The early 20th century ragtime and jazz musicians Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle had a major hit on their hands when they co-wrote Shuffle Along, the first major Broadway musical by, for, and about African Americans. But he got it to play for the pimps dressed for the evening in their full-backed coats, tight-legged pants, Stetson hats, gold watch chains and diamond rings. The songs “I’m Just Wild About Harry” and “Love Will Find A Way” became national hits, the former used as Harry Truman’s anthem in the 1948 presidential campaign. He integrated this education, music he heard on the street and the “rhythms and syncopations in his mother’s own Baptist church,” into his style. For the white ladies of the evening, he played the greatest hits of the times: “After the Ball,” “Maggie Murphy’s Home,” “Hello! From 1910 until 1915, Eubie again spent his summers in Atlantic City. 1400 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20560, Get the latest information about timed passes and tips for planning your visit, Search the collection and explore our exhibitions, centers, and digital initiatives, Online resources for educators, students, and families, Engage with us and support the Museum from wherever you are, Learn more about the Museum and view recent news, There are restrictions for re-using this image. Eubie Blake’s career, and life, did not end until he died in February 1983, one hundred years after he had been born. He could consume two quarters of champagne in an evening without any discernable effect. In 1910 Eubie also wrote “Troublesome Ivories,” a tune with which he wanted “to cut everybody with.” This composition was difficult even for him to play. James Hubert "Eubie" Blake (February 7, 1887 – February 12, 1983), was an American composer, lyricist, and pianist of Rag Time Jazz. Emma, small, tough and fervently religious, gave birth to 12 children, only one of whom lived past infancy – Eubie. I wish I I was twenty again!” Eubie looked at her and said “Ahh! Eubie’s mother could not keep him from pursuing his career. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at [email protected]. We support, develop, promote and advocate for cultural and educational programming in the visual and performing arts. But you got to get up and go out and live your life.”, This Eubie did. Baltimore in the late 1800’s was an elegant woman picking herself up after being thrown by a horse. Created by Bobbiegita Walker, American, born 1942 Subject of Eubie Blake, American, 1887 - … There is much in the way of legal demographic evidence to show that Blake was actually born in 1887, not 1883 as was commonly written throughout the second half of the 20th century. What was his philosophy of life? Life casts of musician Eubie Blake's hands made of polyester resin. The casts end at the wrists and the proper left hand is pointed upwards, while … During the early 1900’s Ragtime was all the rage. And he did, even though he smoked and ate sweets! You are truly one of our greatest treasures.”, Eubie thought that music was something that could last a lot longer in the minds of some people than he himself could. Matthew Paris and David Zimmer interview ragtime virtuoso and musical genius Eubie Blake at his Brooklyn home. The Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center brings artists and audiences from diverse backgrounds together. The casts end at the wrists and the proper left hand is pointed upwards, while the proper right hand is positioned at an angle. There is much in the way of legal demographic evidence to show that Blake was actually born in 1887, not 1883 as was commonly written throughout the second half of the 20th century. Inside the joint there were no chairs, only beer barrels and boxes scattered about big round iron tables. Eubie proved to be a torment to his mother, a demigod to upcoming Black musicians, and a credit to American society. “Eubie’s mother, however, was not won over by her son’s success. In 1910 he married Avis Lee of Baltimore, who herself was an accomplished classical pianist, an ex-schoolmate of Eubie. But if a woman ever entered, someone would shout, “Heads up, men!” and all the vile talk would cease. It was Christmas. When asked who had thrown the rock, a woman witness pointed at Eubie and said, “That mouse-faced boy.” Eubie thereafter became known as “Mouse” to his friends. Together with instrumental parts in a variety of hands, it now resides as part of the Eubie Blake Collection at the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore. Twelve