Eubie Blake & Noble Sissle
The duo brought Black artistry to the American stage.
About The artist
Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle first met when they worked an engagement together with Joe Porter’s Serenaders at Riverview amusement park in Baltimore. They quickly formed a songwriting partnership that would last for 60 years.
Their first hit song was "It's All Your Fault," which was introduced by the legendary Sophie Tucker. They later worked together with James Reese Europe's orchestra. They went to vaudeville and worked as the Dixie Duo, the first Black act to perform without darkening their faces in the minstrel style.
Their most influential work was the Broadway musical Shuffle Along. It was a massive hit that ran for over 500 performances and featured artists such as Florence Mills, Josephine Baker, William Grant Still, and Hall Johnson. The song "I'm Just Wild About Harry," from the show later became the campaign anthem for President Harry Truman.
Did you know...
In 1921, "Shuffle Along" became the first Broadway hit written by and about Black Americans. Featuring music by Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle, it helped launch the careers of Josephine Baker, Paul Robeson, Adeline Hall. Florence Mills, Hall Johnson, and William Grant Still.
