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Period: to
Blues History
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Colored Knights of Pythias
William Handy was leading a band named the "Colored Knight's of Pythias" based in Clarksdale,Mississippi. -
Beale Street
Beale Street was created in 1841 and influenced by W.C Handy when he moved to Beale street from Mississippi -
Crump's Election
In 1910, a white politician wanted to gain African-American votes trying to become a Mayor. So to do that he had W.C Handy write a song titled "Mr. Crump" which became a hit. -
Handy's song
He wrote the song "Memphis Blues" in 1909, and later published it in 1912. -
Early Blues
During the 1910's the blues music was strictly instrumental. -
Handy moves from Beale Street
In 1918 Handy moved to Chicago,Illinois. Beale Street was set in place as the center of the black community in mid-south. -
Beale Street
During the 1920's,30's,40's, and 50's, Beale remained a hub for black culture and music. -
Jug Bands
By 1920's, Beale Street was a showcase for jug bands. Jug bands was a mixture of rag,blues, and humorous tunes. -
Crazy Blues
In 1920, the strictly instrumental blues was over, with the release of "Crazy Blues" by Mamie Smith. -
Beale Street's Influence
Beale Street influenced the culture and music of the area in October 1948 when Memphis radio statio WDIA began broadcasting programming aimed solely at the black community. -
Thomas's First hit
In 1953, Thomas recorded his first hit called "Bear cat". The song was by Sun records.Sam Phillps wrote the song as an answer to Big Mama Thorton's original version of "Hound Dog" -
Blues Rock
In 1960, blues rock becomes a musical style.It was influenced by the Chicago blues and by the delta. -
Thomas had more hits
Thomas later had more hits like "The Dog",Walkin' The Dog", and "Funky Chicken". -
Business begins to close
In the 1960's, Beale Street became rundown and businesses started shutting down. -
Thomas dies
In 2001, Thomas passed away. He died of a congested heart failure
