If anyone has left his mark on the American music of this century, it is Handy, to whom jazz, R&B, rock, gospel and the standards of Tin Pan Alley owe a major debt. No less a music giant than George Gershwin recognized Handy's importance when he autographed a copy of his masterpiece, Rhapsody in Blue, as follows: "To Mr. Handy, whose early blues songs are the forefathers of this work."

Consider the fact that Handy's classic "St. Louis Blues" remains the most recorded song of the first half of the 2Oth Century, outdone only by the German "Silent Night." It should be noted also that Handy's "Memphis Blues," another oft-recorded standard, contains the first published jazz break in sheet music history. Handy was one of the first to adapt Latin motifs into his music, inspired by a turn-of-the-century trip he made to Cuba as a member of the famous Mahara's Minstrel Men troupe. And that Handy's prolific publishing catalog included not only blues, but jazz, religious and symphonic works, as well as songs and compositions by such important black music creators as James Weldon Johnson, J. Rosamond Johnson and William Grant Still.

PlayBack recently had the pleasure of visiting the memorabilia-filled Manhattan offices of Handy Brothers on Broadway, not far from where W.C. first opened his publishing company for business in 1918. Today, the company is run by Handy's granddaughter, Minnie Handy Hanson, who serves as President, and great-granddaughter Edwina Handy De Costa. The two are justifiably proud of their ancestor's achievements, both as a composer and as a businessman. Edwina says "It's well-known that W.C. Handy was born eight years after Emancipation to two freed slaves and that as a young child 'he heard a French horn in the breast of a robin,' and that he codified the blues and gave that music respectability. But it's what he did afterwards that is important, as well -- as a publisher, mentor and a member of organizations, as a founder of the Negro Actors Guild."

THE WAY IT WAS: In the beginning, The Chicken and Coronet Band, shown in this vintage photograph, gave a turn-of-the-century voice to W.C. Handy's blues and jazz.

Like their famous forebear, the Handy family members are strong advocates for music education. "Through music education, you provide American history and black history and you open a door in the mind of a child," says Edwina. Both Edwina and Minnie are hard at work planning their latest educational project: "Grandpa Said," a concert saluting W.C. Handy's 125th birthday to be presented at Manhattan's Avery Fisher Hall in November.