- George Botsford
George Botsford (
February 24 ,1874 -February 11 ,1949 ) was an American composer ofragtime and other forms of music.Botsford was born in
Sioux Falls, South Dakota , and grew up inIowa . His first copyrighted number was "The Katy Flyer -- Cake Walk," published in 1899. His most important rag is "Black and White Rag ," published in 1908. Other Botsford compositions include "Grizzly Bear Rag," "Chatterbox Rag," "Pianophiends Rag," "Texas Steer," "Boomerang Rag," and "Sailing Down the Chesapeake Bay."Botsford moved to
New York City and became aTin Pan Alley composer. Around 1914-1915 he experimented with "miniature opera" intended to be sung by three or four people, but the idea never gained acceptance. After a long career involving many kinds of music, he died in New York City.References
*"They All Played Ragtime" by
Rudi Blesh and Harriet Janis. Knopf, 1950.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.