Contact: Wendi Lewis, Marketing and Public Relations Manager  

wendi.lewis@ahc.alabama.gov, 334-230-2680

July 19, 2021

Belle Mont to host Music at the Mansion as part of W.C. Handy Festival

(Montgomery, AL) Belle Mont Mansion will host “Music at the Mansion” on Saturday, July 31, from 3-5 p.m. as part of the annual W.C. Handy Festival. The event will feature live music by the Jazz Allstars Trio. There is no charge to attend.

The W.C. Handy Festival is an annual favorite for the Shoals area, celebrating the life of William Christopher Handy, a composer and musician who referred to himself as the Father of the Blues. Born in Florence, Alabama, Handy became one of the most influential songwriters in the United States. A biography of his life published by BBC News Magazine notes that while Handy did not create the Blues genre, he was the first to publish music in the Blues form, taking the Blues from the Delta Blues regional music style with a limited audience to a new level of popularity.

The Jazz Allstars Trio, featuring festival favorite Scott Silbert on saxophone, joined by the quintessential jazz piano player Tyrone Jackson on keys, and percussionist Chris Burroughs will offer favorite standards of Jazz and Blues in the afternoon concert. Light refreshments will be available for purchase on the courtyard and all proceeds will benefit the continued preservation and operation of the museum. Guests may enjoy a complimentary informal tour of the historic home, built circa 1828.

Belle Mont Mansion is located at 1569 Cook Lane, Tuscumbia, Alabama. Sponsors for the event are Alabama Historical Commission, Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation, Dr. and Mrs. Angelo Mancuso, Colbert County Commissioner Darol Bendall, Attorney Chad Smith, and Friends of Belle Mont. For more information about this event, call 256-381-5052, email info@BelleMontMansion.org or visit www.BelleMontMansion.org.

Belle Mont is a historic property owned by the Alabama Historical Commission and operated locally by the Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation. To learn more about Belle Mont or the Alabama Historical Commission, please visit www.ahc.alabama.gov.

About Belle Mont

Located just outside Tuscumbia in Colbert County, the mansion is one of a few Palladian-style houses in the Deep South. This style stems from the neoclassical architectural design of Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. Belle Mont Mansion is a singularly fine example of Jeffersonian – Palladian architecture built circa 1828.

About the Alabama Historical Commission

Located in historic downtown Montgomery at 468 S. Perry Street, the Alabama Historical Commission is the state historic preservation agency for Alabama. The agency was created by an act of the state legislature in 1966 with a mission to protect, preserve and interpret Alabama’s historic places. AHC works to accomplish its mission through two fields of endeavor: Preservation and promotion of state-owned historic sites as public attractions; and, statewide programs to assist people, groups, towns, and cities with local preservation activities. For a complete list of programs and properties owned and operated by the AHC, hours of operation, and admission fees please visit ahc.alabama.gov  

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