BLACK IN TIME: A Moment In OUR History

Hugh Gaddy · Friday, July 10th 2009 at 12:03AM · 131 views

Noble Sissle

Musician, Playwright, Lyricist, Singer And Bandleader, Noble Sissle, Was Born On This Day In 1889, In Indianapolis, Indiana. Sissle Began His Professional Career In Vaudeville, Singing With A Midwest Gospel Quartet. By 1915 He Had Formed His Own Orchestra. Sissle Is Most Noted For His Collaboration With Songwriter, Eubie Blake. The Two Joined Forces Shortly After World War I And Performed In Vaudeville Shows As The "Dixie Duo." They Would Later Co-write And Produce Shuffle Along, The First Broadway Musical Written, Produced And Performed By African Americans. Shuffle Along Opened On Broadway, May 23, 1921. The Musical Comedy Featured Extraordinary Singing, Dancing And Comedy Routines. It Also Launched The Careers Of Several Black Entertainers, Including Florence Mills And Josephine Baker. The Show Featured Songs That Would Become American Classics. "I'm Just Wild About Harry," "Love Will Find A Way" And "In Honeysuckle Time," Were Among The Show's Most Popular Tunes. Some Historians Cite Shuffle Along As The Event That Launched The Harlem Renaissance. Later In Life, Noble Sissle Co-Founded The Negro Actor's Guild And Served As Its First President. He Died December 17, 1975. "In Order For Black People To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.

BLACK IN TIME: A Moment In OUR History

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