Caption
Composer and pianist, Eubie Blake.
Number
2988
Prompt
Eubie Blake's hands could dance across invisible piano keys, and he could look up with a joyful, energetic smile. The musical score behind him could scroll by, revealing more of his compositions. The year "1995" on the stamp could briefly change to reflect different years in his long career.
Body
This stamp honors James Hubert "Eubie" Blake (1887-1983), a remarkable figure in American music. With his longtime collaborator Noble Sissle, Blake wrote the groundbreaking Broadway musical "Shuffle Along" in 1921, which helped to launch the Harlem Renaissance. A master of ragtime and early jazz piano, Blake enjoyed a late-in-life resurgence of popularity and continued to perform and compose into his nineties.