Scott Joplin

by James Haskins

This is the story of Scott Joplin--the man behind Ragtime. From his post-Civil War childhood in Texarkana to his touring days in the honky-tonks of the old South, Joplin was ahead of his time. He sought recognition for ragtime as a black American art form during a time at which America was not yet prepared to honor the syncopated melodies of the bar-room and the brothel.