W(illiam) C(hristopher) Handy

Handy, W(illiam) C(hristopher) (1873–1958), U.S. songwriter, bandleader, and jazz composer. He conducted his own band 1903–21. In 1912 he published one of the first popular blues songs, “Memphis Blues,” and in 1914 wrote “St. Louis Blues.” He became a music publisher in the late 1920s.