Eubie Blake, musical pioneer in jazz and ragtime

Eubie Blake National Center

May 23, 1921

Categories: African American, Arts, Culture
Tags: 1900 – 1940, Baltimore City

James Hubert “Eubie” Blake(1887-1983) teams up with Noble Sissle (1889-1975) to launch the first All African American Broadway production, Shuffle Along. It becomes a major hit running for 504 performances and introducing future stars Josephine Baker and Paul Robeson.

Eubie Blake is born to formerly enslaved parents in Baltimore and shows an early ability as a pianist. He becomes a pioneer in ragtime, jazz and popular music and is an active artist for nine decades. He is particularly popular because of his strong connections to the beginnings of jazz music. He receives a Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Ronald Reagan in 1981 for his contributions as a musician.

For More Information

Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center

View Other Mosaic Pieces

Harriet Tubman, A Moses to her People

Harriet Tubman escapes slavery with two brothers in 1849. Subsequently she leads 13 more escape missions, rescuing 70 individuals and she participates in Civil War military engagements in South Carolina.

The Washington Monuments in Maryland are first in the country

Baltimore’s Washington Monument is the first erected in 1815 and dedicated to George Washington. The second, more modest Washington Monument is built by Revolutionary War veterans on South Mountain overlooking Boonsboro in 1826.

Alex Haley finds his roots

Alex Haley publishes a popular book, Roots, in 1967 and, with a TV Miniseries, creates a new national interest in enslavement in America. He launches the book from the Annapolis wharf where his ancestor Kunta Kinte was brought in chains 200 years ago.