"The Bridegroom Has Done Come" credits on Sound Credit

NOTES

“W.C. Handy Choral Renaissance: From Blues to Triumph” contains traditional American Spirituals
composed by William Christopher ‘WC’ Handy, Father of the Blues (1873-1958). Handy’s American Spirituals’
catalogue has never been recorded, therefore, we are making history with this recording and we are opening an
opportunity to choirs of all denominations to perform American Spirituals classics composed by one of America’s
most celebrated composers. The catalogue is published by Handy Brothers Music Company, America’s oldest family
owned and operated entertainment company (1918-2018).
As part of the Handy Brothers Music Company’s Centennial Celebration, WC’s grandson Dr. Carlos Handy
and the Board of the WC Handy Foundation collaborated with Pastor Christopher Reeves at the Handy’s Church in
Florence Alabama, the Greater St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church to produce a traditional and authentic
church choir live recording of the hymn during the month of the 37th Annual WC Handy Festival in Muscle Shoals,
the birth place of WC Handy.
Choir Director and friend of the Handy’s, Brother Reddick Pernell Cunningham assembled two Alabama
community choirs and presented the Spirituals Concert to a packed church audience of festival attendees on the
evening of July 25, 2018. The crowed church pews on that steamy Muscle Shoals’ evening absorb the resounding
praises of the choir’s inspiring rendition of Handy’s hymn that incorporated his turbulent emotions generated from a
lifetime of traumatic experiences fighting to overcome hurdles during his professional career.
WC belongs to a unique class of African Americans, he was born into freedom in 1873 to parents who were
freed American Slaves. As a youth, WC had disobeyed the wishes of his father Reverend Charles Barnard Handy and
his Mother Elizabeth Brewer Handy to follow his dream of being a professional musician. Early in his career, he
outran a lynch mob in Texas during his touring days with Mahara’s Colored Minstrels. In February 1900 he sailed to
Havana with his new bride Elizabeth Price Handy and his Minstrels to perform for American troops stationed in Cuba
during the Spanish American War.
Before founding his own publishing company, WC lost the copyright to his first commercial hit, Memphis
Blues, in a swindle that he outlined in his autobiography, Father of the Blues (published 1941). Later in life, WC lost
his vision due to an accidental fall in a New York train station. He lived the remainder of his life as a working blind
musician penning Spirituals and writing books with the help of his Dictaphone. Through his ups and downs, WC
remained an international celebrity due to the timeless appeal of his most beloved blues hits including St. Louis Blues
popularly known as the Hamlet for Jazz Pianists.
The Board of the WC Handy Foundation sincerely hopes that you enjoy listening to a piece of Americana that
has never been offered commercially prior to this release.
We would like to thank God for the renaissance of WC Handy’s American Spirituals Catalogue and for the
longevity of Handy Brothers Music Company; We thank the Board of Handy Brothers Music Company; Dr. Chandler
Bridges and Dr. Robert Garfrerick, Colin Lott, Alex Beaman, and Mr. John Wise at the University of North
Alabama who made the recordings possible; the Staff at the WC Handy Birth Cabin Museum and Library especially
Ms. Algene Norwood; the City of Florence including Mayor Steve Holt, Ms. Libby Jordan, City Council Member
Kaytrina P. Simmons and her constituents of District One; our attorney Mr. H. Thomas Heflin, Jr. for assisting us with
our Alabama legal needs; the Board and Staff at Greater St. Paul AME Church, Pastor Reeves, Brother Cunningham,
all of the musicians and singers who performed for the concert; Mr. Gebre Waddell CEO of Soundways; the staff of
the WC Handy Festival especially Ms. Tori Bailey of WZZA Radio Soul of the Shoals; Dr. Maribel Handy, President
of the WC Handy Foundation and the Board of the Foundation; and all the volunteers and fans and friends of WC
Handy. If we have overlooked your name, please accept our apologies, we greatly appreciate your efforts in
celebrating the legacy of WC Handy.
We hope that you feel the spirit of WC Handy in “They That Sow in Tears”, and you are so moved that you
desire to visit the WC Handy Birth Cabin Museum and Library in Florence Al and hear the sounds of Muscle Shoals
including the Silver Snake Tennessee River popularly called the River that Sings.
www.WCHandyFoundation.org
Notes by:
Mary Jane Hancock, Ewq.
WC Handy Foundation Inc.
Founding Board Member