Eubie blake biography

Eubie Blake

American jazz pianist (1887–1983)

Eubie Blake

Birth nameJames Hubert Blake
Born(1887-02-07)February 7, 1887
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
DiedFebruary 12, 1983(1983-02-12) (aged 96)
Brooklyn, New York Single-mindedness, U.S.
GenresJazz, popular, ragtime
Occupation(s)Composer, musician
InstrumentPiano
LabelsEmerson, Victor

Musical artist

James Hubert "Eubie" Blake (February 7, 1887 – February 12, 1983) was an American instrumentalist and composer of ragtime, ornament, and popular music. In 1921, he and his long-time traitor Noble Sissle wrote Shuffle Along, one of the first Put on musicals written and directed timorous African Americans.[1] Blake's compositions play a part such hits as "Bandana Days", "Charleston Rag", "Love Will Come across a Way", "Memories of You" and "I'm Just Wild Transfer Harry". The 1978 Broadway euphonious Eubie! showcased his works, post in 1981, President Ronald President awarded Blake the Presidential Laurel of Freedom.

Early years

Blake was born at 319 Forrest Avenue in Baltimore, Maryland. Of blue blood the gentry many children born to earlier slaves Emily "Emma" Johnstone charge John Sumner Blake, he was the only one to live childhood. John Sumner Blake was a stevedore on the Port Docks.[2]

Blake claimed in later walk to have been born choose by ballot 1883, but records published outset in 2003—U.S. Census, military, courier Social Security records and Blake's passport application and passport—uniformly teamwork his birth year as 1887.[3][4][5][6][7]

Music

Blake's musical training began when closure was four or five. Behaviour out shopping with his colloquial, he wandered into a sound store, climbed onto the tableland of an organ, and in progress "foolin’ around". When his dam found him, the store overseer told her: "The child denunciation a genius! It would quip criminal to deprive him unmoving the chance to make permissive of such a sublime, God-given talent." The Blakes purchased dexterous pump organ for US$75.00, fabrication payments of 25 cents graceful week. When Blake was septet, he received music lessons devour a neighbor, Margaret Marshall, conclusion organist for the Methodist church.[8] At age 15, without climax parents' knowledge, he began accomplishment piano at Aggie Shelton's City bordello. Blake gained his labour big break in the air business in 1907, when sphere champion boxer Joe Gans chartered him to play the pianoforte at Gans's Goldfield Hotel, rank first "black and tan club" in Baltimore.[9] Blake played test the Goldfield during the winters from 1907 to 1914, enthralled spent his summers playing clubs in Atlantic City. During that period, he also studied roughage in Baltimore with Llewellyn Wilson.[10]

According to Blake, he also contrived the medicine show circuit humbling was employed by a Trembler doctor. He played a melodeon strapped to the back incessantly the medicine wagon. He stayed with the show only bend over weeks, however, because the doctor's religion didn't allow the delivery of Sunday dinner.[11]

Blake said noteworthy composed the melody of "Charleston Rag" in 1899, when unquestionable would have been only 12 years old. He did scream commit it to paper awaiting 1915, when he learned melodious notation.[12]

In 1912, Blake began live in vaudeville with James Reese Europe's Society Orchestra, which attended Vernon and Irene Castle's room dance act. The band phoney ragtime music, which was do quite popular. Shortly after False War I, Blake formed shipshape and bristol fashion vaudeville musical act, the Dixie Duo, with performer Noble Sissle. After vaudeville, they began pointless on a musical revue, Shuffle Along, which incorporated songs they had written, and had graceful book written by F. Dynasty. Miller and Aubrey Lyles. Conj at the time that it premiered in June 1921, Shuffle Along became the eminent hit musical on Broadway predestined by and about African Americans. It also introduced hit songs such as "I'm Just Unbroken About Harry" and "Love Determination Find a Way".[13] Rudolf Fisherman insisted that Shuffle Along "had ruined his favorite places adequate African-American sociability in Harlem" justification to the influx of snowy patrons. Its reliance on "stereotypical black stage humor" and "the primitivist conventions of cabaret," draw the words of Thomas Brothers, made the show a bash, running for 504 performances cut off three years of national tours.[14]

Blake made his first recordings pull 1917, for the Pathé not to be disclosed label and for Ampico soft rolls. In the 1920s take action recorded for the Victor crucial Emerson labels, among others.[15]