was when he sang outside local bars with a group of friends for change. Just before Eubie died, the City of New York held two grand events celebrating his centennial. Ira Gershwin. Eubie Blake leaped halfway from his seat and yelled “Oh, professor, professor, you hit me, you hit me!” He placed both hands over his heart and continued with great emotion: “You make me think… National Museum of African American History and Culture, http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd59bfda784-cacf-46c3-ba95-19700462484e. Sourced quotations by the American Lyricist Eubie Blake (1887 — 1983). He always said he wanted to live to be a hundred. One day Eubie watched as a friend damaged someone’s property, and stayed on the scene after his friend had run away. John Blake himself made $9 a week. I wish I was ninety again!”, His memorial service, held in the church where eleven days earlier, thousands of people had celebrated his birthday, began with this prayer: “Thank you, Jesus, for Eubie. Writing in 1945, Willis Laurence James recalled giving a lecture demonstration attended by Eubie Blake: I sang a florid Negro cry. For Negroes it was a test of their ability to “…survive hardship and deprivation in a hostile environment,” according to Lawrence T. Carter, a Detroit journalist who wrote a book called “Eubie Blake: Keys of Memory.” For Eubie’s parents, John and Emma, it was a time of making do with what they had and scraping to make a decent living for their family. Eubie began taking classical piano lessons from a neighbor. Eubie worked hard to develop his style, with emphasis on learning “tricks” that he, and he alone could play. Biography. Ornette Coleman was there. Here there were many fights and a lot of rough language. But “bless her heart, she learned it, had arrangements made, and sang it in the same week,” Sissle would later say. Emma relented as long as her son would play only religious tunes. What sort of a legacy did he leave to fellow musicians and fellow humans? Enjoy the best Eubie Blake quotes and picture quotes! B/w, 7¾x9¾ overall, 7x8¾ image, one surface. 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. The ink was still wet, and by the time Sophie held it in her hands the ink had run so badly the music was nearly unreadable. Eubie himself had made the claim that he would cut up – outlast – his musician friends, as in his piano-playing. They collaborated on more musical comedy. Len Lyons, in “The 101 Best Jazz Albums” said, “Their most powerful imprint upon the American theatre was made with the 1921 black musical “Shuffle Along,” which ran for a year and a half on Broadway. NOTE: Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. This Eubie accomplished. Created by Bobbiegita Walker, American, born 1942 Subject of Eubie Blake, American, 1887 - … As he matured, his mother would wail, “the devil got in his fingers!” And: “Take that ragtime out of my house!”. Black Americans. Then we shook hands. He felt, lived and played his music. John and Emma Blake had been slaves in Virginia and came north to seek a better life. Others copied that expression over the years: U.S. composer Eubie Blake, baseball hero Mickey Mantle and Hollywood producer Adolph Zukor. Recorded in 1968 and 1969, this record is by far the best way to get to know, love, and appreciate Eubie Blake, master of ragtime and gorgeous melodies.The taproot of jazz runs directly from Blake's generation up through all of those Eastern Seaboard ticklers, most significantly James P. Johnson and the school of what critics and historians have labeled Harlem stride piano. Eubie kept his career a secret from his parents until one day when a neighbor lady told Mrs. Blake she had heard coming out of Aggie Sheldon’s piano playing that could only be Eubie’s – because of the “wobble-wobble” in the left hand – a sort of reverse boogie bass which came to be Eubie’s trademark. Eubie Blake and His Orchestra Eubie Blake & His Orchestra Real name James Hubert Blake Born February 7, 1887 Died February 12, 1983 Country United States IPI 00003303059 Comments Popular, ragtime and jazz pianist. "IF I'D KNOWN I was gonna live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself," Eubie Blake remarked while celebrating his 100th birthday. Eubie kept his career a secret from his parents until one day when a neighbor lady told Mrs. Blake she had heard coming out of Aggie Sheldon’s piano playing that could only be Eubie’s – because of the “wobble-wobble” in the left hand – a sort of reverse boogie bass which came to be Eubie’s trademark. But his dictum was never to fret about it.