"Based on extensive interviews, Reminiscing with Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake recounts the lives and music of singer-lyricist-bandleader Noble Sissle (1889-1975) and ragtime pianist-composer Eubie Blake (1883-1983). Their 57-year partnership began in 1915, when Broadway beckoned with a wealth of opportunity: thriving theater companies performed vaudeville, revue, musical comedy, and operetta to enthusiastic audiences." "It was an unprecedented time for black musical theater, and this book captures all of the optimism and vibrancy of early twentieth century black performers and musicians. In 1921, Sissle and Blake's breakthrough musical, Shuffle Along, brought authentic ragtime and jazz dancing to the Broadway stage for the first time - a combination that opened up new avenues in musical theater for black and white performers alike." "Richly illustrated with a rare collection of photographs, theater posters, playbills, sheet music, and reviews, Reminiscing with Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake forms a portrait of an unforgettable era in musical theater and of the creative partnership that contributed so immensely to it." --Book Jacket.