10 interesting facts about scott joplin

(1868-1917)

Who Was Scott Joplin?

Born in the late 1860s somewhere along the border between Texas and Arkansas, Scott Joplin took up the piano as a child and eventually became a travelling musician as a teen.

He immersed himself in the emerging musical form known as ragtime and became the genre’s foremost composer with tunes like "The Entertainer," "Solace" and "The Maple Leaf Rag," which is the biggest-selling ragtime song in history.

Joplin also penned the operas Guest of Honor and Treemonisha.

When was scott joplin born and died

He died in New York City on April 1, 1917.

Musical Family

Scott Joplin's exact date of birth and location is not known, though it is estimated that he was born between the summer of June 1867 and January 1868. Born to Florence Givens and Giles Joplin, Scott grew up in Texarkana, a town situated on the border between Texas and Arkansas.

The Joplins were a musical family, with Florence being a singer and banjo player and Giles a violini