Geeshie Wiley:  Last Kind Words Blues

Geeshie Wiley: Last Kind Words Blues

As we prepare for W. C. Handy & the Birth of the Blues with program consultant Elliott Hurwitt, we revisit his first week hosting Song of the Day. This song was originally posted on October 27, 2015. We don’t know a whole lot about Geeshie Wiley, who recorded...
Gladys Bentley:  Worried Blues

Gladys Bentley: Worried Blues

As we prepare for W. C. Handy & the Birth of the Blues with program consultant Elliott Hurwitt, we revisit his first week hosting Song of the Day. This song was originally posted on October 26, 2015. Gladys Bentley (ca. 1907-1960) was one of the biggest stars of...
Franz Liszt:  Vallée d’Obermann

Franz Liszt: Vallée d’Obermann

Lizst’s “Vallée d’Obermann” is my favorite piece of music ever written. I fell in love with it as a child, but resonated more with it as I got older and experienced the challenges of life. Before I knew anything about the piece, what I loved most about it, was...
W. C. Handy:  Chantez-les Bas

W. C. Handy: Chantez-les Bas

For our final W.C. Handy song of the day we turn to one of his later gems that was a lesser hit, especially at first. “Chantez-les Bas” was composed in 1931, and is the only Handy piece in its genre, a Louisiana-inspired love song. Handy never visited New...