Aubrey Lyles | |
|---|---|
 Miller and Lyles on the cover of Dramatic Mirror (June 25, 1921), drawn by Charles Gordon Saxton | |
| Born | (1884-01-08)8 January 1884 Jackson, Tennessee |
| Died | 28 July 1932(1932-07-28) (aged 48) New York City |
| Occupations | Vaudeville performer, playwright, songwriter, lyricist |
Aubrey Lee Lyles (8 January 1884 – 28 July 1932), sometimes credited asA. L. Lyles, was an Americanvaudeville performer, playwright, songwriter, and lyricist. He appeared withFlournoy E. Miller asMiller and Lyles as a popularAfrican-American comedy duo from 1905 until shortly before his death. in 1929 they appeared on film as grocers in the Vitaphone Varieties short comedy filmThey Know Their Groceries.
Lyles was born inJackson, Tennessee, and attendedFisk University inNashville as a medical student. He began performing as one half of a comedy duo, Miller and Lyles, with his friendFlournoy Miller. From 1905, Miller and Lyles were hired by impresarioRobert T. Motts[1] to be resident playwrights with the Pekin Theater Stock Company inChicago. They performed with the company inblackface, and in the showThe Colored Aristocrats introduced the characters Steve Jenkins (Miller) and Sam Peck (Lyles), with which they would be associated for many years.[2][3]
In 1909, Miller and Lyles traveled toNew York City, where they started to perform on thevaudeville circuit, uniquely relying on comic performances rather than incorporating song and dance. They developed comedy devices later copied by others, such as aprizefighting routine which contrasted Miller's height and Lyles' short stature; completing each other's sentences; and "mutilatin'" the language in their phraseology. In 1915, they appeared inAndré Charlot's productionCharlot's Revue in England,[3] and upon their return to the U.S. appeared withAbbie Mitchell inDarkydom, amusical with score byJames Reese Europe that was the first major black musical comedy.[2]
For several years they continued to work together on theKeith vaudeville circuit, as well as writing and producing plays. In 1921 they presentedShuffle Along, aBroadwaymusical with music byEubie Blake and lyrics byNoble Sissle. The show "set the style for more than a decade, inspiring many imitations,"[3] and showcased the song "I'm Just Wild About Harry". Miller and Lyles also starred in the show, as Steve Jenkins and Sam Peck. Also in 1921, Orlando Kellum made ashort film with Miller and Lyles performing their song "De Ducks" in Kellum's short-livedPhotokinemasound-on-disc process.
Shuffle Along ran in theatres until 1924. Between 1922 and 1925, Miller and Lyles also made a number of recordings for theOKeh label.[3] The pair wrote a three-act play,The Flat Below, and Miller also wrote another play,Going White.[2] Miller and Lyles continued to work together for several years writing and performing in Broadway shows includingRunnin' Wild – one of the first shows to popularize theCharleston, in 1923, with a score byJames P. Johnson –Rang Tang (1927), which they co-directed; andKeep Shuffling (1928) which featured music byFats Waller.[4] They split up the act in 1928 but later reunited to perform on radio, and threatened to sueFreeman Gosden andCharles Correll, writers and performers of theAmos 'n' Andy radio show, forplagiarising their act. They also started to put together a new show,Shuffle Along of 1933.
Lyles died inNew York City in July 1932 of pulmonarytuberculosis, at the age of 48.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
