W. C. HANDY HOME & MUSEUM

W.C. Handy (1873-1958) was born of former slaves in this simple wooden box. Very early on to the music, first came as first tenor in Minstrel shows, musical shows mixed with comic interludes, before moving to the piston cone. It was during his travels in the South that he began to draw inspiration from the melodies and rhythms played by former slaves. It was the famous Memphis Blues (published in 1912), which he wrote when he was in Memphis since 1908 who had recognition this new form of music named Blues. Although installed in New York from 1917, he continued to influence the evolution of blues and jazz. We owe W.C. Handy many other successes such as Saint Louis Blues (1914) or Beale Street Blues (1916).