JOSEPH F. LAMB

Joseph Francis Lamb occupied a unique niche in the history of jazz, as one of the three "fathers of ragtime," alongside Scott Joplin and James Scott -- but unlike the other two, Lamb was white, and came from the Northeast (Montclair, NJ, no less), and would seem an unlikely candidate for such a position in history. He came from a place as far removed from the St. Louis roots of Joplin or Scott, or the Louisiana birthplace of Jelly Roll Morton, as it was possible to be. What's more, he maintained a "day job" in the textile business that kept him busy enough so that he was never a "star" in the manner of Joplin or Scott, and seldom made the effort to cultivate a following -- he was a reluctant giant in his field. Lamb came from a musical family and had sisters who had formal training, and it was read more...