Eubie Blake composed the melody to the Charleston Rag and in fact was ragtime itself around 1914 and later.
He said:
So one day I was playing; my mother'd gone out to work, see and what she was doing home that time in the morning, I don't know. She came in, says and heard me playing: "Take that ragtime out of my house!" That's the first time I ever heard the word "ragtime." And she made me; she made me stop.
He claimed his age was four years older than he was so that when he died at 100, he was, in fact, 96.
The lady in the clip is Alberta Hunter, a famous jazz singer of the age who performed with most of the greats of the day. One aside is that she is a lesbian community icon today and was as public about it as one dared be in that day.
Here's another side to Eubie Blake from 1932:
I've got a question for you, why do you call these music posts "Dearieme presents..."? Does he make the suggestions?
ReplyDeleteGood point about Meredith Kercher, BTW.
ReplyDeleteDearieme keeps feeding me the youtubes and directing me to new music. The second track is usually my response to it.
ReplyDeleteHe found the first Eubie Blake and I found the second. It's a good arrangement all round. I reserve Wednesdays and Sundays for Dearieme usually. Tomorrow evening will be different altogether.
Meredith Kercher - thanks, Mark. I feel strongly about that point.
Hob, d'ye think your readers would enjoy the three tenors swinging?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-6FcBHXRr8&feature=related
Could well do. Sunday possible - first I'd best listen to it.
ReplyDelete