Gs5556 I believe has this one right. If the question is "influential", the answer would have to be Handy based on his influence on all of the major American music forms: blues, country, jazz and rock.
It's a stretch to call classical an "American" music form. With the exception of any of the classical artists named here, pretty much all of the rest of the names can at least partially trace their roots back to Handy.
It's a stretch to call classical an "American" music form. With the exception of any of the classical artists named here, pretty much all of the rest of the names can at least partially trace their roots back to Handy.