The Blake Namesake

In honor of his fast-approaching birthday, it only seems right to remind and educate the students of Blake on the man our school was named after. 

Early Life

James Hubert, or “Eubie” Blake, the son of former slaves, was interested in music from a very young age. At age 5, Blake began playing the pump organ at home. During his teenage years, he played the piano in brothels and saloons. By his mid-20s, Blake frequently performed at venues such as the Baltimore Goldfield Hotel and many Atlantic City clubs. 

His Career

Blake teamed up with Noble Sissle in 1915 and began composing music. Their most notable song at the time, “It’s All Your Fault,” was performed by popular nightclub singer Sophie Tucker. In 1916, Blake was employed as an assistant conductor and composer by James Reese Europe, the founder of Chef Club — an organization that provided hundreds of Black musicians well-paying jobs.

After Europe died in 1919, Blake and Sissle went on staging shows and composing music in Vaudeville. They became the first African-American musical act to perform professionally neither wearing blackface/minstrel makeup nor using an exaggerated and stereotypical dialect. The duo went on to collaborate with writer-performers Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lyes to produce “Shuffle Along,” the first Broadway show with an entirely black cast. The musical opened on May 23, 1921, and became a groundbreaking and long-running production, closing after some 500 performances. Blake’s shows were thought to have laid the foundation for the “Jazz Age” of the 1920s.

In 1923, part of Sissle and Blake’s act was featured in one of many pioneering music films, produced by Lee De Forest. This made the duo among the first African American acts to appear in talking pictures. Despite being inactive throughout the majority of the 1930s, Blake was recognized as a ragtime pioneer during the Ragtme Revivial of the 1950s. Blake’s popularity grew throughout the decade, and in 1969, Columbia Records issued The Eighty-six Years of Eubie Blake, a double album of his still-vigorous performances. Meanwhile, he became a touring sensation, appearing in festivals and concerts all over the United States and Europe. 

Eubie Blake maintained his celebrity status until his death. He appeared on major TV programs such as The Tonight Show and Saturday Night Live. In 1981, Blake was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom before he passed away two years later. The most memorable songs that Eubie Blake’s career yielded were “I’m Just Wild About Harry,” “Love Will Find A Way,” and “Memories Of You.”

Celebration

Every year, Blake’s Black Student Union hosts Eubie Blake’s birthday party! The party will be on Friday, Feb 9th, in the amphitheater. You must get a ticket from Mrs. Givens in F302 to attend. If you want to learn more in detail about Eubie’s life please check out his official record on the Blake Website. Happy Birthday, Eubie!