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William Handy was leading a band named the "Colored Knight's of Pythias" based in Clarksdale,Mississippi.
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Beale Street was created in 1841 and influenced by W.C Handy when he moved to Beale street from Mississippi
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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.
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He wrote the song "Memphis Blues" in 1909, and later published it in 1912.
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During the 1910's the blues music was strictly instrumental.
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In 1918 Handy moved to Chicago,Illinois. Beale Street was set in place as the center of the black community in mid-south.
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During the 1920's,30's,40's, and 50's, Beale remained a hub for black culture and music.
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By 1920's, Beale Street was a showcase for jug bands. Jug bands was a mixture of rag,blues, and humorous tunes.
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In 1920, the strictly instrumental blues was over, with the release of "Crazy Blues" by Mamie Smith.
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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.
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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"
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In 1960, blues rock becomes a musical style.It was influenced by the Chicago blues and by the delta.
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Thomas later had more hits like "The Dog",Walkin' The Dog", and "Funky Chicken".
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In the 1960's, Beale Street became rundown and businesses started shutting down.
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In 2001, Thomas passed away. He died of a congested heart failure
