Long before he became a Broadway legend, James Hubert “Eubie” Blake was a five year old child wandering into a Baltimore music store and sitting down at an organ. According to family lore, he began playing instantly. His stunned parents bought him the instrument, unknowingly investing in a future icon of American music.
Born in Baltimore to parents who were formerly enslaved in Virginia, Blake grew up in a deeply religious household. His mother, Emily, once described by Blake as a woman who “carried Jesus around in her vest pocket,” was shocked to learn her teenage son had taken a job playing piano at a local bawdy house at just 15 years old. But even then, his talent was undeniable. He could glide from popular tunes to Johann Strauss’ “The Blue Danube” without missing a beat.
By 16, Blake composed “Charleston Rag,” a pioneering piece of ragtime that he would not formally write down until years later. His innovative “wobble bass” style helped define early ragtime and later influenced jazz and Broadway…