St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1957-11-29
THE LOWDOWN
BY MASCO YOUNG

while he's alive and able to ap
preciate them, It's the immorta
W. c. Handy that great reader
Of the blues the world sings and
likes most.
Too often some Of the worlds
truly great personalities are giver
beiated recognition and the flow,
cry accolades when they are nc
longer around and able 10 see and
appreciate them. But that won't
be the case with w. C. Handy Al
though the famous blind compos-
or-musician can't see he certainly
can and does appreciate all the
wonderful things that are happen
ing 10 him these days.
Showing little sign Of weakness
in his s4th year, the veteran show.
man was his clipper. lively old
self as he acknowledged the plau-
dts rendered by Astoria.
Climaxing a week that Mayor
Robert f. Wagner had already
proclaimed New York's w. c.
Handy Week" the tribute to the
musical giant drew such names as
ASCAP's president Paul Cunning
ham, who served as chairman Of
the affair, television's Ed Sulli-
van, comedian Milton Berle, ac-
tress Tallulah Bankhead, actress
singer Lena Horne, composer Os-
car Hammerstein II, and Nat
King" Cole. In Paramount's
forthcoming movie "St Louis
Blues Cole Porters w. c. Handy
in a most convincing manner so
much 80 that the real Handy was
moved 10 comment 81 couldn't
see anybody else playing the role
but Nat Cole"
Although Cole and Handy be-
came great musicians during wide
ly different periods in the history
Of jazz, there is one bitter ex-
perience which both men shared
in common during their trek to
fame and fortune. More than 40
year ago w. c. Handy. hungry
and broke sold his The Memphis
Blues" composition for $50. Loss
than 10 years ago Nat King"
Cole, similarly broke and troubled
by hunger pangs in his stomach,
peddled the rights to his "Straigh-
ten Up and Fly Right" for $50.
APPLAUSE FROM ABOARD:
Folks are really talking about
how Count Basie's soul stirring
rhythm was 10 moving that IL
had England's Queen Elizabeth
tapping out n rhythm Of her
own with her royal slippers.
PEOPLE a PLACES: The big
Lights Out" Fight-for-sight ben
eft rally, set for Dec. IS, will
have Harry BelRfonte and Sammy
Davis, Jr. as part OF the enter
tainment bill Aging Ethel
Waters got a pleasant jolt when
Carol Claiming and her hubby
tossed a surprise birthday shindig
for her Via the little bad boy
of show business, Lionel Hampton
may once again find his name
among the hit charts in the re-
cord biz Ramps old waxing OF
"Everybody's Somebody's Fool"
featuring talented Little Jimmie
Scott, has ben re-issued by Decca.
And it's just the type that might
click with today's blues-hungry
fans Marguerite, the ex-Mrs
Belafonte, has become quite n
celebrity since splitting with the
famous singer Besides her popular
society column in a New York
weekly, she has a radio show in
the works, and is thinking over a
Hollywood movie offer.
BRICKBATS- OF-THE WEEK:
The Bobbettes new waxing Of
Speedy" Is a noisy and absolutely
lousy tune that never seems to get
off its feet, A far cry from the
cleverly sung and arranged Mr..
Lee" hit that won the group fame,
speedy" is something that does
nothing. Atlantic had better watch
their material more closely in their
anxiety to capitalize ON a groups
b u dding popularity. Otherwise
they'll wind up with the BobhetteS
In the gone-and-forgotten ranks
What gives with this Hard
Times" by Noble Thin Man
Watts Sounds like everything In
Bin Doggetts "Honky Tonk" but
the title, Tsk' Tskl Originality
seems 10 be very unpopular these
days,
You can brighten family's
holiday nv donating a dinner CAN