Charleston Rag, Op. 189, No. 1 (1915/2025)

Program Notes:

Eubie Blake (1887-1983) was an American pianist and composer. He was born to former slaves in Baltimore, MD and worked as a stevedore on the docks. He started organ lessons at the age of seven and began gigging at the age of 15 (at a bordello!). He worked with Broadway Jones during WWI. After the war, he wrote Shuffle Along with Noble Sissle, one of the first Broadway musicals written and directed by African Americans. His 1921 song I'm Just Wild About Harry (with Sissle) became Harry S Truman's campaign song in 1948. Blake frequently appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and worked with conductors like Leonard Bernstein and Arthur Fiedler. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1981 from Ronald Reagan.

Blake states that he composed the melody of Charleston Rag in 1899, at the age of 12. It was not written down until 1915, when he learned musical notation. He recorded a piano roll of the piece in 1917. This orchestral transcription was commissioned for the La Porte County Symphony Orchestra's February 2026 concert "The Roaring 20's".