Eubie Blake: Rags, Rhythm, and Race - Hardcover

by Richard Carlin (Author), Ken Bloom (Author)

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
Blake's life found him heralded in his 90s at major jazz festivals, in Broadway shows, and on television and recordings.

Author Biography

Richard Carlin is a Grammy Award-winning author of numerous books on popular music, including Country Music: A Very Short Introduction (OUP, 2019), The Big Book of Country (1995), and Worlds of Sound: The Story of Smithsonian Folkways (2008).