Themes
New Forms, New Ideas
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Title page from Blues, an anthology
W. C. Handy, born in 1873 in Alabama to a starkly religious and anti-musical family, engaged in his passion in secret until he found success with a traveling minstrel show in the 1890s. Soon he relocated to Memphis, wrote "Memphis Blues" and "St. Louis Blues," and became a legend. Though famously known as "The Father of the Blues," he protested that he merely transcribed the life and music of the people around him. One of the strongest rivers of influence of jazz, the blues remained popular as its own art form, but in these early days, much crossover occurred. Miguel Covarrubias captured the spirit of both jazz and blues performances in this remarkable drawing. |
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