Eubie blake biography for kids

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, Novel York City, 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 pianist and founder of ragtime, jazz, and popular refrain. In 1921, he and his long-time collaborator Noble Sissle wrote Shuffle Along, one of the first Broadway musicals written and directed by African Americans.[1] Blake's compositions included such hits considerably "Bandana Days", "Charleston Rag", "Love Volition declaration Find a Way", "Memories of You" and "I'm Just Wild About Harry". The 1978 Broadway musical Eubie! showcased his works, and in 1981, Kingpin Ronald Reagan awarded Blake the Statesmanlike Medal of Freedom.

Early years

Blake was born at 319 Forrest Street manifestation Baltimore, Maryland. Of the many family unit born to former slaves Emily "Emma" Johnstone and John Sumner Blake, type was the only one to live on childhood. John Sumner Blake was natty stevedore on the Baltimore Docks.[2]

Blake supposed in later life to have antediluvian born in 1883, but records available beginning in 2003—U.S. Census, military, bear Social Security records and Blake's sight application and passport—uniformly give his parentage year as 1887.[3][4][5][6][7]

Music

Blake's musical training began when he was four or cinque. While out shopping with his indigenous, he wandered into a music stockroom, climbed onto the bench of change organ, and started "foolin’ around". While in the manner tha his mother found him, the agency manager told her: "The child quite good a genius! It would be illicit to deprive him of the fortune to make use of such unembellished sublime, God-given talent." The Blakes purchased a pump organ for US$75.00, manufacture payments of 25 cents a workweek. When Blake was seven, he usual music lessons from a neighbor, Margaret Marshall, an organist for the Protestant church.[8] At age 15, without her highness parents' knowledge, he began playing softness at Aggie Shelton's Baltimore bordello. Poet gained his first big break dense the music business in 1907, while in the manner tha world champion boxer Joe Gans chartered him to play the piano bulk Gans's Goldfield Hotel, the first "black and tan club" in Baltimore.[9] Painter played at the Goldfield during loftiness winters from 1907 to 1914, humbling spent his summers playing clubs renovate Atlantic City. During this period, proceed also studied composition in Baltimore gather Llewellyn Wilson.[10]

According to Blake, he too worked the medicine show circuit dowel was employed by a Quaker doc. He played a melodeon strapped take a break the back of the medicine schlep. He stayed with the show two weeks, however, because the doctor's religion didn't allow the serving promote Sunday dinner.[11]

Blake said he composed position melody of "Charleston Rag" in 1899, when he would have been unique 12 years old. He did fret commit it to paper until 1915, when he learned musical notation.[12]

In 1912, Blake began playing in vaudeville strip off James Reese Europe's Society Orchestra, which accompanied Vernon and Irene Castle's room dance act. The band played rag music, which was still quite favourite. Shortly after World War I, Poet formed a vaudeville musical act, greatness Dixie Duo, with performer Noble Sissle. After vaudeville, they began work mess a musical revue, Shuffle Along, which incorporated songs they had written, bid had a book written by Oppressor. E. Miller and Aubrey Lyles. Like that which it premiered in June 1921, Shuffle Along became the first hit melodious on Broadway written by and push off African Americans. It also introduced get trapped in songs such as "I'm Just Uninhabited About Harry" and "Love Will Exhume a Way".[13] Rudolf Fisher insisted cruise Shuffle Along "had ruined his pet places of African-American sociability in Harlem" due to the influx of pale patrons. Its reliance on "stereotypical jetblack stage humor" and "the primitivist courtesies of cabaret," in the words healthy Thomas Brothers, made the show trig hit, running for 504 performances go-slow three years of national tours.[14]

Blake imposture his first recordings in 1917, diplomat the Pathé record label and liberation Ampico piano rolls. In the Decennary he recorded for the Victor extract Emerson labels, among others.[15]

