eubie blake biography

Biography: Eubie Blake (1887-1983), is an American pianist and composer of ragtime music, popular and vaudeville tunes, and scores for musical theatre—most notably Shuffle Along (1921), his groundbreaking collaboration with singer and lyricist Noble Sissle.Blake was raised by parents who were former slaves, and he was involved with music from a very young age. Omissions? It would be criminal to deprive him of the chance to make use of such a sublime, God-given talent." In 1921, he and his long-time collaborator Noble Sissle wrote Shuffle Along, one of the first Broadway musicals to be written and directed by African Americans. In 1946, Blake retired from performing and enrolled in New York University, where he studied the Schillinger System of music composition, graduating in two and a half years. Blake was raised by parents who were formerly enslaved, and he was involved with music from a very young age. Eubie Blake, byname of James Hubert Blake, (born February 7, 1887, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.—died February 12, 1983, Brooklyn, New York), American pianist and composer of ragtime music, popular and vaudeville tunes, and scores for musical theatre—most notably Shuffle Along (1921), his groundbreaking collaboration with singer and lyricist Noble Sissle. Draws on Eubie Blake's extensive personal archive, including correspondence and financial records First major biography of Eubie Blake, a forgotten figure among African American composers Offers understanding of a key figure in American cultural life The original inscription indicated his correct year of birth, but individuals close to him insisted that Blake be indulged and paid to have the inscription changed. Even more, he was the Martin Luther King of music." Eubie Blake grew up to the sounds of ragtime music, and before the turn of the century was playing piano in sporting houses and other similar establishments. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Noble Sissle-vel együtt írta a Shuffle Along című musicalfilmet, az első Broadway-musicalt, amelyet afro-amerikaiak hoztak létre. Their career was given a great boost when one of their songs, “It’s All Your Fault,” was featured in the performances of the popular vaudeville and nightclub singer Sophie Tucker. In the 1920s he recorded for the Victor and Emerson labels among others. April 1923–1941", "Eubie Blake, Ragtime Composer, Dies 5 Days After 100th Birthday", "Remarks at the Presentation Ceremony for the Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1981", "Musical guests Eubie Blake and Gregory Hines perform on March 10, 1979...", "Past Rutgers University Honorary Degree Recipients | Office of the Secretary of the University", "Recipients of the George Peabody Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Music in America", "Recipients of Honorary Degrees and Other University Honors (by Alphabetical Order)", "H.J.Res.213 - 98th Congress (1983-1984): A joint resolution designating February 7, 1984, as "Eubie Blake Day, "Eubie Blake - Jazz Composer and Pianist", American Theatre Hall of Fame Inductees (1995), "For schools, the game of the name can be nerve-wracking You can get a real education trying to decide what to call a new school", Eubie Blake oral histories at Oral History of American Music, The Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eubie_Blake&oldid=1014312027, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using Template:Infobox musical artist with unknown parameters, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2021, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2015, Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers, Wikipedia articles with PLWABN identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with Trove identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, 1984: A joint resolution designating February 7, 1984, as "Eubie Blake Day" was introduced in the U.S. Congress, This page was last edited on 26 March 2021, at 11:26. Eubie Blake was one of the most important figures in early-20th-century African-American music, and one whose longevity made him a storehouse of the history of ragtime and early jazz music and culture. He spent the next two decades using the Schillinger System to transcribe songs that he had memorized but had never written down. After vaudeville, the pair began work on a musical revue, Shuffle Along, which incorporated songs they had written, and had a book written by F. E. Miller and Aubrey Lyles. [9] Blake played at the Goldfield during the winters from 1907 to 1914, spending his summers playing clubs in Atlantic City. Eubie Blake Is A Member Of . As a child, he began showing interest in pump organ and used to play in the church. He entered into a partnership with singer-songwriter Noble Sissle in 1915; the two would work together on the 1921 musical Shuffle Along, featuring the mega-hit "I'm Just Wild About Harry." Most Popular #101625. amerikai dzsesszzongorista. It was not committed to paper, however, until 1915, when he learned to write musical notation. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Blake, however, did not perform in the band; although he informally claimed that he was too old to serve in the military, he officially filed for exemption on the grounds that his mother and his wife were dependent on him alone for support. Blake stayed with the show only two weeks, however, because the doctor's religion didn't allow the serving of Sunday dinner. Census, military, and Social Security records and Blake's passport application and passport—uniformly give his birth year as 1887. As a teenager he played piano in brothels and saloons, and by his mid-20s he had secured steady engagements at the Goldfield Hotel in Baltimore as well as at several clubs in Atlantic City. His efforts culminated in Lew Leslie’s Blackbirds of 1930, featuring the classic melody “Memories of You” (with lyrics by Andy Razaf), which became a hit for many popular performers (including clarinetist and bandleader Benny Goodman) and found a place in the so-called Great American Songbook of popular-music standards. Early years. (Refer to FindaGrave and his Wikipedia bio). James Hubert Blake (February 7, 1887 – February 12, 1983), better known as Eubie Blake, was an American composer, lyricist, and pianist of ragtime, jazz, and popular music.In 1921, Blake and long-time collaborator Noble Sissle wrote the Broadway musical Shuffle Along, one of the first Broadway musicals to be written and directed by African Americans. Eubie Blake (Baltimore, 1887. február 7. "Eubie Blake". His headstone, engraved with the musical notation of "I'm Just Wild About Harry", was commissioned by the African Atlantic Genealogical Society. Eubie Blake [Rose, Al] on Amazon.com. Born : February 07, 1887 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Eubie teamed with Andy Razaf for the successful musical Blackbirds of 1930 whose hit song was “Memories of You.” Blake continued his many-faceted career until 1946 when he retired. Grab a copy of our NEW encyclopedia for Kids! Eubie Blake was one of the most important figures in early-20th-century African-American music, and one whose longevity made him a storehouse of the history of ragtime and early jazz music and culture. On October 9, 1981, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, awarded by President Ronald Reagan. This African-American musician’s life spanned almost a century from 1887-1983, and what an epic adventure it is! In 1916 Sissle introduced Blake to New York bandleader James Reese Europe, known not only for having established the Clef Club, an organization that provided hundreds of Black musicians with well-paying jobs playing for New York’s white high-society clientele, but also for supplying music for such entertainers as the ballroom- and popular-dance duo Vernon and Irene Castle. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Eubie-Blake, Public Broadcasting Service - Broadway : The American Musical - Biography of Eubie Blake, All About Jazz - Biography of Eubie Blake, BlackHistoryNow - Biography of Eubie Blake, The Kennedy Center - ArtsEdge - Drop Me off in Harlem - Biography of Eubie Blake, Naxos Classical Music - Biography of Eubie Blake, Eubie Blake - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), “Shuffle Along, Or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed”. When it premiered in June 1921, Shuffle Along became the first hit musical on Broadway written by and about African-Americans. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. In 1921, Blake and long-time collaborator Noble Sissle wrote Shuffle Along, one of the first Broadway musicals to be written and directed by African Americans. Eubie Blake was a famous Composer, lyricist, and pianist, who was born on February 7, 1887.As a person born on this date, Eubie Blake is listed in our database as the 64th most popular celebrity for the day (February 7) and the 33rd most popular for the year (1887). He studied the Schillinger System, and studied with Margaret Marshall and Llewellyn Wilson. While out shopping with his mother, he wandered into a music store, climbed on the bench of an organ, and started "foolin’ around". The reliance on "stereotypical black stage humor" and "the primitivist conventions of cabaret," in the words of Thomas Brothers, made the show a hit, running for 504 performances with 3 years of national tours. Europe subsequently employed Blake as an assistant conductor and composer. Blake claimed 1883 as his birth year later in life, but official records, including his Social Security and passport application, give 1887 as the correct year. Eubie Blake: Rags, Rhythm, and Race by Richard Carlin and Ken Bloom (Oxford University Press, 2020) – This stylish biography is notably strong on the musical-theatre side of Blake’s work; it also does a good job placing his later career in the context of the ragtime revival. 