Scott Joplin was an African American composer and pianist during the early 20th century. He is known as the “King of Ragtime” and his most famous works are “The Entertainer” and “The Maple Leaf Rag,” which is the biggest selling ragtime song in history. Scott Joplin is believed to have been born on November 24, 1868 near Linden, Texas to Florence Givens and Giles Joplin - although the location and time of his birth have been disputed. He was raised in the the town of Texarkana, which was on the border of Texas and Arkansas. Scott came from a musical family, his father was a violinist and his mother was a singer and banjo player. Consequently, he became interested in music as well at a young age and studied the banjo and piano. Joplin left home during his teenage years to become a traveling musician playing in bars, brothels, and saloons throughout the Midwest region. In the 1890s he studied music at George R. Smith College for Negroes in Sedalia, Missouri. At George R. Smith College, Scott studied and played a role in the development of the musical genre, ragtime, which was a combination of European classical styles with African American harmony and rhythm. In the late 1890s he worked at the Maple Leaf Club in Sedalia, Missouri, which was the title his most known song “The Maple Leaf Rag.” In 1971, Joplin’s health was deteriorating due to syphilis, which he contracted years earlier. On April 1, 1917 Joplin died in Manhattan State Hospital at the age of 49. Enjoy a video of Scott Joplin’s “The Maple Leaf Rag”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_dI6BZt06U #hsml #uncg #hsmluncg #haroldschiffmanmusiclibrary #birthdaybios