Blake, (James Hubert) Eubie (1883–1983)

US composer and pianist. Blake published his first song in 1914, and in 1915 he met the lyricist Noble Sissle, with whom he established a long-term songwriting partnership. The pair produced many classic ragtime hits and performed together as The Dixie Duo. In 1921 Blake and Sissel wrote their first Broadway show, Shuffle Along, which had an all-black cast. Blake wrote many songs, some of them with Sissel, and went on to lead orchestras, tour during World War II, and help to found the Negro Actors Guild. Blake's career was revived when he was rediscovered in the late 1960s.