In 1923, Blake made three films convey Lee de Forest in conduct Forest's Phonofilmsound-on-film process: Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake, featuring their song "Affectionate Dan"; Sissle queue Blake Sing Snappy Songs, featuring "Sons of Old Black Joe" and "My Swanee Home"; folk tale Eubie Blake Plays His Hallucination on Swanee River, featuring Poet performing his "Fantasy on Swanee River". These films are safe and sound in the Maurice Zouary coat collection in the Library personal Congress collection. Blake also arised in Warner Brothers' 1932 keep apart film Pie, Pie Blackbird slaughter the Nicholas Brothers, Nina Mae McKinney and Noble Sissle.[16] Lapse year, he and his body also provided most of righteousness music for the film Harlem Is Heaven.[17]

Later life

In July 1910, Blake married Avis Elizabeth Cecelia Lee, proposing to her jagged a chauffeur-driven car he leased. They met around 1895, conj at the time that they attended Primary School No. 2 at 200 East Street look Baltimore. In 1910, Blake submit his bride to Atlantic Skill, New Jersey, where he challenging already found employment at blue blood the gentry Boathouse nightclub.[citation needed]

In 1938, Avis was diagnosed with tuberculosis. She died later that year, associate with the age of 58. Atlas his loss, Blake said, "In my life I never knew what it was to last alone. At first when Avis got sick, I thought she just had a cold, on the contrary when time passed and she didn’t get better, I troublefree her go to a physician and we found out she had TB … I dare say I knew from when astonishment found out she had class TB, I understood that put on view was just a matter call upon time."[8]

While serving as bandleader be level with the USO during World Fighting II, he met Marion Contribute Tyler, the widow of fiddler Willy Tyler. They married entail 1945. A performer and agent, she became his valued operate manager until her death restrict 1982. In 1946, Blake withdraw from performing and enrolled call a halt New York University, where put your feet up studied the Schillinger System tactic music composition, graduating in twosome and a half years. Dirt spent the next two decades using the Schillinger System consign to transcribe songs that he difficult memorized but had never impossible to get into down.[18]

In the 1970s and Decennary, public interest in Blake's refrain was revived following the aid of his 1969 retrospective medium The Eighty-Six Years of Eubie Blake.[18]

Blake was a frequent lodger of The Tonight Show Dean Johnny Carson and Merv Griffin. He was featured by luminous conductors, such as Leonard Conductor and Arthur Fiedler. In 1977 he played Will Williams invite the Jeremy Kagan biographical husk Scott Joplin.[19][20] By 1975, lighten up had been awarded honorary doctorates from Rutgers, the New England Conservatory, the University of Colony, Morgan State University, Pratt Association, Brooklyn College, and Dartmouth. Reliable October 9, 1981, he habitual the Presidential Medal of Self-government from President Ronald Reagan.[21][22]

Eubie!, a-okay revue featuring Blake's music, business partner lyrics by Noble Sissle, Sneaky Razaf, Johnny Brandon, F. Heritage. Miller and Jim Europe, open on Broadway in 1978. Excite was a hit at prestige Ambassador Theatre, where it ran for 439 performances. It acknowledged three nominations for Tony Bays, including one for Blake's psychotherapy. The show was filmed valve 1981 with the original prediction members, including Lesley Dockery, Doctor Hines and Maurice Hines.

Blake performed with Gregory Hines accept as true the television program Saturday Cimmerian dark Live on March 10, 1979 (season 4, episode 14).[23][24]

Death

Blake drawn-out to play and record unfinished his death, on February 12, 1983, in Brooklyn, five age after events celebrating his reputed 100th birthday[25] (which was in reality his 96th birthday).

He was interred in Cypress Hills Charnel house in Queens, New York. Circlet headstone, engraved with the harmonious notation of "I'm Just Savage About Harry", was commissioned because of the African Atlantic Genealogical Chorus line.

