Join Jill Pasternak for an encore presentation from 2004 featuring a national musical treasure: Ragtime pianist and raconteur Max Morath. "Mr. Ragtime" has been dedicated to early 1900s ragtime piano for many decades, keeping the essence of that era in the public eye with his numerous plays, television programs, books, and recordings. He has earned the moniker, "Mr. Ragtime," by being one of Ragtime's most ardent devotees.
Ragtime King Max Morath
Morath's passion for the music and culture of early Americana was an integral part of the ragtime revival of the early '70s. In 1969, he premiered his critically acclaimed one-man play, Turn of the Century, off Broadway. Morath matched that success with the equally triumphant Living a Ragtime Life and The Ragtime Years. In the early '60s, Morath began a relationship with PBS that continues today. His informative and entertaining programs focusing on the ragtime era are considered classics in that genre. His other endeavors examining the music and culture of the early 1900s have spilled into contributions to radio programs for NPR and his written essays have appeared in numerous publications. In 1996, he finished work on a master's degree at Columbia University in American Studies. His master's thesis investigates the writer Carrie Jacobs-Bond, who wrote "I Love You Truly" and hundreds of other classic early 20th-century songs.
Morath remained busy at the beginning of the 21st century, traveling all over the world with his one-man show, "Max Morath, the Ragtime Man." His CDs have remained in print throughout the years, and are available on several labels, including Vanguard, Epic, and RCA Red Seal.
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