W. C. Handy Music Festival
The W. C. Handy Music Festival is held annually in Florence, sponsored by Northwest Alabama's non-profit Music Preservation Society, in honor of Florence native W. C. Handy, the "Father of the Blues." Numerous Birmingham, Alabama musicians participate in this festival each year.
With the help and encouragement of musician and Sheffield native, Willie Ruff, the organization presented the first W.C. Handy Music Festival. That first festival was a long weekend of music, featuring Dizzy Gillespie as the headliner artist. Over the next two decades, the annual celebration has evolved into a ten-day Festival including over 250 events with music at locations throughout northwest Alabama. The Handy Festival has garnered praise and accolades and has become a major music festival in the Southeast.
The Handy Festival has been selected as a Top Ten Event in Alabama; a three time Cultural Olympiad Designee by Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games; a Location/Destination on the National Geographic Appalachian Regional Commission's Featured Sites Map; and a Top Twenty event in the Southeast since 1986 by Southeast Tourism Society.
The festival presents music of many varieties, including rock, pop, gospel, R & B and jazz. The roster of jazz musicians, known as the W. C. Handy Jazz All-Stars, includes noted musicians from all over the United States, including guitarist Mundell Lowe, drummer Bill Goodwin, pianist Johnny O'Neal, vibraphonist Chuck Redd, pianist / vocalist Ray Reach, flutist Holly Hoffmann and many others.
Each year, the W. C. Handy Jazz Camp is presented, jointly sponsored by the University of North Alabama and the W. C. Handy Music Festival.
External links
- W. C. Handy Music Festival website
- W. C. Handy Music Festival at Wikipedia.com