The Shuffle Along Orchestra
The Musical, Shuffle Along, Opened On Broadway On May 23, 1921.
Written, Produced And Performed By African Americans, Flournoy Miller And Aubrey Lyles, Shuffle Along Received Rave Reviews And Played On Broadway For 504 Performances Before Embarking On A Year-Long, Nationwide Tour.
The Musical-Comedy Featured Extraordinary Singing, Dancing And Comedy Routines. It Also Launched The Careers Of Several Black Entertainers, Including, Florence Mills, Josephine Baker, Eubie Blake And Noble Sissle.
Blake Composed The Show's Music Which Featured Songs That Would become American Classics. "Love Will Find A Way," " In Honeysuckle Time," And "I'm Just Wild About Harry (A Song That Became Harry Truman's Presidential Theme Song)," Were Among The Show's Most Popular Tunes.
Some Historians Cite Shuffle Along As The Beginning Of The Harlem Renaissance.
"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.
