A 6-cent stamp honoring W. C. Handy was placed on sale on May 17, 1969, at Memphis, Tennessee, the city he immortalized with two compositions, "The Memphis Blues" and "The Beale Street Blues." The stamp was issued during the sesquicentennial anniversary celebration of the city.
William Christopher Handy (1873-1958) was a US composer who is attributed with integrating blues into ragtime. Handy worked as a schoolteacher and bandmaster. He conducted his own orchestra even after he lost his eyesight at the age of 30. His autobiography, "Father of the Blues," was published in 1941.
The stamp was designed by Bernice Kochan of Cleveland, Ohio, winner of a nationwide contest sponsored by Memphis Sesquicentennial, Inc. The artist combined purple, light red, and light blue for a jazzy effect (source)
Beale Street Blues, now that's a toe tapper. I don't know about you but I couldn't sit still. Thank you Mr. Handy.
ReplyDeleteI have heard a much slower version of this song. I like this better. thanks for including the video clip.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for joining in this week.
i haven't heard of 'father of the blues' before, thank you for today's lesson :)
ReplyDeleteI like the colours, but the font used seems an odd choice to me - looks more western than bluesy, though i'm not sure what bluesy would look like.
ReplyDeleteI know the songs and music but I'm sorry to say I'd never heard of the man himself.
ReplyDeleteWow, this is a bright stamp!
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard of him either, but I like the stamp and the Beale Street Blues.
ReplyDeletethe mismatch between the stamp and the card's colours somewhat makes me cringe...other than that, i think the stamp is a nice one, though this is the first time i have heard of him...The Memphis Blues makes me think of a parade....
ReplyDeleteA stamp and sung about by Cher in Walking in Memphis, two great ways to be memorialized. I like the hot jazz effect of the stamp.
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