SHOWBIZ TIME MAGAZINE. JULY 2007 ISSUE .  PAGE 61  COVER AND TABLE OF CONTENTS             FRONT PAGE   Continues Next

RAG TIME: AN IMPORTANT PART OF AMERICAN CULTURE

Ragtime’s highest popularity coincides with the career of its greatest, Scott Joplin. However, other than the “Maple Leaf Rag,” ragtime went into obscurity, until its revival in the 1940, brought about by jazz enthusiasts who were researching the roots of jazz, brought it back into the light. In addition, the 1973 film, The Sting, used ragtime as the soundtrack. However, there were many other contributors. “Mississippi Rag,” written by the white composer William H. Krell was published in 1897, and is considered by some to be the first published rag, but in truth it is a march. At the same year, an African-American composer, Tom Turpin, published “Harlem Rag,” which enjoyed a great success. Interestingly, the most popular rag of the early twentieth century was also written by a white composer, Euday, L. Bowman, called “12^th Street Rag” and published in 1914. It was recorded by several artists, including Louis Armstrong in 1914 and Pee Wee Hunt in 1948. Ragtime is still played, and recorded regularly, but it is basically limited to a small audience. Modern composers of rag include William Albright, Donald Ashwander, William Bolcom, Frank French, Hal Isbitz, Max Morath, and David Thomas Roberts. Noted performers of reissues of the classics are Mimi Blais, Matthew Davidson, Scott Kirby, Morten Gunnar Larsen, Trebor and Virginia Tichenor, and Richard Zimmerman. The “coon songs,” are now distasteful to all of us due to their stereotypes and racial tones, but they cannot be ignored since they represented an important genre a century ago. One must remember that comic songs exist about every ethnic group, and keep the historical perspective. These songs sold very well, both as illustrated sheet music and records, by such large companies as Victor, Edison, and Columbia. Actually, some songs, even though not strictly “coon songs” were advertised as such, since it increased sales. For example, when Billy Murray sang various comic songs for the Edison’s National Phonograph Company, they promoted Irish songs like “Bedelia” and “Mary Ellen” as “Irish coon serenades!” Interestingly, many people associated the coon songs with ragtime, even though the coon songs predated rag. Some of the most important songs were: "Whistling Coon" "You'll Have To Choose Another Baby Now” "My Coal Black Lady” "The Wench With The Rag Time Walk" "You've Been A Good Ole Wagon, But You're Done Broke Down" "I Love My Little Honey" (#7311), is characterized as a "rag time melody." "Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home?" "Under the Bamboo Tree" and "Good Bye, My Lady Love.” Many of the songs included the words “ragtime” in the titles.