Handy, W.C. (1873-1958)
Signed Musical Quotation, "St. Louis Blues"
3 x 5 index card inscribed in an unknown hand with the lyrics to a portion of "St. Louis Blues," signed and inscribed by Handy partially across the quotation.Composed in 1914, it was one of the first blues songs to really cross genres and has been performed by numerous musicians of all styles from Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith to Count Basie, Glenn Miller, etc. and remains a fundamental part of jazz musicians' repertoire. Handy said he had been inspired to write the song by a chance meeting with a woman on the streets of St. Louis distraught over her husband's absence, who lamented, "Ma man's got a heart like a rock cast in de sea", a key line of the song. (597)
AMQS Song