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Creator
Glover, George Washington, 1888-1993
Call number
Sc MG 49
Physical description
1 linear foot (1 flat box)
Language
English
Preferred Citation
[Item], W.C. Handy collection, Sc MG 49, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library
Repository
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.

Glover was founder and active member of the National Association of Negro Musicians which promoted the careers of black musicians and singers. The George Washington Glover collection is a compilation of materials focusing on the music industry, spotlighting the work and contributions of William Christopher Handy.

Biographical/historical information

William Christopher Handy was a composer and blues musician. Handy was known for elevating the popularity of a regional music style, the Delta blues. Handy was an educated musician who used elements of folk music in his compositions. He documented the sources of his works, which frequently combined stylistic influences from various performers. He also started a music publishing business with Harry Pace called Pace and Handy Sheet Music; in the 1920s, he founded the Handy Record Company in New York City. Handy received numerous awards and honors including induction into the National Academy of Popular Music Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1983, the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame in 1985, and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 1993. He also received a Grammy Trustees Award for lifetime achievement in 1993. George Washington Glover was a music promoter; he promoted the "cakewalk," a dance craze of the late l9th and early 20th centuries. Glover's love and appreciation of music and promoting ventures led eventually to what would become a long association with the National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM).

Scope and arrangement

The George Washington Glover collection is a compilation of materials focusing on the music industry, spotlighting the work and contributions of William Christopher Handy. The papers consist of correspondence, issues of the Handy Music Company publication, The Handy News, other printed material, and news clippings. Incoming letters (1934-1956) are primarily from W.C. Handy concerning the promotion of music composed by African Americans, in part via the Handy Brothers Music Company. Included are issues of The Handy News (1951-1957) which contain articles about blues and other forms of American music, its artists and patrons. Other material consists of programs, sheet music, and press releases. Information documenting Handy's efforts to aid blind black musicians include brochures for the W.C. Handy Foundation for the Blind and a program for the Lighthouse Music School in Braille. Lastly, there are news clippings (1942-1956) reflecting the latter years of Handy's life, including advertisements for the Handy Brothers Music Company.

Arrangement

Each file is arranged in chronological order.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Gift of George Washington Glover, 1980.

Processing information

This inventory was one of several prepared as a part of the archival preservation program at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. The necessary staff and supplies for this program were made available through a combination of grant funds from the library, National Endowment for the Humanities, and State of New York. The collection was processed by D. Carter and S. Davis in July 1980.

Separated material

Transferred to the General Research and Reference Division: nine magazines and one folder of clippings on civil rights and blacks in music and theater.

Transferred to the Photographs and Prints Division: one photograph of W.C. Handy and his wife, Irma, from 1954.

Transferred to the Blanche Thomas papers: letter from Horatio S. Hill to Blanche Thomas, 1949; two programs for recitals by Thomas' Musical Arts Club, 1949-1950; and We Women Are Marching On by Blanche Thomas.

Using the collection

Location

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
515 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York, NY 10037-1801
Second Floor