Who Is Scott Joplin, The King Of Ragtime

Rock and Roll has come a long way since 1952 when music business icon Sam Phillips created it. Sam Phillips is considered the father of Rock and Roll. He went against the social normality of segregated music, and produced music that he felt should be made. Even when faced with career ending criticism, Phillips continued on making history. Not only is Sam Phillips responsible for the being the origin of the seemingly everlasting Rock and Roll movement, he segregated music amidst all kinds of cultural disruption with civil rights. Sam Phillips is considered a musical revolutionary who, despite adversity, changed the world forever.

Scott Joplin was a composer and pianist of ragtime who was born in the late 1860s near the border of Texas. He learned to play the piano as a young adult and started to travel with his amazing talent while he was young. He is known as the king of ragtime during his generation. He is famous for writing 44 ragtime pieces during his lifetime. He wrote one ballet and two operas as well, and one of his pieces called “Maple Leaf Rag”, eventually was one of the most well-known ragtime pieces of the time. Joplin moved to Missouri to teach piano. Julius Weiss tutored Scott Joplin when he was a young boy. Joplin began to be introduced to classical and folk music from her. He taught several people like Arthur Marshall and Brun Campell to compose ragtime music there. He eventually died later in his life in the city of New York in 1917 at the age of 49.

The impact that Ray Charles has had on American culture is nearly indescribable. Although unable to see, he was successful in making his artistic visions come to life by fusing the sounds of blues, gospel, jazz, and R&B, making him one of the leading soul artists of the 1950s. The legendary musician is recognized for being a pillar in the industry, credited with making strides in desegregating musical genres. Although he composed many of his early hits, Charles is considered to be an interpreter of music, offering his distinct personal vision of many classics. Over the course of his career, which spanned five decades, he recorded over 60 albums and sold millions of records worldwide.

Elvis Presley was one of the most influential rock and roll singers in the American history. Presley’s work revolutionized the music and brought about significant changes in the entertainment industry. He grew up in an environment where racial segregation between the whites and African Americans was highly pronounced. In fact, Presley schooled in Memphis where he graduated from a whites-only high school. However, he upheld the Black’s music and made it possible for their music to be accessed by the White American youths. Presley’s tracks broke past the racial barrier as many teenagers loved his amazing voice. Through his music, he confronted racism and challenged both social and moral values. Elvis Presley changed the manner in which the Black minority were treated in the U.S. through his music, and this initiated the fights against racial discrimination leading to the civil rights movement.

"He lived and he loved the songs that he wrote and the songs that he sang. He’s a man of great courage. He’s kind. He’s gentle and he has God-given talents. He chose a career he was hoping he could make a difference in. That career made a difference in

If one was to go out into the street, walked up to a random stranger and asked them if they knew who Louis Armstrong was, chances are that they would be able to answer you correctly. Louis Armstrong (Aug 4th, 1901 - Jul 6th, 1971) was an American trumpeter, composer, singer and occasional actor who became one of the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned many decades, from the 1920s to his death in 1971, and many different eras in jazz. He first came to prominence in the 1920s as a trumpeter and cornet player with no technique as well as being very skilled in scat singing, Armstrong was a foundational influence in jazz, influencing many later jazz artists as well as shifting the focus of the music from collective improvisation to solo performance.With his very well-known and recognizable gravelly voice, a technique that was later named “crooning”, Armstrong was an incredibly influential singer, demonstrating great dexterity as an improviser by bending the lyrics and melody of a song for expressive purposes on demand. Renowned for his charming and incredibly charismatic stage presence and voice almost as much as for his trumpet and/or cornet playing, Armstrong 's influence extends far beyond jazz music, and by the end of his career in the early 1970s at his death, he was widely regarded as a deep and profound influence on popular music in general. Armstrong was one of the first very popular

Joplin was in Chicago, he started a band and played cornet. After the fair was over he

acknowledged as the great composer that he really was. There just was not any opportunities for black musicians during those times to have their music heard by anyone in the serious musical world. Joplin's music received recognition posthumously as a result of the revival of ragtime music in the 1970's, as well as during its popularity in the 1920's and 1930's.

