Ford Lee Washington

Did Ford Lee Washington earn the nickname and more important stage name of Buck because of the face that appears on the one dollar bill? It is just as likely that he got the name from his dancing style, as he certainly was around when the "Buck and Wing" was a dance craze. It is perhaps possible that this historic black tap dancer was dancing before he was walking; at any rate, the popular duo of Buck and Bubbles was formed with pianist John "Bubbles" Sublett at such youthful ages that it makes punk rockers seem fit for the old age home. Washington was 10 when he hooked up with his piano accompanist and stage partner for most of his life. But that's nothing. Sublett was only six. Buck and Bubbles appeared in several productions that have been seen by as wide an audience as any entertainment phenomenon in black classical music. The duo appeared on-stage in the original production of Porgy and Bess as well as in the 1943 film hit Cabin in the Sky. They were also part of the amazing cast of the revue Blackbirds of 1930, along with pianist Eubie Blake and vocalist Ethel Waters. Hollywood provided many opportunities for Buck and Bubbles in a series of productive bursts, first with shorts in the late '20s and again in the mid-'30s and throughout the '40s with feature numbers in full-length productions. Washington began performing in vaudeville when he was very young, and was said to have mastered almost every possible skill for pleasing an audience. By the time he got to Hollywood, this meant behaving in a manner that was later considered to be racial stereotyping. But the reality was, it was do that or no bucks for Buck. Buck and Bubbles and Their Bucket was the full name of an expanded show the duo presented regularly at the Apollo Theater in New York City. ~ Eugene...