The W. C. Handy Music Festival is held annually in
Florence, Alabama
Florence is a city in, and the county seat of, Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States, in the state's northwestern corner. It is situated along the Tennessee River and is home to the University of North Alabama, the oldest college in the st ...
, sponsored by the Music Preservation Society, Inc., in honor of Florence native
W. C. Handy
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. Handy was one of the most influential songwriters in the United States. One of many musici ...
, the "Father of the Blues." The non-profit Music Preservation Society was formed in 1982, with the mission to preserve, present, and promote the musical heritage of Northwest Alabama.
With the help and encouragement of musician and Sheffield native,
Willie Ruff
Willie Henry Ruff Jr. (born September 1, 1931) is an American jazz musician, specializing in the French horn and double bass, and a music scholar and educator, primarily as a Yale professor from 1971 to 2017.
Personal life
He was born in Sheffi ...
, the organization presented the first W.C. Handy Music Festival. That first festival was a long weekend of music, featuring
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...
as the headliner artist. Over the next two decades, the annual celebration has evolved into a ten-day Festival including over 250 events with music at locations throughout northwest Alabama. The Handy Festival has garnered praise and accolades and has become a major music festival in the Southeast. The Handy Festival has been selected as a Top Ten Event in Alabama; a three time Cultural Olympiad Designee by Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games; a Location/Destination on the National Geographic Appalachian Regional Commission's Featured Sites Map; and a Top Twenty event in the Southeast since 1986 by Southeast Tourism Society. The Music Preservation Society, and the W.C. Handy Festival Committee, extends its heartfelt appreciation to the family of William Christopher Handy for its support of the W.C. Handy Music Festival.
The festival presents music of many varieties, including rock, pop, gospel, R & B and jazz. The roster of jazz musicians, known as the "Festival All-Stars," or the
W. C. Handy Jazz All-Stars, includes noted musicians from all over the United States, such as guitarist
Mundell Lowe
James Mundell Lowe (April 21, 1922 – December 2, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist who worked often in radio, television, and film, and as a session musician.
He produced film and TV scores in the 1970s, such as the ''Billy Jack'' soundtrac ...
, guitarist
Lloyd Wells
Lloyd Wells is an American jazz guitarist, composer and arranger.
Music career
He grew up in Laurel, Mississippi, the home town of jazz guitarist, Mundell Lowe. He did his first professional work playing for square dances while still attending h ...
, drummer
, pianist / vocalist
Johnny O'Neal
Johnny O'Neal (born October 10, 1956 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American neo-bop jazz pianist and vocalist. His playing ranges from the technically virtuosic to the tenderest of ballad interpretations. Though unique in style, he is influenced ...
, vibraphonist
Chuck Redd
Chuck Redd (born September 10, 1958) is an American jazz drummer and vibraphonist.
Career
Redd began touring and recording when he joined the Charlie Byrd Trio at the age of 21. He also joined The Great Guitars (Barney Kessel, Charlie Byrd, an ...
, trumpeter
Ken Watters
Ken Watters is an American jazz trumpeter residing in Huntsville, Alabama. He is the brother of noted jazz trombonist, Harry Watters. Ken has performed and/or recorded with Frank Sinatra, Tabou Combo Jason Isbell, Marc Anthony, Wyclef Jean, N ...
, pianist / vocalist
Ray Reach
Raymond Everett Reach, Jr. (born August 3, 1948) is an American pianist, vocalist, guitarist, composer, arranger, music producer, and educator, named by AL.com as one of "30 Alabamians who changed jazz history." He serves as President and CEO of ...
(Director of Student Jazz Programs at the
Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame
The Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame (AJHF) was founded in 1978, and opened a museum on September 18, 1993, with a mission "to foster, encourage, educate, and cultivate a general appreciation of the medium of jazz music as a legitimate, original and dis ...
), and flutis
Holly Hofmann
Each year, th
W. C. Handy Jazz Campis presented, jointly sponsored by the
University of North Alabama
The University of North Alabama (UNA) is a public university in Florence, Alabama. It is the state's oldest public university. Occupying a campus in a residential section of Florence, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes ...
and the W. C. Handy Music Festival.
External links
W. C. Handy Music Festivalwebsite
W. C. Handy Jazz All-Starsat Bhamwiki.com
Jazz festivals in the United States
Rock festivals in the United States
Music festivals established in 1982
1982 establishments in Alabama