Scott Joplin

Scott Joplin, known for his compositions "The Entertainer" and "Maple Leaf Rag," was one of the most influential ragtime artist of his era. Born during the Reconstruction period on Nov. 24, 1868, Joplin was raised in rural, eastern Texas.Joplin's mother nurtured her son's love of music by collecting all the money she could to buy him a piano. Joplin played at churches and schools until he was talented enough to enroll at George R. Smith College for Negroes in Sedalia, Missouri. While in Sedalia, he studied music and composition and would later use the location as an inspiration for one of his most popular tunes, "The Entertainer."

Joplin's ragtime operas like "A Guest of Honor" and "Treemonisha," but when he lost most of his money touring "A Guest of Honor" in 1903, he returned to writing compositions. Much later in the mid-1870s, Joplin was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for "Treemonisha," which was staged on Broadway. The revival of Joplin's work was seen in "The Sting," starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford; the 1973 crime flick popularized Joplin's ragtime tune "The Entertainer" by using the piece as the film's musical score.

Today, Joplin's ragtime tunes still live on; "Maple Leaf Rag" can even be found on some Motorola cell phones. Although a cell phone tune may not seem like much, Scott Joplin's catchy melodies have stood the test of time, a feat many turn-of-the-century artists failed to achieve.

Information has been compiled from Gail History Research Center and ABC CLIO American History.