W.C. Handy Music Festival. July 17-26, 2009

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W.C. Handy Music Festival. July 17-26, 2009
Florence, AL

217 E. Tuscaloosa St.
Florence, AL 35630

Welcome to the official website of the W.C. Handy Music Festival. Sponsored by the Music Preservation Society, this event is held annually in the Shoals area of Florence, Alabama. Previous festivals have featured jazz and blues legends including Jimmy Smith, Ramsey Lewis, Dizzy Gillespie, Bobby Blue Bland, Diane Schuur, Billy Taylor, Dianne Reeves and Charlie Byrd.

W.C. Handy, known as the “Father of the Blues”, was born in a simple log cabin in Florence, AL on Nov. 16, 1873 and lived there until he was nineteen years old. Handy composed the famous tunes “St. Louis Blues,” “Memphis Blues,” “Yellow Dog Blues,” and “Beale Street Blues”. Click here to read a biography of W.C. Handy written by Terry Pace, educator and Muscle Shoals music historian.