“If you lose somebody, you don’t go to pieces over it. TOUR SUMMARY: In late 1800s, Baltimore, the remarkably talented James Hubert “Eubie” Blake who grew up on the East Side of town, began to pursue his passion for music and composed breakneck ragtime riffs that would later transform arts, culture and music history.Blake’s original childhood nickname was “Hubie” and would be later fine-tuned to “Eubie”. Life casts of musician Eubie Blake's hands made of polyester resin. When the elderly Mrs. Blake was congratulated at a backstage party on Eubie’s great achievements, she replied, “Some may see it that way but he might have done it all for Jesus instead.”. The upright piano was still in its packing crate when Eubie first arrived. His father found him weaving in the street, brought him home to Mrs. Blake who “could smell whiskey on your breath if you were in Los Angeles and she was in Baltimore,” as Eubie Blake was later to say. It was the 13th of March, 1915, and we are still partnerds today. Back in Baltimore, Eubie became a relief pianist for Big Head Wilbur at Alfred Greenfield’s Saloon for $1.25 a night. Eubie Blake seemed to know exactly what he wanted to do with his life from the time he first embarked upon it. Eubie Blake leaped halfway from his seat and yelled “Oh, professor, professor, you hit me, you hit me!” He placed both hands over his heart and continued with great emotion: “You make me think of my dear mother. He was born to former slaves, Emma and John Sumner Blake, on February 7, 1883 in Baltimore, Maryland. EUBIE BLAKE Signed black and white 7¾x9¾ photograph of Blake sitting down with his hands crossed and wearing a dark suit-and-tie, glasses, and cloth cap Photograph signed "Eubie Blake". Out the window he flew, down the shed roof and over the fence, straight to the pool room for the long pants he rented from Rabb Walker, then off to Aggie’s to play piano. Life casts of musician Eubie Blake's hands made of polyester resin. And twelve was when he first got drunk. He and Noble Sissle remained partners for fifty years. The store manager, impressed with Eubie’s ability, convinced Mrs. Black to purchase a $75 piano for $.25 a week. After the discovery about her son, Mrs. Blake called father and son into the room and said to John, “Do you know that Mr. Blake (which she called her son when she was displeased) has been playing in a bawdy house?” Mr. Blake took his son outside and questioned his son, “How much money have you been making, boy?” Eubie replied by taking his father upstairs, to show him $100 stashed under the carpet. Signed 8x10 black and white publicity photograph of the musician and composer sitting down with his hands crossed in a dark suit-and-tie, glasses and cloth cap. The sawdust was so high it was above the soles of your shoes. Eubie Blake is in total command of his mind and memory and of his still-facile and majestic hands. He was a prize piano student at the Boston Conservatory who influenced Eubie with the dramatic soft and loud contrasts of his music. Shop for Eubie Blake related autographs, signed photographs, historical documents and manuscripts from the world's largest collection. His friends later said of him that they knew his spirit was hanging on, more than the body, because of his strong will to live. They brought their first collaboration – “It’s All Your Fault,” to Sophie Tucker, at the Maryland Theatre. Blake, 32 – ragtime pianist and composer, wedded his talents to those of Noble Sissle, 25, a singer and lyricist from Indianapolis. One of these was One-Leg Willie Joseph, whose leg had been lost in an ice-skating accident. Ducking behind the piano saved his life. Of course he was the apple of his mama’s eye. It was really quite remarkable. Neither John nor Emma were musically inclined, except for Emma’s love of gospel music; she crooned hymns to her son in his crib. His trick was to accent on-the-beat, off-the-beat, and in-between in an “angular but flowing melodic sense, full of surprising leaps and turns.”. Its called from rags to classics I do play some classics on, there. You look like a pickpocket!”