Hart Ancker Wand (March 3, 1887 – August 9, 1960), was an American early fiddler and bandleader from
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...
. He was of German extraction. In the musical world he is chiefly noted for publishing the "
Dallas Blues" in March 1912 (copyrighted in September). "Dallas Blues" was an early example of published twelve-bar blues song.
Little is known about Wand. He was named for his maternal grandfather, Hart P. Ancker. Wand was an
89er, coming with his parents, a brother, and two sisters from Kansas at age two. His father John, an immigrant from
Frankfurt, Germany
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its ...
, and successful druggist in Topeka, immediately after the run set up a tent drugstore in what would become Oklahoma City. After his father's death in 1909, Hart Wand took control of the Wand & Son manufacturing plant in Oklahoma City, and kept up his musical interests. Wand moved his business to Chicago sometime before 1920, and by 1920 had settled in New Orleans. He traveled through Europe, Latin America, and Asia for his business.
Samuel Charters
Samuel Barclay Charters IV (August 1, 1929 – March 18, 2015) was an American music historian, writer, record producer, musician, and poet. He was a widely published author on the subjects of blues and jazz. He also wrote fiction.
Overview
Cha ...
, who interviewed Wand for his book ''The Country Blues'' (1959), stated that Wand was respected and well liked in New Orleans.
[Charters, ''The Country Blues'', page 42.] Wand's wife, Alberta, died in 1982.
References
Bibliography
*Charters, Samuel B. ''The Country Blues''. Da Capo Press, 1975.
*Davis, Francis. ''The History Of The Blues: The Roots, The Music, The People''. Da Capo Press, 2003.
*Duncan, Craig. ''Blues Fiddling Classics''. Mel Bay Publications, 1994.
External links
Blues
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wand, Hart
Musicians from Oklahoma
American blues musicians
1887 births
1960 deaths