The life of Robert Johnson, one of the most influential early blues artists, in shrouded by vague details and encompassed in mystery. His emotion filled playing and singing blends to form some of the most moving, original blues music ever produced. Ironically, despite being one of the top influences to blues music, little is known about the shy, mild mannered bluesman. "Almost nothing, is known about his life… he is only a name on a few recordings." Where did he come from? Who was Johnson’s family. Who inspired Robert to play the blues and who influenced his music? Who exactly was Robert Johnson? Only the vague recollections of his friends and family link us to the mysterious life of

George Harvey Strait was born and bred in the Texas cowboy tradition. He came into the world on May 18, 1952 in Poteet, Texas (“Strait Facts”) and was raised in nearby Pearsall, TX on his family's working cattle ranch, a legacy in the family for over 100 years. His childhood was spent working with his father and brother on their farm, and he carried on the ranching tradition by studying agriculture at Texas State University (Dickinson). In 1971, he married his wife, Norma, and shortly after enlisted in the United States Army.

He was later discovered here by John Stark who eventually published his first composition know as the Maple Leaf Rag. He later moved to St. Louis where he had the opportunity to perform for the next five years. Furthermore, he later left for New York, where he developed his own opera in 1911. This opera, called Treemanisha, was the first and only ragtime opera, but unfortunately, it only lasted one show. This was the falling point of his career, and he never regained the popularity he once had at the beginning of his career. In the 1970’s, Joplin and his opera was rediscovered with the revival of ragtime.

James Joseph Brown, Jr., a.k.a. James Brown was born in Barnwell, State of South Carolina May 3, 1933. At his age of four, he moved to Georgia to live with his Aunt. At his young age, Brown was in the time of the Great Depression so he took whatever job that he could find just to make some money. In 1944, Brown showed his talent for the first time and won first place for an open music convention in Lenox Theater. Later on, Brown got kicked out of school at the age of twelve for not having proper clothing. Now that Brown does not need to go to school, he worked full-time with the low paying jobs. Because of his harsh life growing up in the racism society, Brown had hold on to music

The artist I have chosen for this project is John Roger Stephens, also known as John Legend. Born on December 28, 1978 in Springfield Ohio, John showed musical potential at an early age. His grandmother taught him to play his first instrument, which was the piano. He grew up playing and singing in his church’s choir. His talent at that age was amazing, labelling him a child prodigy. Growing up, he listened to music from Michael Jackson, LL Cool J, Boyz II Men, and MC Hammer, very influential African American artists. They were able to change the way people viewed African Americans with their music, and make the world a more accepting place. John knew that he wanted to become a vocalist, and was determined to make his dream

When historians look at history and at reasons why society changed many focus on conflicts like wars, civil rights, and poverty. However, there is so much more that over time changed America. One of the most influential subjects that helped this change was Elvis Presley. Through his music, which was influenced by black artists, he allowed white Americans to view a new group of performers. He tested social boundaries that helped him change American culture. His appearance and singing would end up changing the teenage world by introducing new trends in fashion and music. Presley was the reason why we have Rock-N-Roll. As a business and a singer, he brought America together into a new type of society; therefore he is a

Ragtime was a very influential part of the development of jazz. Ragtime became very popular in the late 1800’s. Ragtime’s distinct style set it apart from the other genres. Syncopation is what defines this art form. This is when the loud accents fall in between the beats. Anything that is syncopated is basically ragtime. One of the most important ragtime composers was Scott Joplin. Like all great artists, Joplin did not restrict himself to this favored art form. Both before the advent of ragtime and after, Joplin composed marches and waltzes, including the syncopated waltzes. There's more to ragtime than syncopation, while some very good ragtime is not of the classic form. But the lines are often blurred. Ragtime's influence on other