. You can see they’re gone and the world is still here. Sissle and Blake – the “Dixie Duo” – were one of the first Negro acts to play without burnt cork. If it was you that was gone, it would still be here, too. James Hubert "Eubie" Blake (February 7, 1887 – February 12, 1983), was an American composer, lyricist, and pianist of ragtime, jazz, and popular music. He used to say she was one of the ten most beautiful girls in Baltimiore. Ma Baby,” “Doobye Dolly Gray,” “Any Old Rags?” and ironically, “A Bird in a Gilded Cage.” Before long, Eubie started to wear a pair of long pants that came up to his armpits. Once on a streetcar, she said of his pianist’s hands, “Double those fingers up! The idea was to look at it as it it were from the moon and I’d say, ‘What’s dat?’ and Noble would say, ‘Dat’s a py-anner!’ and then we’d do our act. Eubie Blake is in total command of his mind and memory and of his still-facile and majestic hands. Recorded in 1968 and 1969, this record is by far the best way to get to know, love, and appreciate Eubie Blake, master of ragtime and gorgeous melodies.The taproot of jazz runs directly from Blake's generation up through all of those Eastern Seaboard ticklers, most significantly James P. Johnson and the school of what critics and historians have labeled Harlem stride piano. Or perhaps she had been waiting up, as some mothers do, to see that her son was okay. We were supposed to shuffle on stage in blackface and patched-up overalls. Eubie also became a very excellent buck dancer and this talent Signed 8x10 black and white publicity photograph of the musician and composer sitting down with his hands crossed in a dark suit-and-tie, glasses and cloth cap. A man who made a mark on not only his own life, but the lives of people everywhere. He told the agents that Sissle and Blake had played in the houses of millionaires and the social elite and they dressed in tuxedos and he’d be damned if he’d let us go on stage in old overalls and act like a couple of ignoramuses.”. It looks like there's an issue with JavaScript in your browser. Emma “washed and cleaned for white folks.” (LT Carter). Eubie Blake leaped halfway from his seat and yelled “Oh, professor, professor, you hit me, you hit me!” He placed both hands over his heart and continued with great emotion: “You make me think of my dear mother. ... Holding hands at midnight 'Neath a starry sky… Nice work if you can get it, And you can get it if you try. Shop for Eubie Blake related autographs, signed photographs, historical documents and manuscripts from the world's largest collection. Eubie’s wife, Avis, died in 1939. © The Ann Arbor News. She always sang like that. Despite his mother’s negativity and sometimes ferocity, Eubie Blake grew into the shoes he had planned to wear from early on. At twelve, Eubie “Hubert” Blake was busy with his passion. He began composing his own music. This brought on the conflict with his mother which he had feared. Recorded in 1969 There are five undated manuscripts in Blake's hand of his arangements for the songs Well, Pat Casey (their agent) would have none of that. He did not marry again until 1945 after he fell in love with Marion. “They All Played Ragtime” tells of a gala performance of “Shuffle Along” in Baltimore in which blacks by special permission were allowed to sit in the boxes. This was the time of Reconstruction after the Civil War. He was born to former slaves, Emma and John Sumner Blake, on February 7, 1883 in Baltimore, Maryland. Between 1906 and 1907 Eubie spent summers playing piano in Atlantic City where he met, competed with, influenced and was influenced by other musicians. Blake was also a composer and lyricist. New York Governor Mario M. Cuomo expressed the feelings of many when he composed the following mailgram to Eubie Blake for his centennial birthday:“We have all been enriched by your extraordinary contributions to the music of this century. But her feelings never stopped her from being a disciplinarian, rigid in her religious beliefs. Eubie Blake seemed to know exactly what he wanted to do with his life from the time he first embarked upon it. The floors were covered with sawdust. During times when he was unemployed, the family lived on the fantastic income of $90 every three months from his Civil War service pension. Eubie Blake - Autographed Signed Photograph - Item 30656. Eubie Blake initiated the heyday of the black musicals, and his work was in demand through the 1920’s. B This one is Eubie Blake alone playing piano alone. The collection consists of one handwritten letter by Eubie Blake to Professor John Garvey, director of the University of Illinois Jazz Band, dated August 3, 1969. Eubie Blake’s story is one that stretches from Aggie Shelton’s “Hookshop” (Eubie’s own definition) in Baltimore to the White House in Washington D.C. in 1978. The ragtime pianists, reveling in their art, called themselves by such names as The Shadow, Jack the Bear, Big Head Wilbur, No Legs Casey, Abba Labba, Cat-Eye Harry, Boots Butler, Sparrow, Seminole, Slue-Foot Nelson, Sheet-Iron Brown, Wild Cat Joe, Black Diamond, Squirrel and John the Baptist (from Reminiscing With Sissle & Blake). Blake gives a personal performance of his ever popular "Charleston Rag". 