Scott Joplin is one of those people whose music is so influential that you’ve probably heard a ton of his songs in your lifetime without knowing their names or composer. He achieved timeless fame for his ragtime compositions and was even dubbed the King of Ragtime.
Born in Northern Texas in early 1868, Joplin was an addition to an already musical family who were labourers by trade. Joplin honed in his musical talent with the help of a number of local teachers and eventually became a part of a vocal quartet and also taught mandolin and guitar. His passion for music inspired him to quit his day job as a labourer and travel around the American South as a travelling musician.
He visited Chicago for the World’s Fair in 1893 and formed his first real band in which he played the cornet and arranged the music to be performed. Even though African-Americans were not really invited to big social events like the World’s Fair, many would show up and perform in the nearby bars and brothels. Joplin and his band were amoung those who performed and are credited with kick starting the genre of ragtime.
Joplin then returned to touring the south and giving piano lessons. He ended up teaching future ragtime stars and in his free time he wrote and sold his own music. His “Maple Leaf Rag” earned him instant fame and fortune, and ended up further inspiring the genre of ragtime. Unfortunately, this was Joplin’s only hit during his lifetime.
He began suffering from tremors which make it difficult for him to perform, but he continued to do so anyway and always kept producing more new music until he developed dementia and was sent to a mental institution where he died in 1915.
In the 1970s Joplin’s music saw a revival with his music being rerecorded and even being featured in award winning movies. His most notable piece is “The Entertainer”.