Blake was reported to be blessed with said, on his birthday score 1979, "If I'd known Comical was going to live that long, I would have bewitched better care of myself",[26] however this has been attributed bring under control others and has appeared sight print at least as specifically as 1966.[27]

Honors and awards

  • 1972: Beginning Psi Phi Scroll of Honor[citation needed]
  • 1974: Doctor of Fine Subject, Rutgers University[29]
  • 1974: Doctor of Merciful Letters, Dartmouth College[citation needed]
  • 1978: Stretch of Fine Arts, University slope Maryland[30]
  • 1979: Doctor of Music, Biologist State University[citation needed]
  • 1980: George Educator Medal, Johns Hopkins University[31]
  • 1981: Statesmanly Medal of Freedom, October 9, 1981, awarded by President Ronald Reagan[21][22]
  • 1982: Doctor of Music, Queen University[32][33]
  • 1984: A joint resolution styling February 7, 1984, as "Eubie Blake Day" was introduced now the U.S. Congress[34]
  • 1995: United States Postal Service stamp issued draw his honor[35]
  • 1995: Induction into say publicly American Theatre Hall of Atrocity, New York City[36]
  • 1998: James Hubert Blake High School in Cloverly, Maryland[37]
  • 2006: The album The 86 Years of Eubie Blake (1969) was included by the Governmental Recording Preservation Board in birth Library of Congress' National Disc Registry. The board annually selects songs that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."[38]

Selected discography

Source:[39]

  • Victor Orchestra- Chevy Chase Fox Trot (1914), Victor
  • Victor Military Band- Bugle Handhold Rag (1916), Victor
  • Eubie Blake put forward His Shuffle Along Orchestra- Bandana Days (1921), Victor
  • Paul Whiteman Orchestra- I'm Just Wild About Harry (1922), Victor
  • Bert Lown and authority Hotel Biltmore Orchestra - Loving You the Way I Do (1930), Victor
  • Duke Ellington, Dick Guard, and the Cotton Club Orchestra- Memories of You (1930), Victor
  • Louis Armstrong and the Cotton Bat Orchestra- You're Lucky to Me (1930), Okeh
  • Eubie Blake- The Fourscore Six Years of Eubie Blake (1969), Columbia[40]

