Continuing an annual tradition since 1982, the W. C. Handy Music Festival kicked off on July 19. The festival celebrates the life and music of W. C. Handy, as well as local musicians and the Shoals area. With more than 300 different events held over 10 days across the Shoals, the W. C. Handy Music Festival is an event not missed by many.

On Monday, July 22, local bands Isaac, Follow Apollo and The Dogwood Vandals performed three shows for a crowd at The End theatre.

Lane Rohling, bassist and vocalist for the band Isaac, and a junior at Northwest Shoals Community College, said he likes performing during the Handy Festival.

“What I like about Handy week is sharing my music with a brand new crowd of people, and also hearing new bands that come in to play,” he said. “There isn’t much that I don’t like, but something to make it better would be a local music night at Wilson Park, or something like that.”

On Thursday, July 25, local bands The Old Souls, SCM Electrix and Cheap Thrill DeVille performed for a smaller crowd at The Mane Room, a venue created by the UNA for the Department of Entertainment Industry.

While waiting for the performances, Jessica Bromley, a senior professional management major, said she enjoys the sense of community that comes with the W.C. Handy Music Festival.

“I like that the community can come together and celebrate something that Florence is known for: music,” Bromley said. “I like that so many people get to hear music that they might not here otherwise, and I like that the festival is an opportunity for local bands to perform.”

Brian Sims, a drummer and vocalist for The Old Souls, and a junior music education major said he thinks the W. C. Handy Music Festival is a great event for the Shoals area.

“It’s a time for friends and family to come out and enjoy free music and just have a good time,” Sims said. “Having lived in a few small towns that didn’t have events like this, I can appreciate living somewhere that enjoys the arts. The only thing I don’t like is that I missed the car show this year. There was a Shelby Mustang that I would have liked to take home.”

Named after famed jazz musician and Florence native, the W. C. Handy Music Festival celebrates the life and music of William Christopher Handy. The Music Preservation Society, Inc., a non-profit organization formed in 1982 with the mission to preserve, promote, and present the musical heritage of Northwest Alabama, produces the W. C. Handy Festival.

Born in Florence in 1873, Handy was exposed to music at an early age. In his autobiography “W.C. Handy, Father of the Blues,” Handy wrote that it was his grandmother, who “was the first to suggest that [my] big ears indicated a talent for music…” Handy realized his affinity for music and quickly began saving his earnings in the hope of buying a trumpet after having heard the music of a Mr. Claude Seals. Once the trumpet was bought, Handy flourished. Touring the Southeast, Midwest and Eastern seaboard, Handy gained a large following and soon acquired the title of “Father of the Blues.” After a long career of music, writing, performing and publishing, Handy died in 1958 of bronchial pneumonia in New York City, according to the W.C. Handy Music Festival website.