The Memphis Blues

"The Memphis Blues" is a famous song written by W. C. Handy. He called it a "southern rag," which means it mixes musical styles from the American South. Handy shared the song with the world in September 1912 when he published it himself. Since then, many musicians have recorded their own versions of "The Memphis Blues," helping it become a well-loved part of music history.

"Mr. Crump"

"The Memphis Blues" is thought to have been inspired by a campaign song written by W. C. Handy for Edward Crump, who was running for mayor in Memphis, Tennessee. While Handy said he wrote "Mr. Crump," some musicians from Memphis believe it was actually written by his clarinet player, Paul Wyer. Many music experts wonder how similar "Mr. Crump" was to "The Memphis Blues," since the words from an old folk song called "Mama Don' 'low" do not match the tune of "The Memphis Blues." Some believe "Mr. Crump" might actually be the same as another song called "Mr. Crump Don't Like It," which was later recorded by Frank Stokes and his group, the Beale Street Sheiks, in 1927.

One member of Handy's band, S. L. "Stack" Mangham, said that the tune Handy registered in 1912 was based on a song Handy heard at a dance in Cleveland, Mississippi around 1903. At that dance, a small string band led by Prince McCoy played the melody.

New York

W. C. Handy first shared the song "The Memphis Blues" without words. He sold it to a music publisher named Theron Bennett, who brought it to New York to share with more people. Bennett asked a songwriter named George A. Norton to add words to the song. A performer named George "Honey Boy" Evans used the song for his Minstrels show, with his director, Edward V. Cupero, arranging it for his band. Even though Bennett published the song a year later, it didn’t become very popular at first. The 1913 version was advertised as being based on W.C. Handy’s famous melody called the "Blue Note."

Recordings

In 1914, two bands recorded "The Memphis Blues," and this helped the song become popular. The original song starts in the key of E-flat major. In 2019, this version was chosen to be kept safe in the National Recording Registry because it is very important to history and culture.

Harry James recorded his own version of the song in 1942, and it was released in 1944.