Harlem Renaissance Jazz Composer Noble Sissle Was A Member Of Alpha Phi Alpha

Did you know that jazz composer Noble Sissle was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha? Sissle was initiated through the Theta Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., which is based in Chicago, Illinois.

Noble Lee Sissle was born in 1889 in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he sang in church choirs and as a soloist in his high school glee club. He studied at DePauw University and Butler University before committing to music full time. In 1916 he moved to New York and joined an orchestra as the city was becoming the center of Black artistic life.

During World War I, Sissle served in the 369th Infantry Regiment, the celebrated Harlem Hellfighters, performing alongside bandleader James Reese Europe and helping carry American ragtime and jazz to audiences overseas. Back home, he formed a songwriting partnership with pianist Eubie Blake that would shape American theater.

In 1921, Sissle and Blake created Shuffle Along, one of the first Broadway musicals written, produced, and performed by Black artists. Its hit song, “I’m Just Wild About Harry,” springboarded the show’s success and opened doors for a generation of Black performers.

Sissle later led his own orchestra and became a founding figure of the Negro Actors Guild, advocating for Black artists in an industry that too often shut them out. His life remains a lasting chapter in the story of Black Greekdom and the Harlem Renaissance.

Share this article with your network and let them know about this interesting fact about Alpha Phi Alpha.