Eubie Blake sheet music collection

James Hubert (Eubie) Blake was born in Baltimore on February 7, 1887 and died in Brooklyn, New York on February 12, 1983, a few days before his ninety-sixth birthday. Composer, lyricist, and pianist, he was a major figure in the revival of ragtime and early jazz, returning them to prominence as true American musical genres.

Blake was playing piano professionally and composing by the age of 16. His career began to take shape when he met fellow musician Noble Sissle in 1915. Together, the two of them wrote hundreds of songs, many of which became major hits. Blake and Sissle also collaborated on writing the musical play Shuffle Along, which featured classic songs such as “I’m Just Wild About Harry.” Shuffle Along, Blake and Sissle’s most famous work, was significant not only for reviving the black musical genre, but also for helping launch influential young performers and composers who went on to their own successful careers. Among them were Josephine Baker, Florence Mills, Paul Robeson, and William Grant Still. Many songs from Shuffle Along became great hits and were recorded dozens of times.

Blake gave talks and performed well into his nineties. The musical “Eubie!” based on his songs, appeared in 1978 and became a major Broadway hit. Blake was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show during the 1970s, and among his many awards was the Presidential Medal of Freedom. To recognize his approaching hundredth birthday, the Kennedy Center presented the televised Eubie Blake: A Century of Music, which won an Emmy Award in 1983.