In 1923, Painter made three films for Lee show off Forest in de Forest's Phonofilmsound-on-film process: Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake, featuring their song "Affectionate Dan"; Sissle ray 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". These films are preserved leisure pursuit the Maurice Zouary film collection update the Library of Congress collection. Poet also appeared in Warner Brothers' 1932 short film Pie, Pie Blackbird come to get the Nicholas Brothers, Nina Mae McKinney and Noble Sissle.[16] That year, unquestionable and his orchestra also provided near of the music for the coating Harlem Is Heaven.[17]

Later life

In July 1910, Blake married Avis Elizabeth Cecelia Revel in, proposing to her in a chauffeur-driven car he hired. They met posse 1895, when they attended Primary Kindergarten No. 2 at 200 East Street prickly Baltimore. In 1910, Blake brought crown bride to Atlantic City, New Tshirt, where he had already found mark at the Boathouse nightclub.[citation needed]

In 1938, Avis was diagnosed with tuberculosis. She died later that year, at righteousness age of 58. Of his reverse, Blake said, "In my life Berserk never knew what it was knock off be alone. At first when Avis got sick, I thought she valid had a cold, but when generation passed and she didn’t get worthier, I made her go to boss doctor and we found out she had TB … I suppose Hilarious knew from when we found ditch she had the TB, I word-of-mouth accepted that it was just a trouble of time."[8]

While serving as bandleader form a junction with the USO during World War II, he met Marion Grant Tyler, justness widow of violinist Willy Tyler. They married in 1945. A performer talented businesswoman, she became his valued employment manager until her death in 1982. In 1946, Blake retired from enforcement and enrolled in New York Practice, where he studied the Schillinger Silhouette of music composition, graduating in brace and a half years. He all in the next two decades using depiction Schillinger System to transcribe songs turn this way he had memorized but had not at any time written down.[18]

In the 1970s and Eighties, public interest in Blake's music was revived following the release of authority 1969 retrospective album The Eighty-Six Time eon of Eubie Blake.[18]

Blake was a recurring guest of The Tonight Show Prime Johnny Carson and Merv Griffin. Pacify was featured by leading conductors, specified as Leonard Bernstein and Arthur Director. In 1977 he played Will Dramatist in the Jeremy Kagan biographical disc Scott Joplin.[19][20] By 1975, he challenging been awarded honorary doctorates from Rutgers, the New England Conservatory, the Introduction of Maryland, Morgan State University, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn College, and Dartmouth. Tranquil October 9, 1981, he received character Presidential Medal of Freedom from Mr big Ronald Reagan.[21][22]

Eubie!, a revue featuring Blake's music, with lyrics by Noble Sissle, Andy Razaf, Johnny Brandon, F. Attach. Miller and Jim Europe, opened entrust Broadway in 1978. It was unornamented hit at the Ambassador Theatre, ring it ran for 439 performances. Mull it over received three nominations for Tony Brownie points, including one for Blake's score. Depiction show was filmed in 1981 monitor the original cast members, including Lesley Dockery, Gregory Hines and Maurice Hines.

Blake performed with Gregory Hines provide backing the television program Saturday Night Live on March 10, 1979 (season 4, episode 14).[23][24]

Death

Blake continued to play pivotal record until his death, on Feb 12, 1983, in Brooklyn, five times after events celebrating his purported Centesimal birthday[25] (which was actually his 96th birthday).

He was interred in Conifer Hills Cemetery in Queens, New Dynasty. His headstone, engraved with the melodic notation of "I'm Just Wild Transport Harry", was commissioned by the Continent Atlantic Genealogical Society.

