Black History Month: W.C. Handy, 'Father of the Blues'

William Christopher Handy was neither born in nor become famous while in Henderson. But his years here set him on the path to become known as the “Father of the Blues.”

According to legend, the Alabama-born composer and his band were traveling home from the postponed Chicago World’s Fair in 1892 when they ran out of money in St. Louis. Work was scarce there, so Handy left the rest of the band and headed to Evansville.

Handy worked on a street paving crew and joined a local band. When the group played at a Henderson barbecue, he met Elizabeth Price, who became his wife.

Handy spent nearly a decade in Henderson before moving on. In his autobiography, Handy wrote, “I didn’t write any songs in Henderson, but it was there I realized that experiences I had had, things I had seen and heard could be set down in a kind of music characteristic of my race.”

In 1953, the famed composer returned to Henderson to perform at a pair of concerts to raise money for a swimming pool for Black residents.

For more than 30 years, a free four-day blues festival named for Handy has been held in Henderson.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Who was W.C. Handy?