Biography for
Eubie Blake More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

7 February 1887, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Date of Death

12 February 1983, Brooklyn, New York, USA

Birth Name

James Hubert Blake

Mini Biography

Songwriter ("I'm Just Wild About Harry", "You Were Meant For Me", "Memories of You"), pianist and arranger, Eubie Blake was educated at New York University. He studied the Schillinger System, and studied with Margaret Marshall and Llewellyn Wilson. He was a pianist and organist in cafés and in vaudeville and theatres.

In 1915 he joined a vaudeville team with Noble Sissle, and in 1917 he became assistant conductor to Jim Europe at the Clef Club, then he toured in a musical show organized by Europe from musicians of the US Army's 369th Infantry Regiment. During World War II he toured with the USO for five years.

He joined ASCAP in 1922, and his chief musical collaborators included Sissle and Andy Razaf. His other song compositions include "Love Will Find a Way", "Shuffle Along", "Bandana Days", "Gypsy Blues", "Goodnight, Angeline", "Slave of Love", "Lowdown Blues", "You're Lucky to Me", "Lindy Hop", "Lovin' You the Way I Do", "Green Pastures" and "Handy Man".

IMDb Mini Biography By: A. Nonymous

Spouse

Marion Gant Tyler	(27 December 1945 - ?)
Avis Lee	(July 1910 - 1939) (her death)

Trivia

Inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1983.

Was nominated for Broadway's 1979 Tony Award for the autobiographical musical "Eubie!," his music with lyrics by several collaborators.

Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume One, 1981-1985, pages 80-82. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998.

Personal Quotes

[in 1983, on being asked why his compositions contained so many sharps and flats] Down South where I come from you don't go around hitting too many white keys.

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