W. C. Handy- actually William Christopher Handy - was an US-American blues composer, trumpeter, bandleader and choir director.
He is often called "The Father of Blues“.
Particularly well-known is his “St. Louis Blues”, which is considered today as an evergreen.
Handy was one of the first recognized black composers. He published 5 books. His Blues Anthology of 1926 was the first attempt to document the blues comprehensively. In 1941 followed the autobiography “Father of the Blues”.
He went blind in 1943 after an accident. Three years before his death Handy suffered an stroke.