"Alexander's Ragtime Band" is the name of a song by Irving Berlin. It was his first major hit, in 1911. Irving Berlin (May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was an American composer and lyricist, one of the most prodigious and famous American songwriters in history. ... 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ...

"Alexander's Ragtime Band" is not itself an example of the ragtime musical idiom; apart from some mild syncopation, it has almost none of ragtime's characteristic features. Nonetheless, the lyrics clearly refer to the arrival of African-American musicians on the popular scene with their then-new idea of playing standard songs in a more exciting up-tempo style. Second edition cover of Maple Leaf Rag, perhaps the most famous rag of all Ragtime is an American musical genre enjoying its peak popularity between 1899 and 1918. ... An Idiom is an expression (i. ... Languages Predominantly American English Religions Christianity (predominantly Baptist), Islam Related ethnic groups Sub-Saharan Africans and other African groups, some with Native American groups. ...

The first lines establish the African-American context:

Oh ma honey . . . ain't you goin' to the leaderman, the ragged meter man

References to "jazzing up" popular music include:

They can play a bugle call like you never heard before

So natural that you want to go to war

That's just the bestest band what am, honey lamb

and: A bugle call is a short tune, originating in a military context. ...

If you care to hear the Swanee River played in ragtime

The new style included new ways of playing traditional instruments as well: Old Folks at Home, as sung by Christys Minstrels in 1851. ...

There's a fiddle with notes that screeches

Like a chicken

And the clarinet is a colored pet

The song has been recorded by many artists, including Al Jolson, Billy Murray, Louis Armstrong, George Formby, Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, and Ray Charles. The term fiddle refers to a violin when used in folk music. ... Two soprano clarinets: a B♭ clarinet (left) and an A clarinet (right, with no mouthpiece). ... Asa Al Jolson Yoelson (born in Seredžius, Lithuania on May 26, 1886, and died in San Francisco, California on October 23, 1950) was an acclaimed American singer and actor whose career lasted from 1911 until his death in 1950. ... Billy Murray (25 May 1877 - 17 August 1954) was one of the most popular singers in the United States in the early decades of the 20th century. ... Louis Daniel Armstrong (4 August 1901[1] – July 6, 1971) (also known by the nicknames Satchmo, for satchel-mouth, and Pops) was an American jazz musician. ... George Formby (May 26, 1904 – March 6, 1961) was an English singer and comedian who became a major star of both cinema and music hall. ... Harry Lillis Bing Crosby (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer and actor whose career lasted from 1926 until his death in 1977. ... Ella Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917 – June 15, 1996), also known as Lady Ella (the First Lady of Song), was considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th Century. ... Ray Charles was the stage name of Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004). ...

A 1938 film of the same name was loosely based on the song. See also: 1937 in film 1937 1939 in film 1930s in film years in film film // Events January — MGM announces that Judy Garland would be cast in the role of Dorothy in the upcoming Wizard of Oz motion picture. ... Alexanders Ragtime Band is the name of a 1938 film that takes off from the 1911 Irving Berlin song, Alexanders Ragtime Band, to tell a story of a society boy who scandalizes his family by pursuing a career in ragtime instead of in serious music. ...

External links

• Alexander's Ragtime Band performed by Billy Murray (Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project)