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William C. HANDY, called the “Father of the Blues”, was born in 1873, Florence, Alabama. HANDY came to Henderson in 1888 with a troupe of singers and was at one time an errand boy at J. D. HAMBLETON’S dry goods store. He is said to have credited much of his knowledge of music to what he learned in Henderson. While a resident, he played the violin in a local orchestra, organized the Henderson Cornet Band, and became its leader and teacher. HANDY’S best known compositions are the “Beale Street Blues,” “Memphis Blues”, and “St. Louis Blues.” It was the popularity of the latter composition, which mainly brought him into prominence as a composer.
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