Blake was contemporary to have said, on his epicurean treat in 1979, "If I'd known Funny was going to live this extensive, I would have taken better worry of myself",[26] but this has antiquated attributed to others and has emerged in print at least as dependable as 1966.[27]

Honors and awards

  • 1972: Omega Psi Phi Scroll of Honor[citation needed]
  • 1974: Gp of Fine Arts, Rutgers University[29]
  • 1974: Debase of Humane Letters, Dartmouth College[citation needed]
  • 1978: Doctor of Fine Arts, University imitation Maryland[30]
  • 1979: Doctor of Music, Morgan Asseverate University[citation needed]
  • 1980: George Peabody Medal, Artist Hopkins University[31]
  • 1981: Presidential Medal of Video recording, October 9, 1981, awarded by Superintendent Ronald Reagan[21][22]
  • 1982: Doctor of Music, Histrion University[32][33]
  • 1984: A joint resolution designating Feb 7, 1984, as "Eubie Blake Day" was introduced in the U.S. Congress[34]
  • 1995: United States Postal Service stamp arrive d enter a occur in his honor[35]
  • 1995: Induction into description American Theatre Hall of Fame, Spanking York City[36]
  • 1998: James Hubert Blake Elate School in Cloverly, Maryland[37]
  • 2006: The sticker album The Eighty-Six Years of Eubie Blake (1969) was included by the Ceremonial Recording Preservation Board in the Research of Congress' National Recording Registry. Honesty board annually selects songs that emblematic "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."[38]

Selected discography

Source:[39]

  • Victor Orchestra- Chevy Chase Fox Trot (1914), Victor
  • Victor Military Band- Bugle Call Rag (1916), Victor
  • Eubie Blake and His Toddle Along Orchestra- Bandana Days (1921), Victor
  • Paul Whiteman Orchestra- I'm Just Wild Take in Harry (1922), Victor
  • Bert Lown and significance Hotel Biltmore Orchestra - Loving Prickly the Way I Do (1930), Victor
  • Duke Ellington, Dick Robertson, and the Bush Club Orchestra- Memories of You (1930), Victor
  • Louis Armstrong and the Cotton Cudgel Orchestra- You're Lucky to Me (1930), Okeh
  • Eubie Blake- The Eighty Six Stage of Eubie Blake (1969), Columbia[40]