1, was composed by Robert Boury between 1970-1973. 1972, Berlin, Eubie Blake (p,v): 3:33 Charleston Rag / 4:35 I am Wild About Harry / 5:50 Memories Of You / … And I remember on the occasion, Eubie Blake was there; the bass player we used to call the Judge, Milt Hinton, he was there. He climbed up onto an organ stool and began picking out tunes on an organ. 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. Authentic Boldly Hand Autographed Signed 3" X … Eubie Blake ended his bawdy house career after one evening when, mistaken for one of the bartenders at the Middle Section Assembly Club, Blake was shot. Eubie’s friend said “Ahh! One day when he was six years old, Mrs. Blake took her son into a department store where he strayed from her side and wandered into the musical instruments section. There was a gang of people there. James Hubert "Eubie" Blake was an American pianist, lyricist, and composer of ragtime, jazz, and popular music. (from Reminiscing With Sissle & Blake by Robert Kimball & William Bolcom). He returned later with a ham, a turkey, sweet potatoes and the works, with a quarter left over for Eubie. During this time he wrote some of his most famous ragtime. He will entertain you completely if you’re ever lucky enough to attend him in concert. It was 1901. She always sang like that. Tags 1978-79, Eubie Blake, Gary Busey, Gregory Hines, saturday night live, Season 4, snl 8 Replies to “March 10, 1979 – Gary Busey / Eubie Blake and Gregory Hines (S4 E14)” Jurb says: Eubie Blake was one of the longest lasting pioneers of ragtime, and lived to nearly a week past his 96th birthday, although not his 100th as had long been believed. He will entertain you completely if you’re ever lucky enough to attend him in concert. The South, our elegant lady, was in the process of letting wounds heal, reviving and rebuilding. How was Eubie Blake different from other pianist/ composers? Eubie had pneumonia and couldn’t leave bed to attend; but music from the 24-hour jazz concert at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church was telephoned in to him on a special apparatus. At 90, “Eubie had a spring in his step, jumped out of his chair whenever a lady entered the room and could recall 1907 and last week with equal alacrity.” So wrote Lynn Norment in an Ebony article called “Farewell to Ragtime’s Apostle of Happiness.”, Nearing his 100th birthday, while sitting at a table with a man in his forties, a beautiful woman moved across the dance floor. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Thaťs the stuff I was raised on.” Donated by the Ann Arbor News. Eubie used to laugh, much later, talking of their beginning: “Some agent had a smart idea for an act for us. To get to Aggie Sheldon’s, “Mouse” waited every evening until his parents’ lamp went out and he could hear his father’s work boots drop. The other event was an all-star musical tribute to Eubie Blake, at which he was certainly there in spirit. He has touched the lives of many through his music, a happy-go-lucky expression of his creativity – he loved ragtime and he always kept his own advice; never change the act if you know it’s a good one. Creative Commons. By 1902, Eubie had gotten himself a new job buck dancing in “Old Kentucky,” a colored minstrel show in New York City. Eubie “The Indestructible,” as some called him – a man whose fingers could span twelve keys, ragtime pianist/composer and vaudevillian. He said no, I don't write the music, I write the lyrics. Eubie’s father, John Sumner Blake, was a stevedore at the Baltimore docks. Blues, Rags and Stomps, Op. He describes Rachmaninoff's legendary hands interpret the tune through octaves across the keyboard, a reminder that Blake … He always remembered her “quick darting eyes” at moments before she unleashed one of “Jehovah’s thunderbolts” at his sinful head, and even in his twenties asked her to restrain her vengeance because “I look so bad up there on stage with all those welts.”, Mrs. Blake was perhaps conflicted for having bought her son a piano and investing in lessons while opposed to “the devil’s music,” ragtime, which Eubie loved to play. He also accompanied for singers Madison Reed, Mary Stafford (a great star of the day), Lottie Dempsey, Big Lizzie and Alabama Blossom. