Tennessee Rag by George McDade & Henry Watterson (1908)

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Original listing and sheet music here: https://musescore.com/user/36482158/scores/26751133?from=youtube_share
I've always had the idea that rags named after states are all good, well-written rags. When you think about it that might actually be true, because to qualify as a rag representing an entire state the composer would be compelled to come out with some really good material. Such appears to be the case with this "Tennessee Rag", credited to two composers, George McDade and Henry Watterson, the same Watterson who was promoting the talents of a young songwriter named Irving Berlin just a few years after this rag was written. Henry Watterson (1873-1933) was a musician, publisher and entrepreneur who threw himself directly into the ragtime world and for a while was known as the tone-deaf "Dean of Tin Pan Alley". He invested in other pursuits as well, like the new radio industry and health machine gadgets. He died in 1933 at age 60 in Saratoga Springs, New York. This rag was published by Victor Kremer in Chicago and New York in 1908.

Mitchy found that George McDade was a young cornet player and orchestra leader from Knoxville, Tennessee who lived from 1890-1974. Musescore researcher Erlingl found some additional info, plus I found some as well. Here is a condensed bio:

George McDade was born in 1890 in Knoxville, the son of a freed slave also named George McDade who lived from 1852 to 1923. Father and son were both musical with the young George attracting attention for his cornet and violin playing by the time was 10. His musical ability attracted the praise of P.G. Lowery, himself a famous cornetist, who stated, “I consider Master Geo. McDade a cornetist of rare ability, a boy of wonderful good ideas, on both violin and cornet." Like Lowery, George joined the circus and played cornet in travelling shows. A newspaper article described him in 1903 as "Master George McDade age 13, the youngest orchestra leader and cornet soloist the world has ever known".

George left behind his musical career at some point to go to school in Chicago, becoming one of the first Black students at the University of Chicago Law School. He became a lawyer and moved back to his hometown Knoxville, where he was described as the only Black criminal lawyer in East Tennessee for years. He practiced law for nearly sixty years, dying in Knoxville in 1974 at age 84. He was the grandfather of George McDade Staples, a career U.S. Ambassador and diplomat.

Original score source was from Indiana University at this link:
https://fedora.dlib.indiana.edu/fedora/get/iudl:86595/OVERVIEW
For a pdf copy with all the pages inserted correctly use this link:
https://www.ceder.net/piano/viewsingle.php?Id=3922&SqlId=1369157&style=thumb
This is a reproduction of the original score.

My entire collection of rags named after states:
https://musescore.com/user/36482158/sets/13553779

Thank you to JohnJ1995 for this great suggestion AND for rounding up all the state rags in one place!

#ragtimepiano #ragtime #tennessee