John Handy has been played on NTS shows including Ghunghru, with Spanish Lady first played on 15 June 2017.

John Richard Handy III (born February 3, 1933 in Dallas, Texas) is an American jazz alto saxophonist.

Handy appeared on four Charles Mingus studio albums recorded in 1959.

In the 1960s, Handy led several groups. The most famous was a quintet with members: Michael White – violin Jerry Hahn – guitar Don Thompson – bass Terry Clarke – drums

This group's performance at the 1965 Monterey Jazz Festival was recorded and released as an album; Handy received Grammy nominations for "Spanish Lady" (jazz performance) and "If Only We Knew" (jazz composition).

Handy has also taught music history and performance at San Francisco State University; Stanford University; The University of California, Berkeley; the San Francisco Conservatory of Music; and other schools.