 One of many musicians who played the distinctively American blues music, Handy did not create the blues genre but was the first to publish music in the blues form, thereby taking the blues from a regional music style (Delta blues) with a limited audience to a new level of popularity.Handy was an educated musician who used elements of folk music in his compositions.He was scrupulous in documenting the sources of his works, which frequently combined stylistic influences from various performers.