Citizendia

Eubie Blake

Background information
Birth nameJames Hubert Blake
BornFebruary 7, 1887(1887-02-07)
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
DiedFebruary 12, 1983 (aged 96)
Brooklyn, New York, USA
Genre(s)Jazz, popular, ragtime
Occupation(s)Composer, pianist
Label(s)Emerson
Associated actsNoble Sissle

James Hubert Blake (February 7, 1887 – February 12, 1983) was a composer, lyricist, and pianist of ragtime, jazz, and popular music. Events 457 - Leo I becomes emperor of the Byzantine Empire. 1074 - Battle of Montesarchio in which the Prince Year 1887 ( MDCCCLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 1429 - English Forces under Sir John Fastolf defend a supply convoy carrying rations to the army besieging Orleans from attack by the Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Popular music is Music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are accessible to the general public and are disseminated by one or more Ragtime (alternately spelled Rag-time) is an American musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918 A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance A pianist (/'piənɪst/ is a Musician who plays the Piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces play with an ensemble or Orchestra In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Emerson Records was a Record label active in the United States of America between 1916 to 1928 Noble Sissle (b July 10 1889, Indianapolis Indiana - d December 17, 1975, Tampa Florida) was an American Events 457 - Leo I becomes emperor of the Byzantine Empire. 1074 - Battle of Montesarchio in which the Prince Year 1887 ( MDCCCLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1429 - English Forces under Sir John Fastolf defend a supply convoy carrying rations to the army besieging Orleans from attack by the Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance A lyricist is a Writer who specializes in Song Lyrics, usually paid for by a band to write a custom song(s Ragtime (alternately spelled Rag-time) is an American musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918 Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Popular music is Music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are accessible to the general public and are disseminated by one or more With long time collaborator Noble Sissle, Blake wrote the Broadway musical Shuffle Along in 1921; this was one of the first Broadway musical ever to be written and directed by African Americans. Noble Sissle (b July 10 1889, Indianapolis Indiana - d December 17, 1975, Tampa Florida) was an American Shuffle Along was the first major African American hit musical. Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa Blake's compositions included such hits as, "Bandana Days", "Charleston Rag", "Love Will Find A Way", "Memories of You", and "I'm Just Wild About Harry". " Memories of You " is a popular Song written by Andy Razaf and Eubie Blake and published in 1930. " I'm Just Wild About Harry " (1921 is a song written by Eubie Blake (music and Noble Sissle (lyrics for the Broadway production of The musical Eubie!, which featured the collective works of Blake opened on Broadway in 1978. Eubie! is a Revue featuring the music of Eubie Blake, with Lyrics by Noble Sissle, Andy Razaf, Johnny Brandon Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located

Contents

Birth

Born James Hubert Blake at 319 Forrest Street in Baltimore, Maryland, on February 7, 1887, to former slaves John Sumner Blake (1838 - 1917) and Emily "Emma" Johnstone Blake (1861 - 1927). Events 457 - Leo I becomes emperor of the Byzantine Empire. 1074 - Battle of Montesarchio in which the Prince Year 1887 ( MDCCCLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common He was the only surviving child of eight who all died in infancy. In 1894 the family moved to 414 North Eden Street, and later to 1510 Jefferson Street. John Blake worked earning US$9. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been 00 weekly as a stevedore on the Baltimore docks.

Music

Blake's musical training began when he was just four or five years old. While out shopping with his mother, he wandered into a music store, climbed on the bench of an organ, and started "foolin’" around. When his mother found him, the store manager said to her: "The child is a genius! It would be criminal to deprive him of the chance to make use of such a sublime, God-given talent. " The Blakes purchased a pump organ for US$75. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been 00 making payments of 25 cents a week. When Blake was seven, he received music lessons from their neighbor, Margaret Marshall, an organist from the Methodist church. [1] At age fifteen, without knowledge of his parents, he played piano at Aggie Shelton’s Baltimore bordello.

Blake said he first composed the melody to the "Charleston Rag" in 1899, which would have made him 12 years old, but he did not commit it to paper until 1915, when he learned to write in musical notation.

In 1912, Blake began playing in vaudeville with Jimmy Europe's "Society Orchestra" which accompanied Vernon and Irene Castle's ballroom dance act. Vaudeville was a Genre of variety entertainment prevalent on the stage in the United States and Canada, from the early 1880s James Reese Europe ( 22 February, 1881 &ndash 9 May, 1919) was an American Ragtime and early Jazz Vernon and Irene Castle were a husband-and-wife team of Ballroom dancers of the early 20th century The band played ragtime music which was still quite popular at the time. Ragtime (alternately spelled Rag-time) is an American musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918 Shortly after World War I, Blake joined forces with performer Noble Sissle to form a vaudeville music duo, the "Dixie Duo. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Noble Sissle (b July 10 1889, Indianapolis Indiana - d December 17, 1975, Tampa Florida) was an American " After vaudeville, the pair began work on a musical revue, Shuffle Along, which incorporated many songs they had written, and had a book written by F. E. Miller and Aubrey Lyles. Shuffle Along was the first major African American hit musical. Flournoy E Miller ( 14 April 1887, Nashville Tennessee - 6 June 1971, Hollywood California) was an African American Aubrey Lyles (1883 Jackson Tennessee - 28 July 1932, New York City) was an African American songwriter lyricist and Vaudeville When it premiered in June 1921, Shuffle Along became the first hit musical on Broadway written by and about African-Americans. Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located The musicals also introduced hit songs such as "I'm Just Wild About Harry" and "Love Will Find a Way. "[2]