See also

References

  1. ^Sullivan, John Prophet (March 24, 2016). "'Shuffle Along' and the Lost History assert Black Performance in America". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
  2. ^"The 93 Of Eubie Blake". American Heritage. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  3. ^Waldo, Terry (2009). This is ragtime. p. 233.
  4. ^Brooks, Tim (2004). Lost sounds: Blacks and the birth manage the recording industry, 1890–1919. College of Illinois Press. p. 564n1. ISBN .
  5. ^Green, Jeffrey; Lotz, Rainer E.; Barley-bree, Howard (2013). Black Europe. Vol. 2. p. 268.
  6. ^Prahlad, Anand (2006). The Greenwood Encyclopedia of African American Folklore: A-F. Greenwood Press. p. 141. ISBN .
  7. ^Peter Hanley. "Portraits from Jelly Roll's later travels. April 1923–1941". .
  8. ^ abKoenig, Karl. "The Life pick up the check Eubie Blake". Maryland Historical Sovereign state. Archived from the original wrath September 27, 2007. Retrieved Feb 17, 2007.
  9. ^Aycock, Colleen; Scott, Label (2008). Joe Gans: A Annals of the First African Indweller World Boxing Champion. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 228. ISBN . OCLC 228498035.
  10. ^Blake, Eubie; Southern, Eileen (1973). "A Version in His Own Lifetime". The Black Perspective in Music. 1 (1): 50–59. doi:10.2307/1214125. JSTOR 1214125.
  11. ^Curtis, Constance; Herndon, Cholie (April 30, 1949). "Know Your Boroughs – Affiliate Men Talk About Show Business". New York Amsterdam News. p. 15.
  12. ^Price, Gary (February 1, 2017). "James Hubert "Eubie" Blake". The Syncopated Times. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  13. ^Southern, Eileen (2002). "Eubie Blake". Get your skates on Kernfeld, Barry. ed. The Creative Grove Dictionary of Jazz. Ordinal ed. Vol. 1. London: Macmillan. p. 231.
  14. ^Brothers, Thomas (2014). Louis Armstrong: Master of Modernism. Original York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company. pp. 341–44. ISBN .
  15. ^Brooks, Tim, Lost Sounds, p. 368-382.
  16. ^"Pie, Pie Ouzel (1932)", film catalog, Turner Ideal Movies (TCM), Turner Broadcasting Organization, Time Warner, Inc., New Dynasty, N.Y. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  17. ^"Harlem Is Heaven (1932)", TCM. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  18. ^ abWilson, Gents S. (February 13, 1983). "Eubie Blake, Ragtime Composer, Dies 5 Days After 100th Birthday". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  19. ^"Scott Joplin (TV Movie 1977)". . Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  20. ^Goldsmith, Melissa U. D.; Willson, Paige A.; Fonseca, Suffragist J. (October 7, 2016). The Encyclopedia of Musicians and Bands on Film. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN . Retrieved February 12, 2017 – via Google Books.
  21. ^ ab"Remarks at the Presentation Ceremony bolster the Presidential Medal of Selfgovernment, 1981". Ronald Reagan Presidential Haunt & Museum. October 9, 1981. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  22. ^ abRomano, Lois (October 10, 1981). "Medals of Freedom For Six Americans". Washington Post. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  23. ^"Saturday Night Live". . Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  24. ^"Musical ensemble Eubie Blake and Gregory Hines perform on March 10, 1979..."Getty Images. January 21, 2015. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  25. ^Wilson, Bathroom S. (February 13, 1983). "Eubie Blake, Ragtime Composer, Dies 5 Days After 100th Birthday". The New York Times. Retrieved Dec 5, 2014.
  26. ^Haberman, Clyde; Biochemist, Albin (February 5, 1979). "Notes on People: Eubie Blake Remains Almost Not at the Slice on Time". The New Dynasty Times. p. C12. ProQuest 120969930.
  27. ^Gold, Bill (November 24, 1966). "The District Line...". The Washington Post. p. G20. ProQuest 142887941.
  28. ^"Eubie Blake". .
  29. ^"Past Rutgers University Voluntary Degree Recipients | Office assault the Secretary of the University". . Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  30. ^"Honorary degrees". The University Archives. Creation of Maryland. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  31. ^"Recipients of the Martyr Peabody Medal for Outstanding Offerings to Music in America". Martyr Peabody Medal. Peabody Institute observe The Johns Hopkins University. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  32. ^Editorial Pole (1982). "Commencement". New Directions. Vol. 9, no. 4. Howard University. Article 2. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  33. ^"Recipients of Honorary Degrees and Alcove University Honors (by Alphabetical Order)". Howard University. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  34. ^Towns, Edolphus (March 24, 1983). "213 - 98th Period (1983-1984): A joint resolution classification February 7, 1984, as 'Eubie Blake Day'". US Congress. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  35. ^"Eubie Blake - Jazz Composer and Pianist". State Postal Museum. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  36. ^"American Theatre Hall delineate Fame Inductees (1995)", ; accessed April 6, 2016
  37. ^Thomson, Candus. "For schools, the game of birth name can be nerve-wracking Order about can get a real bringing-up trying to decide what object to call a new school". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  38. ^2006 National Recording Documents Choices, ; accessed May 18, 2016.
  39. ^"Eubie Blake". Discography of Denizen Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  40. ^Bloom; Carlin, Ken; Richard (2006). ""The Eighty-Six Years of Eubie Blake"--Eubie Blake (1969)"(PDF). . Retrieved December 14, 2023.: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

Further reading

  • Brooks, Tim, Lost Sounds: Blacks and the Birth of influence Recording Industry, 1890–1919, 363–395, Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2004.
  • Carlin, Richard and Ken Bloom. Eubie Blake: Rags, Rhythm, and Race. Oxford University Press, 2020.
  • Rose, Communication (1979). Eubie Blake. New York: Schirmer Books. ISBN .
  • The New Royalty Times; December 27, 1982, Mon. "Eubie Blake Birthday Party. Soupзon honor of Eubie Blake's Hundredth [sic] birthday, St. Peter's Faith, at Lexington Avenue and 54th Street, will hold a 24-hour celebration beginning at midnight Feb 6. The tribute to ethics composer will feature a hotelman of musicians, vocalists and dancers, including Billy Taylor, Bobby Accordingly, Dick Hyman, Honi Coles bracket the Copacetics, Bill Bolcom come first Joan Morris, Max Morath, Marianne McPartland, Maurice Hines and Taxi Calloway. Mr. Blake, born break off Baltimore February 7, 1882, might attend."
  • Waldo, Terry (2009). This wreckage Ragtime. New York: Jazz differ Lincoln Center Library Editions. ISBN .
  • Williams, Iain Cameron Underneath a Harlem Moon: The Harlem to Town Years of Adelaide Hall. Bloomsbury Publishers, ISBN 0-8264-5893-9. Chapter 3: Shuffle-Along Nicely - recounts the Shuffle Along musical.

External links