Oral History and Research Materials: Eubie Blake
This is the table of contents for the interview of Eubie Blake. It is part of the National Ragtime and Jazz Archive which is located in
Lovejoy Library at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
If interested in reviewing these materials from the National Ragtime and Jazz Archive, please contact Therese Dickman, Fine Arts Librarian.
For a complete contents list of all musician interviews for the oral history project, please click on this link: Oral History and Research Materials.
Tape # Side Running Time on Tape Subject
1 a 015-050 Eubie as a nickname
1 a 051-065 Birth in Baltimore, 1883
1 a 066-104 Parents; as slave; family
1 a 105-114 Music in family
1 a 115-133 Longevity; Eubie's father
1 a 134-175 Eubie's father and the American flag
1 a 176-192 Lee Whipper, Porgy
1 a 193-283 How Eubie started playing the organ
1 a 284-307 First lessons; Margaret Marshall
1 a 308-319 Improvising on the organ
1 a 320-340 Ragtime, origins of
1 a 341-403 Eubie's girlfriend, her lawn party; Edgar Dow
1 a 404-449 Plays "Dream Rag"
1 a 450-480 Jessie Picket, Composer of "Dream Rag"
1 a 481-493 Basil Chase; Eubie age 15-16
1 a 494-508 Dr. Frisbee's medicine show
1 a 509-628 Job at Aggie Shelton's Place
1 a 629-634 Next job
1 a 635-648 Old Kentucky Show
1 a 649-654 Playing cabarets in New York
1 a 655-665 Type of music played in bordellos
1 a 666-702 Plays excerpts of music
1 a 703-709 1905; playing in New York and Atlantic City
1 a 710-712 Goldfield Hotel
1 b 063-095 Rags, classic flavor of
1 b 096-111 Composing of Charleston Rag
1 b 112-144 Learning show music
1 b 145-176 Jim Europe's band
1 b 177-224 Early rags - "Chevy Chase" and "Fizzwater"; publisher's tricks
- no royalties
1 b 225-274 Plays "Charleston Rag"
1 b 275-280 First musical comedy
1 b 281-394 Discrimination against blacks in show business; musicians
salaries; Kieth Vaundeville. Dressing facilities for blacks;
Eubie's father on Decoration Day
1 b 395-406 Blank
1 b 407-491 Attitudes of young blacks; feelings of older blacks
1 b 492-504 First show; Shuffle Along
1 b 505-523 Playing in small towns
1 b 524-549 Getting from New Jersey to Washington, D.C.
1 b 550-565 Thomas Brothers and race track incident
1 b 566-580 Getting from Washington, D.C. to New York
1 b 581-592 Minstrel shows; comedians
1 b 593-599 Blank
1 b 600-645 Minstrel shows
1 b 646-668 Continued popularity of "I'm Just Wild About Harry"
1 b 669-704 Partnership with Noble Sissle
1 b 705-724 Josephine Baker
1 b 713-719 Blank
1 b 720-740 One-leg Willie
1 b 725-736 Countries played on tour
1 b 737- End of tape
1 b 740- End of side one
2 a 003-025 USO tours
2 a 026-038 Travels in U.S.; wife acts as agent
2 a 039-056 Recent compositions
2 a 057-105 Plays "Melodic Rag"
2 a 106-141 Present popularity of ragtime; what makes music ragtime
2 a 142- End of tape
E-mail comments and inquiries about the National Ragtime and Jazz Archive to Therese Dickman at tdickma@siue.edu or call 618-650-2695.
http://www.siue.edu/~tdickma
Library and Information Services
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Updated by Kristin Walker
May 2005