Aubrey Lyles facts for kids

Aubrey Lee Lyles (born January 8, 1884 – died July 28, 1932) was an American performer, playwright, songwriter, and lyricist. He was often known as A. L. Lyles. He became famous as one half of the comedy duo Miller and Lyles with his friend Flournoy E. Miller. They were a very popular African-American comedy team from 1905 until just before Lyles passed away. In 1929, they even appeared in a short film called They Know Their Groceries.

Biography of Aubrey Lyles

Aubrey Lyles was born in Jackson, Tennessee. He went to Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee to study medicine. However, he soon started performing comedy with his friend Flournoy Miller.

Starting a Comedy Duo

In 1905, Miller and Lyles were hired by Robert T. Motts. They became resident playwrights for the Pekin Theater Stock Company in Chicago. While performing with this group, they created two famous characters: Steve Jenkins (played by Miller) and Sam Peck (played by Lyles). These characters became very well-known and they played them for many years.

Moving to Vaudeville and Musicals

In 1909, Miller and Lyles moved to New York City. They began performing on the vaudeville circuit. Vaudeville was a popular type of entertainment with different acts like comedy, music, and dance. Miller and Lyles were special because they focused mainly on comedy, rather than singing and dancing.

In 1915, they performed in England in a show called Charlot's Revue. When they came back to the U.S., they appeared in Darkydom with Abbie Mitchell. This show was a musical with music by James Reese Europe. It was one of the first big black musical comedies.

For several years, they continued performing on the Keith vaudeville circuit. They also wrote and produced plays.

Creating Shuffle Along

In 1921, Miller and Lyles created a very important Broadway musical called Shuffle Along. Eubie Blake wrote the music, and Noble Sissle wrote the lyrics. This show was a huge success! It "set the style for more than a decade," meaning it influenced many other shows that came after it. It also featured the famous song "I'm Just Wild About Harry". Miller and Lyles also starred in Shuffle Along as their characters, Steve Jenkins and Sam Peck.

Also in 1921, Miller and Lyles made a short film. They performed their song "De Ducks" using an early sound recording process called Photokinema.

Later Career and Legacy

Shuffle Along ran in theaters until 1924. From 1922 to 1925, Miller and Lyles also made several recordings for the OKeh record label. They wrote a three-act play called The Flat Below.

Miller and Lyles kept working together for several more years. They wrote and performed in other Broadway shows. These included Runnin' Wild in 1923, which helped make the Charleston dance very popular. This show had music by James P. Johnson. They also co-directed Rang Tang in 1927 and performed in Keep Shuffling in 1928, which featured music by Fats Waller.

The comedy duo split up in 1928 but later reunited to perform on radio. They even considered suing the creators of the Amos 'n' Andy radio show, saying their act was too similar. They were also working on a new show called Shuffle Along of 1933.

Aubrey Lyles passed away in New York City in July 1932, at the age of 48.

Filmography

• They Know Their Groceries (1929) - A short comedy film where F. E. Miller and Aubrey Lyles played grocers.

See also

• African American musical theater