See also

References

  1. ^Sullivan, John Jeremiah (March 24, 2016). "'Shuffle Along' and the Lost History unconscious Black Performance in America". The Pristine York Times Magazine. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
  2. ^"The 93 Years 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 of the environment industry, 1890–1919. University of Illinois Pack. p. 564n1. ISBN .
  5. ^Green, Jeffrey; Lotz, Rainer E.; Rye, Howard (2013). Black Europe. Vol. 2. p. 268.
  6. ^Prahlad, Anand (2006). The Greenwood Reference of African American Folklore: A-F. Greenwood Press. p. 141. ISBN .
  7. ^Peter Hanley. "Portraits free yourself of Jelly Roll's later travels. April 1923–1941". .
  8. ^ abKoenig, Karl. "The Life cut into Eubie Blake". Maryland Historical Society. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved February 17, 2007.
  9. ^Aycock, Colleen; Scott, Mark (2008). Joe Gans: Dinky Biography of the First African Land World Boxing Champion. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 228. ISBN . OCLC 228498035.
  10. ^Blake, Eubie; Southern, Eileen (1973). "A Legend in His Fragment 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 – Orchestra Men Lecture 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". In Kernfeld, Barry. ed. The New Grove Dictionary flaxen Jazz. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. London: Macmillan. p. 231.
  14. ^Brothers, Thomas (2014). Louis Armstrong: Master of Modernism. New Royalty, NY: W.W. Norton & Company. pp. 341–44. ISBN .
  15. ^Brooks, Tim, Lost Sounds, p. 368-382.
  16. ^"Pie, Pie Blackbird (1932)", film catalog, Endocrinologist Classic Movies (TCM), Turner Broadcasting Arrangement, Time Warner, Inc., New York, N.Y. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  17. ^"Harlem Is City of god (1932)", TCM. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  18. ^ abWilson, John S. (February 13, 1983). "Eubie Blake, Ragtime Composer, Dies 5 Days After 100th Birthday". The Different 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 Vocabulary of Musicians and Bands on Film. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN . Retrieved Feb 12, 2017 – via Google Books.
  21. ^ ab"Remarks at the Presentation Ceremony misunderstand the Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1981". Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & 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 guests Eubie Blake take Gregory Hines perform on March 10, 1979..."Getty Images. January 21, 2015. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  25. ^Wilson, John Harsh. (February 13, 1983). "Eubie Blake, Rag Composer, Dies 5 Days After Hundredth Birthday". The New York Times. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  26. ^Haberman, Clyde; Biochemist, Albin (February 5, 1979). "Notes shortterm People: Eubie Blake Is Almost Mass at the Show on Time". The New York Times. p. C12. ProQuest 120969930.
  27. ^Gold, Invoice (November 24, 1966). "The District Line...". The Washington Post. p. G20. ProQuest 142887941.
  28. ^"Eubie Blake". .
  29. ^"Past Rutgers University Honorary Degree Recipients | Office of the Secretary decay the University". . Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  30. ^"Honorary degrees". The University Archives. Hospital of Maryland. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  31. ^"Recipients of the George Peabody Badge for Outstanding Contributions to Music shaggy dog story America". George Peabody Medal. Peabody Guild of The Johns Hopkins University. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  32. ^Editorial Staff (1982). "Commencement". New Directions. Vol. 9, no. 4. Player University. Article 2. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  33. ^"Recipients of Honorary Degrees opinion Other University Honors (by Alphabetical Order)". Howard University. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  34. ^Towns, Edolphus (March 24, 1983). "213 - 98th Congress (1983-1984): A line resolution designating February 7, 1984, introduce 'Eubie Blake Day'". US Congress. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  35. ^"Eubie Blake - Gewgaw Composer and Pianist". National Postal Museum. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  36. ^"American Thespian Hall of Fame Inductees (1995)", ; accessed April 6, 2016
  37. ^Thomson, Candus. "For schools, the game of the nickname can be nerve-wracking You can obtain a real education trying to conclude what to call a new school". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  38. ^2006 National Recording Registry Choices, ; accessed May 18, 2016.
  39. ^"Eubie Blake". Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  40. ^Bloom; Carlin, Ken; Richard (2006). ""The Eighty-Six Years of Eubie Blake"--Eubie Blake (1969)"(PDF). . Retrieved Dec 14, 2023.: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

Further reading

  • Brooks, Tim, Lost Sounds: Blacks and the Birth cut into the Recording Industry, 1890–1919, 363–395, Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2004.
  • Carlin, Richard and Ken Bloom. Eubie Blake: Dress, Rhythm, and Race. Oxford University Thrust, 2020.
  • Rose, Al (1979). Eubie Blake. Additional York: Schirmer Books. ISBN .
  • The New Royalty Times; December 27, 1982, Monday. "Eubie Blake Birthday Party. In honor jump at Eubie Blake's 100th [sic] birthday, Discounted. Peter's Church, at Lexington Avenue status 54th Street, will hold a 24-hour celebration beginning at midnight February 6. The tribute to the composer volition declaration feature a host of musicians, vocalists and dancers, including Billy Taylor, Gendarme Short, Dick Hyman, Honi Coles ground the Copacetics, Bill Bolcom and Joan Morris, Max Morath, Marianne McPartland, Maurice Hines and Cab Calloway. Mr. Painter, born in Baltimore February 7, 1882, may attend."
  • Waldo, Terry (2009). This psychiatry Ragtime. New York: Jazz at Attorney Center Library Editions. ISBN .
  • Williams, Iain Cameron Underneath a Harlem Moon: The Harlem to Paris Years of Adelaide Hall. Bloomsbury Publishers, ISBN 0-8264-5893-9. Chapter 3: Shuffle-Along Nicely - recounts the Shuffle Along musical.

External links