Ragtime is real American music. a syncopated dance music that came before Jazz and enjoyed widespread, cross-cultural popularity from around 1900 until 1918, starting with Scott Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag,” published in 1899. The term Ragtime may have come from "ragged time," the bass dueling with the melody to create a ragged rhythm that made your body move! Newly available electronically, download these brilliant, enduring recordings of the legendary Scott Joplin. It’s freeing, joyful music that has stood the test of time, laying the groundwork for jazz, rock, showtunes, pop and more. Joplin enjoyed an incredible resurgence in 1977 with the success of the movie, The Sting.