DID YOU KNOW? for May 24 - June 6, 2022:  

Did You Know…Scott Joplin (1868-1917) was an African-American composer and pianist. He was considered the “King of Ragtime”, though he also composed music for ballet, opera, and broadway. Ragtime is a syncopated (i.e. off-beat) music style with roots in the African-American community. It was especially popular in America from about 1895 to 1919, and is considered one forerunner of jazz.  Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag” (1899) was a major hit and is often referred to as the model for all ragtime works.

Joplin's father had been a slave, later working for the railroad after emancipation.  Scott briefly worked for the railroad, then taught piano, and played piano at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.  Scott hoped for a career as a classical pianist and composer, and had difficulty escaping his ragtime associations.

Learn more……

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Joplin

Listen to Scott Joplin play “Maple Leaf Rag” (recording from 1916)…..
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Maple_leaf_rag_-_played_by_Scott_Joplin_1916_V2.ogg