biography
| name: |
Harney, Ben(jamin Robertson)
|
| sex:
| male
|
| lived:
| (1872–1938)
|
| biography:
| Ragtime songwriter and performer, born in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. Trained in classical piano, at age 17 he composed one of the earliest ragtime songs, ‘You've Been a Good Old Wagon But You've Done Broke Down’, which became a big hit. He moved to New York in 1896 and performed the new musical style. Before suffering a heart attack in 1928, he toured the US, Europe, and the Far East. With the rise of jazz, ragtime declined and he died in poverty. |
|
|
