Eubie Blake

John Klaus also suggested this Brother for black History Month. He wrote "James Hubert "Eubie" Blake, one of the founding fathers of American ragtime."

Brother Blake was a natural musician. Eubie’s musical experience began when he was just four or five years old. While out shopping with his mother, the boy wandered off on his own. He went into a music store, climbed on the bench of an organ, and started “foolin’” around. When his mother found him, the manager of the store told her, “The child is a genius! It would be criminal to deprive him of the chance to make use of such a sublime, God-given talent.” Impressed by the manager’s estimation of their son, the Blakes soon had a $75 dollar pump organ in their house. When he was seven, Eubie received some music lessons from a next-door neighbor, Mrs. Margaret Marshall, an organist at a Methodist church.

His mother was a strong church woman and she did not like for him to play certain types of music. Despite his mother’s best efforts, the sounds from nearby pool halls and houses of ill repute exposed Eubie to a syncopated style of music, known as ragtime. Eubie quickly became a convert to the sounds of ragtime, influenced especially by the playing of Jack the Bear Wilson and the aging Jesse Pickett. Interestingly, Eubie said the first time he even heard the word ragtime was when his mother caught him playing “the devil’s music,” and ordered, “Take that ragtime out of my house!” You can hear an interview with him where he tells about this here.

At the young age of fifteen, and without his mother’s knowledge, Eubie began playing piano at Aggie Shelton’s bordello, considered one of the classiest bordellos in the city of Baltimore. The place had a relaxed atmosphere, and six to eight assorted belles were always on hand to keep a marathon party going. The sound of live music enhanced the ambiance, and Eubie became an immediate favorite with the girls and their customers.

His mother eventually found out about it and was unhappy but she couldn't argue with the money that came in. Banks lead a long and creative life. You can read about him here.
Which is also the source of the material.

Read more about him here and hear and listen to some of his music here.