Who were the most influential ragtime composers?

Scott Joplin is considered the king of ragtime composers with tunes like 'The Maple Leaf Rag' and 'The Entertainer.' His opera, 'Treemonisha' is an important and underperformed classic of the genre. read more

Joseph Lamb and Tom Turpin were two other prominent early 20th century ragtime pianists and composers. Many of the great Harlem stride pianists also played and wrote ragtime particularly early in their careers. read more

Certainly Scott Joplin is the best-known of all ragtime composers. He had the 19th century equivalent of a chart hit with his sheet music for the "Maple Leaf Rag" and published many more hits after that. He was the most ambitious ragtime composer who wanted ragtime to be viewed as equal to classical music. read more