Scott Joplin

Play Radio
Listen to Scott Joplin Radio, featuring artists like James P. Johnson, Original Dixieland Jazz Band, Jelly Roll Morton, James Scott and more…

594,750 plays (77,150 listeners)

Shop now at Amazon | Send Scott Joplin Ringtones to Cell
More options
Add to my Library

Texas, United States (1867 – 1917)

Scott Joplin (born between June 1867 and January 1868, died April 1, 1917) was an American musician and composer of ragtime music. He remains the best-known ragtime figure and is regarded as one of the three most important composers of classic ragtime, along with James Scott and Joseph Lamb.

Scott Joplin, the second of six children, was born in eastern Texas, near Linden, to Florence Givins and Giles or Jiles Joplin. For many years, his birthdate was thought to be November 24, 1868; but research by ragtime historian Ed Berlin has revealed this is inaccurate.

After 1871, the Joplin family moved to Texarkana, Texas, and Scott’s mother cleaned homes so Scott could have a place to practice his music. By 1882 his mother had purchased a piano. Showing musical ability at an early age, the young Joplin received free piano lessons from a German music teacher, Julius Weiss, who gave him a well rounded knowledge of classical music form, which would serve him well in later years and fuel his ambition to create a “classical” form of ragtime. At the 1893 World’s Fair, in Chicago, Illinois, he heard the latest music, including the concert band of John Phillip Sousa, who played there daily. He would later further his musical education by attending George R. Smith College in Sedalia, Missouri, studying music theory, harmony, and composition.

By the late 1880s, Scott Joplin had left home to start a life of his own. He may have joined or formed various quartets and other musical groups and traveled around the Midwest to sing.
Read more… Edit

Popular tags: ragtime, jazz, piano, instrumental, classical  See more

Shouts: 79 shouts

Share this artist:

Top Albums

See more

Top Tracks

1
340
2
216
3
51
4
50
5
41
6
38
7
33
8
32
9
28
10
26
11
25
12
24
12
24
14
23
14
23
Buy all tracks at Amazon MP3
See more

Shoutbox

Leave a comment. Log in to Last.fm or sign up (it’s free).

  • EricCarrRulez

    Vote up on this photo! http://www.last.fm/music/Scott+Joplin/+images/38783255

    last month

  • crazylikafool

    he should be tagged as proto-jazz

    December 2011

  • FyoMiDos

    ragtime <3

    December 2011

  • SoulJazzsterInc

    I see ragtime as the earliest kind of jazz so yeah jazz would fit the bill for me.

    November 2011

  • asbestos_pie

    Who the hell is tagging him as jazz?

    October 2011

  • sheepareevil

    I'm not usually one to harp on a top track, but really, The Entertainer is so dull compared to most of his other rags. damn ice cream trucks...

    September 2011

  • HorrorChemical

    I MAKE DA MUSIC

    July 2011

  • justmatornot

    bethena and swipesy should be on top, theese are the best ragtime tunes ever

    June 2011

  • boehj

    i love this stuff. wish i were there in person.

    March 2011

  • cadaver11

    I wish he were alive so we could be friends. He was a freakin' beast.

    March 2011

  • Lesmika1

    master!

    January 2011

  • almagal

    There's something about Scott Joplin. He seems to be deeply ingrained into me. Somehow I knew these melodies long before I'd ever discovered him. He definately survived the last century and I'm sure he'll survive many to come. Ragtime piano maestro.

    December 2010

  • johntardsbaby66

    Maple Leaf Rag deserves top place, it was the most popular when it first came out. Also, it's alot better.

    November 2010

  • ValtielXIII

    Rags, rags... Damn, also he's the first american composer, actualy! So yankees, who's your daddy now, huh?.. Hell yeah niggaz, exactly! :D

    November 2010

  • InASafePlace

    Cause the entertainer is in lots of movies soundtracks and therefore more exposed.

    November 2010

  • whitefox00

    Ugh, why does the Entertainer have to be at the top? There are SO many better ones. Magnetic Rag, The Ragtime Dance, The Chrysanthemum.... Also, if you like Joplin, you may want to check out some of the non-ragtime stuff he's done. Search youtube for "Treemonisha Overture". It's pretty awesome.

    October 2010

  • johntardsbaby66

    all hail the jop [2]

    September 2010

  • WiTHiNt

    Legend.

    September 2010

  • itsjeffy

    the entertainer is such a good song

    August 2010

  • El_Salvador7

    Together with Bill Evans and Thelonious Monk my favourite piano player...

    August 2010
See all 79 shouts

Videos

See more

Listening Now

Top Listeners

See more

Recent Activity

Related Journals

See more

Groups (24)

See more

More Information

Links
Labels
“I'm Only Here For The Last.fm.”

More Last.fm Sites: Blog | Music Manager | Build | Playground (Subscriber VIP zone) | Best of 2011

© 2012 Last.fm Ltd. All rights reserved. | Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | Updated Feb 11, 2009
Some user-contributed text on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
Text may also be available under the GNU Free Documentation License.