John W. Bubbles
John William Sublett (February 19, 1902 in Louisville, Kentucky – May 18, 1986 in New York City), known by his stage name John W. Bubbles, was an American vaudeville performer, dancer, singer and entertainer.Born in Louisville, Kentucky, his family soon moved to Indianapolis. Here, he formed a partnership with Ford L. "Buck" Washington known as "Buck and Bubbles," with Buck playing stride piano and singing while Bubbles tapped, beginning in 1919.In 1920 he gave lessons in tap dancing to Fred Astaire, who considered Sublett the finest tap dancer of his generation. In the number "Bojangles of Harlem" from Swing Time (1936) Astaire dresses in blackface as the Sportin' Life character and dances in the style of Sublett while ostensibly paying tribute to Bill Robinson.[3]During the Vietnam War John Bubbles toured the war zone with the USO. In 1965 he appeared with Eddie Fisher on a USO tour, visiting many outposts and camps in the early war years.In 1978, John Bubbles spoke at the Variety Arts Theatre in Los Angeles as a participant in a seminar on vaudeville. Someone asked him who the best tap dancer was. Bubbles answered, "You're looking at him." Then he added, "Honestly, if I had to name the best dancer, it would be Fred Astaire. He could tap. He had a good teacher. But he could ballroom, dance with a partner. All in all, he's the best." That same night, Bubbles mentioned that Astaire had brought him into the rehearsal hall to work on "Bojangles of Harlem" and John's chops are right there in the number.
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