Scott Joplin

Scott Joplin, “The King of Ragtime”, is often accredited for upgrading and introducing “banjo piano”, a plebian form of entertainment often affiliated to salons and brothels, to elite American art form. Two words best depict this genius: “mystery” and “tragedy”. He is a mystery to the world, as not much is known about his life and feats. In addition, much of his life was motley of tragic incidences. The only ray of hope in his life was music. He was fondly dubbed as the famous ragtime figure of his age and was compared to artists like James Scott and Joseph Lamb. In his late teenage days, he worked as a dance musician. His best-known composition ‘Maple Leaf Club’ catapulted him to the league of extraordinary. He was honored with the Academy Award in 1973, for his music in ‘The Sting’ and three years later Joplin’s opera ‘Treemonisha’ fetched the Pulitzer Prize.