Scott Joplin
#21514 Most Popular
About
Known as the King of Ragtime, his "Maple Leaf Rag" was the first official ragtime hit and by far the most influential.
Before Fame
He was taught music for free by German-Jewish music professor Julius Weiss after Weiss recognized the family's extreme poverty and the boy's unique talent.
Trivia
He sang with the Texarkana Minstrels for a fundraiser designed to raise money for a monument to Jefferson Davis, the former president of the Confederacy.
Family Life
He married Belle Jone Hayden in 1899, but the couple divorced because she did not share his musical passion. He then married Freddie Alexander on June 14, 1904, whom he had mentored. She died soon after the marriage. He then married Lottie Stokes in 1909.
Associated With
His famous opera "Treemonisha" was directed by Robert Shaw, who became the first prominent American conductor to publicly present a mixed-race chorale.
