Cast (1921)
On this date in 1921, "Shuffle Along" became one of the earliest Black Broadway Musicals. The show was an all-Black musical comedy by Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle.
"Shuffle Along" was written, produced, directed, and performed by Blacks. This musical comedy was tried out in Harlem; Washington, DC; New Jersey; and Philadelphia before it opened in New York and set the pattern for Black musicals for many years after its premiere. "Shuffle Along" gave us such hit songs as: "Shuffle Along," "I’m Just Wild About Harry," "Gypsy Blues," and "Love Will Find A Way."
With the business savvy of Flournoy E. Miller and Aubrey Lyles, the show featured Florence Mills and a young Josephine Baker in the chorus while William Grant Still and Hall Johnson play in the orchestra.
The Encyclopedia of African American Heritage
by Susan Altman
Copyright 1997, Facts on File, Inc. New York
ISBN 0-8160-3289-0
