COMPOSER

W. C. Handy

1873 - 1958

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William Christopher Handy (November 16, 1873 – March 28, 1958) was an American composer and musician who referred to himself as the Father of the Blues. He was one of the most influential songwriters in the United States. One of many musicians who played the distinctively American blues music, Handy did not create the blues genre but was one of the first to publish music in the blues form, thereby taking the blues from a regional music style (Delta blues) with a limited audience to a new level of popularity. Handy used elements of folk music in his compositions. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. W. C. Handy is the 1,127th most popular composer (down from 1,097th in 2019), the 6,763rd most popular biography from United States (down from 6,042nd in 2019) and the 65th most popular American Composer.

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Among COMPOSERS

Among composers, W. C. Handy ranks 1,127 out of 1,451. Before him are Ture Rangström, Adolf Bernhard Marx, Francesco Antonio Vallotti, Siegmund von Hausegger, Rudolf Friml, and Avet Terterian. After him are Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny, Brian Ferneyhough, Otto Jahn, Oskar Sala, Julius Benedict, and Bruno Coulais.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1873, W. C. Handy ranks 146. Before him are Olav Bjaaland, Max Švabinský, Jurgis Baltrušaitis, Sunao Tawara, Gombojab Tsybikov, and Rosa Sensat. After him are Ivan Shmelyov, Princess Louise Charlotte of Saxe-Altenburg, Ioannis Chrysafis, Al Smith, Frank Wild, and Oscar von Sydow. Among people deceased in 1958, W. C. Handy ranks 132. Before him are Arvid Holmberg, Émile Delchambre, Myriam Harry, Harry Cohn, Jesse L. Lasky, and Carl Westergren. After him are Big Bill Broonzy, H. B. Warner, Nikolay Zabolotsky, Bhagwan Das, Henri Béraud, and John Marshall.

Others Born in 1873

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In United States

Among people born in United States, W. C. Handy ranks 6,765 out of 20,380. Before him are Preston Sturges (1898), Matt Walsh (1964), Bobby Cannavale (1970), Stan Kenton (1911), Evelyn Ashford (1957), and Maggie Grace (1983). After him are Mike Mangini (1963), Nathaniel Palmer (1799), Mr. Lawrence (1969), John Starks (1965), Linda Lavin (1937), and Merle Haggard (1937).

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Among COMPOSERS In United States

Among composers born in United States, W. C. Handy ranks 65. Before him are Joseph Lamb (1887), Ferde Grofé (1892), Walter Piston (1894), John Ottman (1964), Peter H. Gilmore (1958), and Harry Partch (1901). After him are Alf Clausen (1941), John Corigliano (1938), Leonard Rosenman (1924), Carter Burwell (1954), Michael Giacchino (1967), and Morton Gould (1913).

American born Composers

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