"William Christopher (better known as WC) Handy didn’t invent the blues -- but he heard them in a deep and understanding way. He figured out how they worked. He wrote them down, arranged them, and did the business of bringing them to the world.
Handy’s classic “St. Louis Blues” is one of the most recorded songs ever. But even though Handy’s blues were phenomenally popular, he also strove to secure respect for himself and for other African-American composers. He was one of the first black composers to hold onto the rights to his music, and he published his own and other black composers’ work.
In this hour-long radio special, host Dr. Ysaye Maria Barnwell (of Sweet Honey in the Rock) celebrates the life and legacy of WC Handy the musician, the composer, the arranger, the publisher and the pioneer."
Here is the PBS Documentary Home Page For W. C. Handy's Blues.
