Publisher
Alfred A. Knopf, 2009
First Edition
ISBN-10: 0307266095
ISBN-13: 978-0307266095
286 pages -- Approx. size: 9.5" by 6"
Before there was Elvis, there was W.C. Handy, “the man who made the blues.” Here is the first major biography in decades of the man who gave us such iconic songs as
“St. Louis Blues,” “The Memphis Blues,” and “Beale Street Blues,” and who was responsible, more than any other musician, for bringing the blues into the American mainstream.
David Robertson charts W.C. Handy’s rise from a rural Alabama childhood in the last decades of the nineteenth century to become one of the most celebrated songwriters of the twentieth. The child of former slaves, Handy was first inspired by spirituals and folk songs, and his passion for music pushed him to leave home as a teenager, despite opposition from his preacher father. He soon found his way to St. Louis, where he spent a winter sleeping on cobblestone docks before lucking into a job with an Indiana brass band. It was in a minstrel show, playing to racially mixed audiences across the country, that he got his first real exposure as a professional musician.
Beautiful condition for the book. Looks to not have been read. The dust jacket has very minor shelf wear. Deckle edged. Wonderful gift idea for the music lover.
Please see and enlarge all photos and email with any questions prior to purchase. Thanks!
First Edition
ISBN-10: 0307266095
ISBN-13: 978-0307266095
286 pages -- Approx. size: 9.5" by 6"
Before there was Elvis, there was W.C. Handy, “the man who made the blues.” Here is the first major biography in decades of the man who gave us such iconic songs as
“St. Louis Blues,” “The Memphis Blues,” and “Beale Street Blues,” and who was responsible, more than any other musician, for bringing the blues into the American mainstream.
David Robertson charts W.C. Handy’s rise from a rural Alabama childhood in the last decades of the nineteenth century to become one of the most celebrated songwriters of the twentieth. The child of former slaves, Handy was first inspired by spirituals and folk songs, and his passion for music pushed him to leave home as a teenager, despite opposition from his preacher father. He soon found his way to St. Louis, where he spent a winter sleeping on cobblestone docks before lucking into a job with an Indiana brass band. It was in a minstrel show, playing to racially mixed audiences across the country, that he got his first real exposure as a professional musician.
Beautiful condition for the book. Looks to not have been read. The dust jacket has very minor shelf wear. Deckle edged. Wonderful gift idea for the music lover.
Please see and enlarge all photos and email with any questions prior to purchase. Thanks!
