… ‘my idea of what constitutes music was changed by the sight of that silver money cascading around the splayed feet of a Mississippi string band.’”

This was Handy’s blind light on the road to Damascus. Handy moved to Memphis, where he toured on the black vaudeville circuit run by the Brasso family through their Theater Owners Booking Association, known as the “TOBA circuit” and often referred to as the “Tough On Black Asses” circuit.

In Memphis, Handy teamed up with Harry H. Pace, a former banker who became his business partner. Handy needed a partner who could handle business and Pace played a major role in the success of Handy as the two established a publishing company and promoted Handy’s songs. This was the era of sheet music, so music had to be written down and printed on sheet music in order to make any money. Handy’s first success was “Memphis Blues,” originally written for Boss Crump, the legendary Mayor of Memphis for many years.

Other Handy songs included “Yellow Dog Blues,” “Joe Turner Blues,” “Beale Street Blues,” and “St. Louis Blues,” which became one of the most performed songs of the early twentieth century.

In 1918 Handy and Pace moved to New York where Pace established Black Swan Records in 1921, the first record label owned by African-Americans. The label only lasted two years but was the forerunner of Motown Records.

The book details Handy’s loss of the publishing of “Memphis Blues” by two white businessman as well as Handy obtaining the rights back in 1940. The music business is a difficult business and being an African-American made it even more difficult.

Author Robertson notes that during his career Handy “learned three hard, constructive lessons. First, never sell a copyright….Second, he learned that even should he succeed in keeping the copyright and obtaining an honest publisher with national distribution for this sheet music, he needed his compositions to be identified with a white performer to gain national acceptance by retailers or audiences…[the] third lesson learned by the composer from the loss of ‘The Memphis Blues’ was that he was in sore need of a trustworthy partner with a greater business sense than his own.”

Henry Pace left the record business when Black Swan folded in 1923 and returned to the banking business, where he had a successful career. W.C. Handy went blind and his songs fell out of favor as R&B became the preferred sound for African-Americans. He died in 1958 and his funeral “was one of the largest public occasions in the history of New York City to that decade,” according to author Robertson.

W.C. Handy by David Robertson is a valuable addition to the history of the blues and Handy’s role in popularizing that genre. And after reading this biography, you may be inspired to go to Memphis and see the statue of W.C. Handy that was put up in 1931.

As the Americana Music Association prepares for its Festival and Conference, coming Sept. 8-11, 2010 to Nashville, the organization has announced its new Executive Committee. Holding one-year terms for the 2010 calendar year will be Board President David Macias (Thirty Tigers); Vice Pres. Tim McFadden (Tim McFadden Management); Secretary Sylvia Giannitrapani (GO2 Management); and Treasurer Pam Matthews (DuVoyant Music); with Jessie Scott (Music Fog) and Al Moss (Al Moss Promotion) as Executive Committee Members-At-Large.

The Board of Directors consists of 19 industry representatives elected by the Americana Music Association membership to two-year terms. The 2010-2011 Board brings newly elected Ashley Capps (AC Entertainment), Joan Kornblith (Voice of America), artists Chip Taylor, Rodney Crowell, Raul Malo and Buddy Miller, as well as Exec. Committee’s Matthews and Macias.

John Allen (Bug Music) is newly re-elected and joins returning Board Members Kay Clary (BMI), Tamara Saviano (Ellis Creative), Amanda Hale-Ornales (New West Records), Tift Merritt (artist), Brad First (SXSW), Fred Boenig (Artist Development Group), Giannitrapani, McFadden, Scott, and Moss.

The Americana Music Association says it intentionally sought to add directors from music communities outside Nashville this year, to work alongside local board members. The professional non-profit trade organization’s mission is to promote awareness, provide a forum, and advocate for the creative and economic vitality of the Americana music genre. The Association produces events throughout the year including the annual Americana Music Festival and Conference.

Showcase submissions for the 11th annual Americana Music Festival are open and will be accepted through Monday, April 19, 2010. Materials can be submitted online via Sonicbids or directly to the Americana office via mail, click here for details. All applicants will be notified by Friday, July 9, 2010 as to whether or not they’ve been selected for this year’s event. Registration to attend the Americana Festival, running Wednesday, Sept. 8 through Saturday, Sept. 11, 2010 at the Sheraton Nashville Downtown Hotel, is also open. The Super Early Bird Rate expires January 31, offering AMA members a $200 rate, and nonmembers a $300 rate.

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Today (1/19) is the last day to submit an application to join the Women’s Music Business Association (WMBA). Women who are working in the music business, and are interested in joining WMBA or learning more about the organization can visit www.wmbanashville.org or contact Membership Chair, Kasey Cleckler at membership@wmbanashville.org.
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Karla Davis, representing radio station WRHI Rock Hill in South Carolina, was named “Best New Act in Country Music” at the 28th Annual Colgate Country Showdown on January 14. Davis won the Grand Prize check of $100,000. The North Carolina native recently moved to Nashville and is sponsored by Takamine Guitars.

LeAnn Rimes hosted and performed at the televised event, which will be nationally syndicated to air in spring 2010. The national finalists performed in front of a panel of industry executives; Jim Catino (Sony Music), Rod Essig (CAA), Fletcher Foster, Fred Foster (Atlantic Records), Cris Lacy (Warner Music Nashville), and Brian Mansfield (Nashville correspondant for USA Today).

Rimes and the finalists, which included Kendall Phillips, Casey Lee Smith, Terry Lee Spencer, and Whisky Row, paid tribute to former contestant and country music legend, Garth Brooks. Many of today’s top country artists have competed in past competitions including; Tim McGraw, Martina McBride, Billy Ray Cyrus, Sara Evans, Brad Paisley, and Miranda Lambert.