W.C. Handy's Beale Street

Known as the “Father of the Blues,” W.C. Handy was America’s most successful African-American composer during the early twentieth century. His “Memphis Blues” and “St. Louis Blues” were among the most popular songs of the day and secured his place in music history. He is credited as the first composer to write down the blues and, consequently, established one of the most influential publishing companies of the era. While Handy only recorded a handful of his own compositions, this CD recreates Handy’s band for the first time ever and includes 21 of his most famous compositions. Jazz musician and arranger Carl Wolfe handpicked the musicians for this monumental project and wrote the arrangements the way he imagined Handy’s band must have performed them more than 80 years ago. The instrumentation is identical to that of Handy’s Memphis Blues Band – trumpet, trombone, clarinet, saxophone, violin, banjo, piano and tuba. Recorded in Memphis, the audio quality is pristine and captures the exuberance of the era. While Handy’s compositions have been widely recorded, this CD is the first comprehensive recording produced specifically as a tribute to one of America’s most important composers.



Includes: The Memphis Blues, Harlem Blues, Aunt Hagar’s Children Blues, St. Louis Blues, Yellow Dog Blues, Friendless Blues, Atlanta Blues, The Basement Blues, Joe Turner Blues, Blue-Gummed Blues, The Hesitating Blues, Loveless Love, John Henry Blues, Wall Street Blues, Sundown Blues, Ole Miss, Golden Brown Blues, Chantez Les Bas (Sing ‘Em Low), The Jogo Blues, Way Down South Where The Blues Began, Beale Street Blues