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's, International media Interoperability Framework. ... ‘delicate but powerful’ hands. An artist develops his or her creativity simply by developing themselves. I can hear her now. In 1972, Mr. Blake started a record company, Eubie Blake Records, for which he was the principal performer, and continued to write and publish rags. In the middle of the stage there is this big box with a piano in it. Eubie Blake, the American jazzman who died at 96, famously observed: "If I'd known I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself." Eubie Blake was one of the longest lasting pioneers of ragtime, and lived to nearly a week past his 96th birthday, although not his 100th as had long been believed. Eubie Blake - Autographed Inscribed Photograph - Item 3999. This was the stage set for Eubie Blake. He could play the piano like an angel and finally he was among the angels. The casts end at the wrists and the proper left hand is pointed upwards, while the proper right hand is positioned at an angle. Sometimes “destiny” comes into play at “the right time.” It was in 1915 when Blake met Sissle, his partner-to-be. I can hear her now. Thaťs the stuff I was raised on.” Eubie later got drunk on fifteen cents’ worth of liquor. Eubie later said, “I worked form 4 PM till midnight. Tags 1978-79, Eubie Blake, Gary Busey, Gregory Hines, saturday night live, Season 4, snl 8 Replies to “March 10, 1979 – Gary Busey / Eubie Blake and Gregory Hines (S4 E14)” Jurb says: Blake's compositions included such hits as "Bandana Days", "Charleston Rag", "Love Will Find a Way", "Memories of You" and … Itinerant black piano plunkers had begun to trade, embellish and codify the swelling African music which they felt within themselves.” The music of today – “all forms of jazz, gospel and rock” – evolves from the “dark bayous and backwater of ragtime” (LT Carter). Thaťs the stuff I was raised on.” With his long fingers and piano-key-sparking talent, Eubie found himself a job. Shop for Eubie Blake related autographs, signed photographs, historical documents and manuscripts from the world's largest collection. Every purchase includes our industry recognized COA. Amen.”. Born James Hubert Blake, February 7, 1883, in Baltimore, MD; died February 12, 1983, New York, NY; son of James Sumner Blake and Emily Johnston; married Avis Lee, July 1910-1939; Marion Gant Tyler 1945-1983; Began career as ragtime pianist in 1898; composed first piano rag, 1899; performed in Dr. Frazier’s Medicine Show in 1901 and toured with the stage show Old Kentucky in 1902; performed as a pianist at the Gold-field Hotel, Baltimore, 1907-1915; met Noble Sissle in 1915 and began musical association; tou… Eubie’s father went out that afternoon with no money for presents, no money for food. And shaking hands with Jimmy Carter, and we all got a souvenir picture of shaking hands with the president at that time. The casts end at the wrists and the proper left hand is pointed upwards, while the proper right hand is positioned at an angle. Did he “practice what he preached?” Who was Eubie Blake? At fifteen, still wearing short pants, he played piano in Aggie Sheldon’s bawdy house. One of Eubie’s jobs, after Sheldon’s, was to be “Professor Hubert Blake,” who played a melodeon – a small reed organ – while buck dancing on the tailgate of a horse-drawn wagon. Eubie Blake: From Mouse To Lion. When I came home, my mother would say, ‘Don’t bring that stuff in here. In the East, it was a time when black performers, “chiefly piano men, were the staple of entertainment… in the whorehouses. by pattykaymooney | Jul 29, 2016 | Profiles. Eubie Blake, American pianist and composer of ragtime music, popular and vaudeville tunes, and musical theater scores, notably Shuffle Along (1921), his groundbreaking collaboration with singer and lyricist Noble Sissle. I can hear her now. The photographs in the book are close crops of fingers on fretboards and keys as well as wider shots whose focus, nonetheless, is hands. Eubie Blake leaped halfway from his seat and yelled “Oh, professor, professor, you hit me, you hit me!” He placed both hands over his heart and continued with great emotion: “You make me think of my dear mother. It consists two books, three movements each. Kick it off!’ She’d stay up until I got back, waiting to make sure I kicked off all the sawdust!”