Father of the Blues: An Autobiography (Da Capo Paperback)
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.18 (853 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0306804212 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 317 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 0000-00-00 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Daphne Simpkins said W. C. Handy who wrote the music that cures the condition it names. Before there were selfies and Facebook updates, there were memoirs like this one where the voice of the author is authentic and the story of his life is told with humility and honesty. I loved it. I loved learning about the places in Handy's life that became touchstones for how this Alabama native intersected with music and how the music around him informed his life and in doing so moved him to validate with his own spirit and craft the genre of music called "the blues." Handy's life story is about more than the blues, however. He was an early performer in t. Five Stars every blues aficionado needs this book. A window into the beginning of jazz and blues This is a look at how jazz and blues began, from the man who was instrumental in getting it started. W.C. Handy tells us how the transition was made from marches, classical music, dance music, Stephen Foster, vaudville tunes and folk blues to the arranged and orchestrated blues and jazz of the 20th Century. Not only did Handy help create the music, but he also helped preserve it through recordings and publications. In this book, he tells in detail how he came to compose his most famous pieces, including Memphis Blues, St. Louis Blues and Beale Street Blues.
. From the Back Cover Handy's remarkable tale- pervaded with his unique personality and humor- reveals not only the career of the man who brought the blues to the world's attention, but the whole scope of American music, from the days of the old popular songs of the South, through ragtime to the great era of jazz
Handy (1873–1958) was a sensitive child who loved nature and music; but not until he had won a reputation did his father, a preacher of stern Calvinist faith, forgive him for following the "devilish" calling of black music and theater. Louis Blues"—changed America's music forever. Handy's blues—“Memphis Blues," "Beale Street Blues," "St. C. W. In Father of the Blues, Handy presents his own story: a vivid picture of American life now vanished. Here Handy tells of this and other struggles: the lot of a black musician with entertainment groups in the turn-of-the-century South; his days in minstrel shows, and then in his own band; how he made his first 100 from "Memphis Blues"; how his orchestra came to grief with the First World War; his successful career in New York as publisher and song writer; his association with the literati of the Harlem Renaissance.Handy's remarkable tale—pervaded