Shim Sham Shimmy Reed, Leonard performer Bryant, Willie performer Choreography 1927 Leonard Reed and his partner Willie Bryant claim to have created the dance the shim sham shimmy in 1927, though historians argue it may have been created earlier by chorus dancers. Performing Arts Encyclopedia http://www.loc.gov/performingarts New York Public Library: CATNYP: Dance Collection: Tap Dancing. New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Gregory Hines Collection of American Tap Dance (). Tap Dance America http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/html/tda/tda-home.html Leonard Reed (biography) loc.music.tdabio.160 tda IHAS 151216 loc.music.tda.570