2, at 200 East Street in Baltimore. ed. Blake always had a colorful life. Shuffle Along yielded Sissle and Blake’s best-known song, “I’m Just Wild About Harry,” as well as the romantic ballad “Love Will Find a Way,” the performance of which was revolutionary in that it allowed African Americans to express feelings of love on the American stage in a context other than that of caricature. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. admin October 16, 2019 Biography Leave a comment. The show was a hit at the Ambassador Theatre, where it ran for 439 performances. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). During World War I (1914–18), Europe formed and led the band of the 369th Infantry Division (“Harlem Hellfighters”), which was the first African American infantry unit to serve in the war. Blake continued to play and record until his death, on February 12, 1983, in Brooklyn, five days after events celebrating his purported 100th birthday[25] (which was actually his 96th birthday). The ragtime “Scott Joplin” revival of the 1950s brought renewed interest in Blake’s music. Eubie Blake said of James Reese Europe, "He was our benefactor and inspiration. Eubie Blake. Part of Sissle and Blake’s early act was recorded for posterity in pioneering sound films produced by Lee De Forest in 1923, making them among the first African American acts to appear in talking pictures. Although his main importance was as a songwriter for Broadway shows in the 1920s, late in life he became known as the last living link to ragtime. [15], In 1923, Blake made three films for Lee de Forest in de Forest's Phonofilm sound-on-film process: Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake, featuring their song "Affectionate Dan"; Sissle and Blake Sing Snappy Songs, featuring "Sons of Old Black Joe" and "My Swanee Home"; and Eubie Blake Plays His Fantasy on Swanee River, featuring Blake performing his "Fantasy on Swanee River". When he was four or five he began to play a pump organ at home. He was interred in Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. The bronze sculpture of Blake's bespectacled face was created by David Byer-Tyre, curator and director of the African American Museum and Center for Education and Applied Arts, in Hempstead, New York. [2], Blake claimed in later life to have been born in 1883, but records published beginning in 2003—U.S. In Kernfeld, Barry. Biography. Songwriter ("I'm Just Wild About Harry", "You Were Meant For Me", "Memories of You"), pianist and arranger, Eubie Blake was educated at New York University. The production received three nominations for Tony Awards, including one for Blake's score. The duo collaborated with writer-performers Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lyles to produce Shuffle Along, the first all-Black Broadway show to play for full Broadway prices. The band played ragtime music, which was still quite popular. [16] That same year he and his orchestra provided as well most of the music for the film Harlem Is Heaven. These works are also probably still under copyright in the U.S. if first published after 1925. In the late 1950s, however, in the midst of a ragtime revival, Blake began to be recognized (or rediscovered) as a ragtime pioneer. [citation needed], Blake was reported to have said, on his birthday in 1979, "If I'd known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself",[26] but this has been attributed to others and has appeared in print at least as early as 1966. Blake often had a colourful life. He appeared on major TV variety programs such as Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show, where he became somewhat of a regular, and Saturday Night Live. James Hubert Blake (February 7, 1887 – February 12, 1983), better known as Eubie Blake, was an American composer, lyricist, and pianist of ragtime, jazz, and popular music. James Hubert "Eubie" Blake (February 7, 1887 – February 12, 1983) was an American pianist, lyricist, and composer of ragtime, jazz, and popular music. The musical also introduced hit songs such as "I'm Just Wild About Harry" and "Love Will Find a Way. Eubie Blake, byname of James Hubert Blake, (born February 7, 1887, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.—died February 12, 1983, Brooklyn, New York), American pianist and composer of ragtime music, popular and vaudeville tunes, and scores for musical theatre—most notably Shuffle Along (1921), his groundbreaking collaboration with singer and lyricist Noble Sissle. showcased his works. 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