About Us

Music Preservation Society, Inc.

Board of Directors and Staff

  • Dr. Felice Green, President
  • Mike Adams, President Elect
  • Tim Leigh, Vice President
  • Tori Bailey, Secretary
  • Alison Stanfield, Treasurer
  • Kyrel Buchanon, Board Member
  • Susie Rickard, Board Member
  • Dick Cooper, Board Member
  • Gil Self, Board Member
  • Rod Sheppard, Board Member
  • Wayne Chaney, Board Member
  • Lloyd Jones, Board Member
  • Tera Kirkman, Board Member
  • Laura Holden Irvine, Executive Director
  • Linda Waide, Office Manager
  • Jordan Branch, Webmaster

W.C. Handy Festival Steering Committee

  • Tori Bailey, Festival Chair
  • Dr. Felice Green, Editor
  • Alison Stanfield, PR Chair
  • Mike Adams, Logistics Coordinator
  • Dick Cooper, Technical Director
  • Wayne Chaney, Sound Engineer
  • Suzanne Bolton, Event Editor
  • Vickie Romine, Housing Consultant

The names of our W.C. Handy Festival Event Coordinators are also available upon request by calling 256-766-7642.

The Music Preservation Society, Inc. is a not for profit organization. Sponsors who wish to may make checks payable to the Music Preservation Society, Inc. will be invoiced through the Handy Festival and provided with our tax identification number.

Messages may be left for the individuals listed above by calling our MPS/Festival office at 256-766-7642.

W.C. Handy Festival Recognition

The first music festival dedicated to W. C. Handy was held in 1982 in the Florence, Ala. (Shoals area). Since then, each year the Festival has attracted a growing number of talented musicians from around the world, who draw increasing numbers of visitors from many states and countries to the Shoals area, providing an economic tourism boost to the state of Alabama.

The W. C. Handy Music Festival is recognized as:

  • An Alabama Top 20 Event
  • Southeast Tourism Society Top 20 Events for the months of July, August, September since 1986
  • Geotourism MapGuide to Appalachia Featured Site
  • Three time Cultural Olympiad Regional Designee
  • Southeast Tourism Top 21 Event for July
  • Travelocity.com – “Local Secret, Big Find”
  • Top 100 Event in North America