Scott Joplin (1868-1917) was an American composer and pianist. He was the father of ragtime. In the 19th century he turned ragtime into an American form of classical music. Joplin was known as the King of Ragtime because his famous ragtime compositions.
Joplin considered ragtime to be a form of classical music.
Ragtime was born out of the African-American community. Joplin wrote over 40 original ragtime pieces. a ragtime ballet, and two operas. His Maple Leaf Rag was ragtime’s first and most influential hit, an iconic rag.