W.C. Handy “The Father of the Blues” was born on November 16, 1873, in Florence, Alabama. He played with several bands and traveled throughout the Midwest and the South, learning about the African-American folk music that would become known as the blues. Handy later composed his own songs that would popularize the form and come to be major commercial hits, including "St. Louis Blues," "Memphis Blues" and "Aunt Hagar's Blues." He died in New York City in 1958.