today in Black history - feb 7

Eubie Blake, acclaimed American pianist, composer and lyricist of ragtime, jazz and popular music was born in Baltimore, MD, February 7, 1887.

I think it's highly likely you've heard of the Harlem Renaissance. Names like Zora Neale Hurston, Josephine Baker, Cab Calloway, and "dean” of the Harlem Renaissance, Alain Locke, may be familiar to you. Today, we celebrate the life and immeasurable impact of Eubie Blake. His name may be less familiar to some, but Blake's work--including his work on the groundbreaking African American musical, Shuffle Along, that it is not an overstatement to say transformed American entertainment and was integral to the Harlem Renaissance--has shaped contemporary music and culture in more ways than I think most of us realize. If you have a few minutes today, spend some time listening to this dope NPR tribute to Eubie Blake:

Seriously, I don't think that we talk about Eubie Blake nearly enough given the magnitude of his impact on modern music and entertainment. If you want a deep dive into Blake's work, you might check out some of these items available online in the Library of Congress catalog.