Birth of the Blues

The blues were born in the North Mississippi Delta and evolved out of the social injustices of one man over another. Black slaves brought from Africa would use the "cal and response" of field songs to alleviate the pan of the backbreaking work forced upon them and to code their anguish over a desperate situation. This was a form of communication that was tolerated by the slave owners because the rhythmic cadence of the music actually made the slaves more productive, little did they know, or care, that the words actually disguise a secret longing to be free of their captivity. The songs actually gave hope that one day this burden would be lifted from their shoulders. For many years following the Civil War this music continued to be played live and performed by local musicians. The songs were not recorded nor written down and were performed only from memory.

The minstrel show, one of the first native forms of American entertainment, was created in the 1800s and it is one of the driving forces that formed the genre of music known as the blues. Although the intension of the minstrel shows was purely for entertainment it is rooted in deep hatred and prejudice. This fact was recognized by many of the early blues musicians and they laced their songs with lyrics that denounced the so called "Jim Crowe" laws that promoted racism. As a point of history, "Jim Crow" was a stock character in the minstrel shows that later came to be a symbol for the laws of segregation enacted in the South. Interestingly enough, it was Thomas Dartmouth "Daddy" Rice who is commonly believed to be the originator of the minstrel shows, Rice, a struggling "white actor" would appear on stage in black face as "Jim Crow" -- an exaggerated, highly stereotypical Black character. Regardless of the racism involved, the shows were immensely popular during the times and did create an interest in the music.

The classic structure of the blues as we know it today evolved from these black minstrel shows of the late 1800s due largely to the efforts of a young composer by the name of W. C. Handy. By some reports, it is believed that Handy joined the minstrel shows at the age of 15 later abandoning them for an education.

Handy studied at Teachers Agricultural and Mechanical College, in Huntsville, Alabama and after graduating he became a schoolteacher at Alabama A&M. He later decided that teaching was not for him and he left the profession to pursue a music career. In 1896, Handy joined W. A. Mahara's Minstrels to play the cornet (a small trumpet) and soon became the bandleader, Later, Handy worked for several other bands and minstrel shows, eventually ending up in Memphis in the early 1900s.

Handy wrote his first song in 1909, it was a campaign song called "Mr. Crump" written for a candidate for mayor of Memphis. In 1912 the song was changed and subsequently published as the famous "Memphis Blues", the song that helped established Handy in the white dominated music publishing business.

Joining forces with Harry Pace, Handy opened Pace & Handy Music Co. on Beale Avenue from 1913-1918, publishing many popular tunes including "St. Louis Blues" and "Yellow Dog Blues" in 1914, and "Beale Street Blues" in 1916. "St. Louis Blues" in particular had phenomenal sales success and garnered worldwide acclaim. It became a staple in the repertoire of blues diva Bessie Smith.

The efforts of W. C. Handy legitimized the blues as a major art form recognized throughout the world and established him as "The Father of the Blues".