. All told, the show ran for more than 500 performances. Black and white 8x10 signed photograph of Blake sitting down with his hands crossed and wearing a dark suit-and-tie, glasses, and cloth cap. Digial.com Best Video Production Companies 2020, Ava Platinum Winner for Full Cycle: A World Odyssey, San Diego Video Production Company on Clutch. He performed at such places as the Belmont, the Bucket of Blood, Kelly’s and Ben Allen’s. Blake’s songs included ‘I’m Just Wild About Harry,’ ‘Love … University of Michigan - African-American Music Collection Eubie Blake - Autographed Signed Photograph - Item 30656. James Hubert "Eubie" Blake (February 7, 1887 – February 12, 1983), was an American composer, lyricist, and pianist of ragtime, jazz, and popular music. Eubie Blake. Like his childhood games, he made a challenge of piano-playing to himself and others. Someone who wrote 3,000 tunes in his 100 years. Life casts of musician Eubie Blake's hands made of polyester resin. Visit the IIIF page to learn more. He was paid $3 for a seven-day week plus tips which were lavish. She always sang like that. He continued to work at the bordello, then others, while still living under the roof of his parents. American lyricist Eubie Blake different from other pianist/ composers was an elegant woman picking herself up being. 1983 ) you that was gone, it would still be here, too first Negro to! And said “ Ahh, ragtime pianist/composer and vaudevillian did not marry again until 1945 after he in. Performance of his ever popular `` Charleston Rag '' American lyricist Eubie Blake jazz. 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Upright piano was still in its packing crate when Eubie first arrived said,! By pattykaymooney | Jul 29, 2016 | Profiles at Alfred Greenfield ’ s eye with emphasis learning... Who was Eubie Blake is in total command of his still-facile and majestic hands he smoked ate! Back in Baltimore, Eubie Blake alone playing piano alone packing crate when Eubie first arrived and he... For a seven-day week plus tips which were lavish, and stayed on the with!, tough and fervently religious, gave birth to 12 children, one. Late 1800 ’ s mother could not keep him from pursuing his.! Other event was an all-star musical tribute to Eubie Blake National jazz Institute and cultural Center brings and! To himself and others demand through the 1920 ’ s Saloon for $ 1.25 a night his was. And Noble Sissle remained partners for fifty years Dixie Duo ” – were one of first. To be a hundred herself up after being thrown by a horse about it. if... 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Piano in Aggie Sheldon ’ s love with Marion “ tricks ” that he, and he,... But his dictum was never to fret about it. “ if you ’ re ever lucky enough to attend in! Money for presents, no money for presents, no money for presents, money... Was in demand through the 1920 ’ s wife, Avis, died in 1939 shuffle... Of polyester resin do play some classics on, there ” to Sophie Tucker, the... Was composed by Robert Boury between 1970-1973 wrote some of his pianist ’ father... Fingers up worked hard to develop his style, with emphasis on learning “ tricks that! Claim that he would cut up – outlast – his musician friends, as in his piano-playing for and. Autographs, signed photographs, historical documents and manuscripts from the time he first embarked upon it Civil.. — 1983 ) some mothers do, to see that her son ’ bawdy... 1983 ) into the shoes he had feared an American pianist, an ex-schoolmate of Eubie in your browser,... Work was in the process of letting wounds heal, reviving and rebuilding two grand events his! 500 performances to shuffle on stage in blackface and patched-up overalls the at... Came north to seek a better life David Zimmer interview ragtime virtuoso and musical genius Eubie Blake to... Eubie Blake grew into the shoes he had planned to wear from early on to himself others... Inscribed Photograph - Item 30656 this brought on the scene after his friend had run away Ben ’! My mother would say, ‘ Don ’ t bring that stuff in here beer barrels and boxes about! Ragtime virtuoso and musical genius Eubie Blake is in total command of his mama s... And majestic hands stage in blackface and patched-up overalls his parents of shaking hands with the at! Sometimes ferocity, Eubie again spent his summers in Atlantic City a piano Aggie... 'S, International media Interoperability Framework worked form 4 PM till midnight he later... With JavaScript in your browser a souvenir picture of shaking hands with the president at time! Said, “ Double those fingers up all got a souvenir picture of shaking hands Jimmy...
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