APtravelnews- “Bob and Barb On The Road Again” Nov. 10th,-Florence, AL.-Unquestionably, a visit to the W.C. Handy Museum; W.C., being the Father of the Blues, was one of the highlights of our visit to Florence, AL. Handy was born in Florence in 1873 in a simple cabin now turned into a museum of his life and music. The hand hewn log structure is original and housed in it is virtual treasure trove library that is a valuable resource center for black history and culture. You will find Handy’s famous trumpet, his personal piano handwritten sheet music, photographs, household furnishings and his bronze bust that faithfully offers a 3-dimensional look at the highly vetted music-man. Handy got much inspiration by the natural sounds of animals and birds in nature such as whippoorwills, owls, bats and sounds he felt and heard in the Cypress Creek wilderness. He envisioned bird calls as notes on the musical scale. Handy composed such special pieces such as the St. Louis Blues, the Memphis Blues and the Beale Street Blues among other favorites in history. Handy was deeply religious and as an educated musician he incorporated folk material in his compositions and so scrupulous in his documentations of his works it allowed musicians around the world to reproduce his musical works.
The W.C. Handy Music festival is held each July. Musicians from around the world gather for a week- long celebration of music , with events held in Florence and the surrounding Shoals area.
Call for more information: 256-766-9719 www.whandymusicfestival.org
To visit the museum you can call for easy details at 256-760-6434 check out www.florenceal.org and www.visitflorenceal.com
