Books Details
Author : Richard Carlin Pages : 472 pages Publisher : Oxford University Press,
USA Language : ISBN-10 : 0190635932 ISBN-13 : 9780190635930
Books Descriptions
A new biography of one of the key composers of 20th-century American popular
song and jazz, Eubie Blake: Rags, Rhythm and Race illuminates Blake's little-
known impact on over 100 years of American culture. A gifted musician, Blake
rose from performing in dance halls and bordellos of his native Baltimore to the
heights of Broadway. In 1921, together with performer and lyricist Noble Sissle,
Blake created Shuffle Along which became a sleeper smash on Broadway
eventually becoming one of the top ten musical shows of the 1920s. Despite
many obstacles Shuffle Along integrated Broadway and the road and introduced
such stars as Josephine Baker, Lottie Gee, Florence Mills, and Fredi Washington.
It also proved that black shows were viable on Broadway and subsequent
productions gave a voice to great songwriters, performers, and spoke to a
previously disenfranchised black audience. As successful as Shuffle Along was,
racism and bad luck hampered Blake's career. Remarkably, the third act of
