"W.C. HANDY: THE FATHER OF THE BLUES"

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Topics

Arts & Culture: Blues, Jazz
Human Rights: Civil Rights

Project Geography

US: Alabama, California, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Tennessee
International: Europe, North America

Identity Niches

African American

Budget

Raised to date: $4,500.00
Estimate to complete: $400,000.00
Total Estimated Budget: $404,500.00
The budget numbers above are accurate as of 12/12/2009

Status

Research & Development

Media Type

Video

Project End Use

Key Personnel

Joanne Fish
Producer/Director
Joanne has been a producer/director for more than 25 years. She's produced many episodes of A&E Biography, and Lifetime's "Intimate Portrait". Her particular passion is for American Roots Music. In 2007 she completed a feature documentary on Wanda Jackson, known as the Queen of Rockabilly and the first woman to ever record Rock and Roll. The film entitled, "The Sweet Lady With the Nasty Voice" won several awards at festivals worldwide, and recently premiered on Smithsonian Channel, as one of the first programs on the new network. Joanne has been researching W.C. Handy for a year and a half, and received one small grant to develop a video demo. She has submitted proposals to NEH and NEA and awaits their decision. All the rights to Handy's life story have been secured, and the Handy family is 100% behind the project, and Joanne's work.

Bruce Ricker
Executive Producer

Mr. Ricker is an esteemed producer/director whose credits include:

American Masters: Clint Eastwood
American Masters: Tony Bennett

He has a long history of making documentaries about iconic figures in the music industry, including Johnny Mercer. Mr. Ricker is currently editing a film on Dave Brubeck

Outreach/Engagement Plan(s)

We are in talks with PBS for future 'finishing funds'. We are developing a robust web presence, with links to photo and music archives around the country. We are currently working with several blues musicians, in conjunction with the Alabama Blues Foundation to bring more blues education and hands on experience into schools with high risk children. With the release of the film, we will have an accompanying CD and a companion book. The producers are committed to providing the widest possibile access to the film, including free use by museums, and schools with the intent that others can be inspired by the incredibly positive story of Handy's rise to fame and high esteem in the music world.

Funders

Name	Amount	Date
Individual Donors	$475.00	05/01/2009
Alabama State Council on the Arts	$4,025.00	04/05/2009

Location

11127 La Maida Street
Suite 32
North Hollywood, CA, 91601

See Google Maps

Short Synopsis

A musical documentary that traces the the life of W.C. Handy, who has become known as the "Father of the Blues". We will use live performances of his music, archival footage and interviews with current music luminaries, historiographers, family members, and musicologists.

Description/Treatment

This is a feature length documentary on the life and times of William Christopher Handy, who is known as the "Father of the Blues". Handy was born to former slaves in the 1870's, and raised in Northern Alabama. His journey began as a young boy, and continued through the formation of an iconic musical genre, and the popularization thereof. We are planning to make a 90 minute film, using interviews, live performances, archival footage and recordings, as well as graphic animation to bring Handy's story to life.

Handy's life was a series of 'mythological moments'; he was seemingly destined to discover the raw musical sounds of uneducated blacks in the post Civil War south, and 'translate' them through classical notation. During his lifetime Handy walked a tightrope - pursuing his love of music while navigating through the murky political waters of the south during Reconstruction. He was a respected musician, but still subject to attacks from racist reactionaries. Handy elegantly dealt with these contradictions, and perils, finding solace and satisfaction in music. His Blues compositions became world famous, and his contribution to the development of the Blues is legendary. Handy interpreted the primitive music he came across in his travels, polished the form, and popularized it through his publishing business. He himself was an accomplished classical musician, bandleader and teacher, and his devotion to creating an authentic sound from the primitive efforts of his countrymen became his life's work.

With interviews and performances by some well-known artists {Wynton Marsalis, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder are possibilities}, we will bring Handy's spirit in to the 21st Century. His most famous song, "St. Louis Blues" was as famous as the Star Spangled Banner in Europe in the early 1900's. It was adopted by Ethiopia as the theme song for it's Army, as that country battled with Italy. King Edward requested that it be played on bagpipes at his wedding. George Gershwin credited Handy as the inspiration for his seminal work "Rhapsody In Blue". The album "Louis Armstrong plays W.C. Handy" was Satchmo's favorite.

The recognition of Handy's great contribution to the history of American music is starting to fade. It's time to reintroduce him to the public, so that his work will have a lasting legacy, available to generations to come.

The producers are expecting the film to air on PBS, and be available on DVD for worldwide distribution.