Ben Harney facts for kids
Benjamin Robertson Harney (born March 6, 1872 – died March 2, 1938) was an American songwriter, entertainer, and a key figure in the early days of ragtime music. He helped make ragtime popular across the country.
His song "You've Been a Good Old Wagon but You Done Broke Down," published in 1896, was one of the first ragtime songs to become a big hit. Some people thought he invented ragtime, but this wasn't true, and he was criticized for saying so. Ragtime actually came from African American communities.
Even so, Ben Harney played a huge role in bringing ragtime to many people. In 1924, The New York Times said he "Probably did more to popularize ragtime than any other person." Later, Time magazine called him "Ragtime's Father."
Life and Music Career
Ben Harney was born in the southern United States, likely in Memphis, Tennessee. He was white, and his family had some well-known members. For example, his grandfather was a mathematics professor and wrote one of the first algebra textbooks in the United States. His uncle was also a famous writer.
Harney's songs like "You've Been a Good Old Wagon but You Done Broke Down," "Mister Johnson, Turn Me Loose," and "Cake Walk In The Sky" were very popular in the late 1890s. His song "Cake Walk in the Sky" even showed an early form of "vocal ragging," which is like an early version of scat singing.
In January 1896, Harney moved to New York City. There, he performed regularly at famous places like Tony Pastor's Music Hall. His shows in New York helped make ragtime music widely known and loved across America. He even put together his own show called Ragtime Reception.
In 1897, Harney wrote a book called Ben Harney's Rag Time Instructor. This book was important because it was the first time someone wrote down how to "rag" music. It taught people how to change popular songs into ragtime by adding a special rhythm called syncopation.
Harney traveled a lot, performing in theaters across the United States, Europe, Asia, and other parts of the world. He often called himself "The Originator of Ragtime" or "The Father of Ragtime" to promote his shows. His performances included playing the piano in a ragtime style, scat singing, and dancing.
Ben Harney stopped touring after having a heart attack in 1928. He passed away from another heart attack in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1938, at the age of 66.
Ben Harney's Music
Ben Harney wrote many songs. Here are some of his compositions:
- 1896
* "You've Been a Good Old Wagon but You Done Broke Down" * "Mister Johnson, Turn Me Loose"
- 1897
* "Ben Harney's Ragtime Instructor" (a book teaching how to play ragtime)
- 1899
* "The Cake Walk in the Sky"
- 1925
* "The Wagon" (this was recorded by Harney himself)
Listen to His Music
Even though commercial music companies didn't record much of Harney's music during his life, one special recording survived. In 1925, a person named Robert Winslow Gordon recorded Harney singing "The Wagon" on a special machine called a dictaphone phonograph cylinder.
On this recording, Harney said, "This is absolutely the first song published in ragtime; the first song ever written in ragtime. The idea was conceived by Ben Harney, in Louisville, Kentucky." This recording helps us hear what early ragtime and blues music sounded like.
