Noble Sissle

Noble Sissle (born July 10, 1889 in Indianapolis, Indiana, died December 17, 1975 in Tampa, Florida) was an American jazz composer, lyricist, bandleader, singer and playwright. He is noted for his collaboration with songwriter, Eubie Blake. The pair first performed in vaudeville and later produced the musical, Shuffle Along. Sissle is also, famously, the only African-American artist to appear in the Pathe film archives.

Shortly after World War I, Sissle joined forces with performer Eubie Blake to form a vaudeville music duo, the "Dixie Duo." After vaudeville, the pair began work on a musical revue, Shuffle Along, which incorporated many songs they had written. When it premiered in 1921, Shuffle Along became the first hit musical on Broadway written by and about African-Americans. The musicals also introduced hit songs such as "I'm Just Wild About Harry" and "Love Will Find a Way."^[1]^[2]

Sissle was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans.

Notes

^ Southern, Eileen. Eubie Blake. in Kernfeld, Barry. ed. The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd Edition, Vol. 1. London: MacMillan, 2002. p. 231.
^ Graziano, John. Noble Sissle. in Kernfeld, Barry. ed. The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd Edition, Vol. 3. London: MacMillan, 2002. p. 596.

References

The Book of World Famous Music, Classical, Popular and Folk by James Fuld

External links

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[1] Southern, Eileen. Eubie Blake. in Kernfeld, Barry. ed. The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd Edition, Vol. 1. London: MacMillan, 2002. p. 231.

[2] Graziano, John. Noble Sissle. in Kernfeld, Barry. ed. The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd Edition, Vol. 3. London: MacMillan, 2002. p. 596.

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