In 1923, Blake made three films for Lee DeForest in DeForest's Phonofilm sound-on-film process. Lee De Forest, ( August 26, 1873 – June 30, 1961) was an American Inventor with over 300 patents to his credit In 1919 Lee De Forest, inventor of the Audion tube, filed his first patent on a Sound-on-film process DeForest Phonofilm, which recorded sound directly Sound-on-film refers to a class of Sound film processes where the sound accompanying picture is physically recorded onto photographic film usually but not always the same They were 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". These films are preserved in the Maurice Zouary film collection at in the Library of Congress collection. The Library of Congress is the De facto National library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress

Personal life

In July 1910, Blake married Avis Elizabeth Cecelia Lee (1881–1938), proposing to her in a chauffeur-driven car he hired. Blake and Lee met around 1895 while both attended Primary School No.  2 at 200 East Street in Baltimore. In 1910 Blake brought his newlywed to Atlantic City, New Jersey, where he had already found employment at the Boathouse nightclub.

In 1938 Avis was diagnosed with tuberculosis and died later that year at 58. Tuberculosis (abbreviated as TB for tubercle bacillus or T u' b' erculosis Bacillus --> is a common Of his loss, Blake is on record saying, "In my life I never knew what it was to be alone. At first when Avis got sick, I thought she just had a cold, but when time passed and she didn’t get better, I made her go to a doctor and we found out she had TB … I suppose I knew from when we found out she had the TB, I understood that it was just a matter of time. "[1]

Blake continued to play and record into late life. He died in 1983 in Brooklyn just five days after celebrating his claimed 100th birthday (actually his 96th -- see below). Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. He was interred in the Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. Cypress Hills Cemetery was the first nonsectarian cemetery corporation organized in the Brooklyn / Queens area of New York City. Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City.

“If I'd known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself. ”
 
— Eubie Blake

Age discrepancy

In later years Blake listed his birth year as 1883; his 100th birthday was celebrated in 1983. Year 1883 ( MDCCCLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Most sources, including the Encyclopædia Britannica,[3] and a U.S. Library of Congress biography,[4] incorrectly list his birth year as 1883. The Encyclopædia Britannica is a general English-language encyclopaedia published by Encyclopædia Britannica Inc The Library of Congress is the De facto National library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress Every official document issued by the government, however, records his birthday as February 7, 1887. This includes the 1900 Census, his 1917 World War I draft registration, 1920 passport application, 1936 Social Security application, and death records as reported by the United States Social Security Administration. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The United States Social Security Administration ( SSA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that administers [5] Peter Hanley writes: "In the final analysis, however, the fact that he was only ninety-six years of age and not one hundred when he died does not in any way detract from his extraordinary achievements. Eubie will always remain among the finest popular composers and songwriters of his era. "

Timeline

  • 1887 Birth
  • 1900 US Census – Hubert Blake, Baltimore
  • 1910 US Census – Hubert Blake, Baltimore
  • 1910 Marriage to Avis Elizabeth Cecelia Lee
  • 1915 Meets Noble Sissle May 16
  • 1917 World War I draft registration card
  • 1920 US passport application
  • 1920 US passport
  • 1920 US Census – James Blake, New York City
  • 1921 Shuffle Along debut

Diplomas, Honors and Legacy

See Also

References

  1. ^ a b Dr. Early History Before the late 1890s the image portrayed of African Americans on Broadway was a "secondhand vision of black life created by European American Age fabrication occurs when an individual deliberately misrepresents his or her true age Karl Koenig. The Life of Eubie Blake. The Maryland Historical Society. Retrieved on 2007-02-17. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1500 - Battle of Hemmingstedt. 1600 - Philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori
  2. ^ Southern, Eileen. Eubie Blake. in Kernfeld, Barry. ed. The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd Edition, Vol. 1. London: MacMillan, 2002. p. 231.
  3. ^ Peter Hanley. "Everybody’s just wild about Eubie", Monrovia Sound Studio. Retrieved on 2007-02-10. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1355 - The St Scholastica's Day riot breaks out in Oxford, England, leaving 63 scholars and perhaps 30 locals dead  
  4. ^ Eubie Blake, 1883-1983 [biography]. U. S. Library of Congress. Retrieved on 2007-06-29. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 512 - A Solar eclipse is recorded by a monastic chronicler in Ireland.
  5. ^ Social Security Death Index Search. RootsWeb. com. Retrieved on 2007-06-29. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 512 - A Solar eclipse is recorded by a monastic chronicler in Ireland. A database search on James Blake, 113-05-1371 returns: JAMES BLAKE, 07 Feb 1887, Feb 2006, (V) 10017 New York, New York, 113-05-1371, New York.
  6. ^ Grammy Award original certificate
  7. ^ Diplomas
  8. ^ Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient Eubie Blake
  9. ^ 1995 American Theatre Hall of Fame Inductees
  10. ^ 2006 National Recording Registry choices

External links

The Internet Broadway Database ( IBDB) is an online Database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel The Maryland Historical Society, founded in 1844 is the oldest cultural institution in the state of Maryland. Find A Grave is a Website allowing its users to access maintain and expand an online Database of Burial records
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