Eubie Blake
Biography
James Hubert "Eubie" Blake was an American composer and pianist of ragtime, jazz, and popular music. Born in Baltimore to former slaves, he began playing piano at age six and was composing by fifteen. His career spanned an remarkable 100 years, making him one of the longest-lived and most celebrated figures in American music history. Blake rose to fame in the 1920s with his musical "Shuffle Along," written with Noble Sissle. The show was groundbreaking—it was the first Broadway musical written and directed entirely by African Americans, and it launched the careers of Josephine Baker, Paul Robeson, and Florence Mills. The show helped ignite the Harlem Renaissance. Blake continued performing into his nineties, experiencing a major career revival in the 1970s. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1981 and performed at the White House. He passed away just five days after his 100th birthday, leaving behind a legacy that shaped American popular music.
Key Achievements
- 1
Co-created Shuffle Along (1921), the first all-Black Broadway hit musical
- 2
Composed over 350 songs including Charleston Rag and Memories of You
- 3
Received Presidential Medal of Freedom from Ronald Reagan (1981)
- 4
Performed professionally for over 80 years until age 98
- 5
Helped launch the Harlem Renaissance through his groundbreaking musicals
Birth Date
February 7, 1887
Death Date
February 12, 1983