Alexander's Ragtime Band

Common card · No. 455702

"Alexander's Ragtime Band" is a Tin Pan Alley song by American composer Irving Berlin released in 1911; it is often inaccurately cited as his first global hit. Despite its title, the song is a march as opposed to a rag and contains little syncopation. The song is a sequel to Berlin's 1910 composition "Alexander and His Clarinet", recounting the reconciliation between an African-American musician, Alexander Adams, and his flame Eliza Johnson as well as highlighting Alexander's innovative musical style. Berlin's friend Jack Alexander, a cornet-playing African-American bandleader, inspired the title character. Emma Carus, a vaudeville contralto renowned for her high lung power, introduced Berlin's song to the public in Spring 1911. Carus' brassy performance of "Alexander's Ragtime Band" at the American Music Hall in Chicago on April 18, 1911, electrified the audience, and she toured other metropolises such as Detroit and New York City with acclaimed performances that featured the catchy tune...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Irving Berlin, Public domain