Editing Scott Joplin (section)

==Life in the Southern states and Chicago==
In the late 1880s, having performed at various local events as a teenager, Joplin gave up his job as a railroad laborer and left Texarkana to become a traveling musician.<ref>[[#Christensen|Christensen (1999)]] p. 442</ref> Little is known about his movements at this time, although he is recorded in Texarkana in July 1891 as a member of the Texarkana Minstrels, who were raising money for a monument to [[Jefferson Davis]], president of the former [[Confederate States of America]].{{sfnp|Berlin|1994|p=9}} However, Joplin soon learned that there were few opportunities for black pianists. Churches and [[brothel]]s were among the few options for steady work. Joplin played pre-ragtime "jig-piano" in various [[red-light district]]s throughout the mid-South, and some claim he was in [[Sedalia, Missouri|Sedalia]] and [[St. Louis]], [[Missouri]], during this time.<ref name="Kirk 2001 p. 190">[[#Kirk|Kirk (2001)]] p. 190.</ref>{{sfnp|Berlin|1994|pp=8–9}}

In 1893, while in Chicago for the [[World's Columbian Exposition|World's Fair]], Joplin formed a band in which he played [[cornet]] and also arranged the band's music. Although the World's Fair minimized the involvement of African Americans, black performers still came to the saloons, cafés, and brothels that lined the fair. The exposition was attended by 27 million visitors and had a profound effect on many areas of American cultural life, including ragtime. Although specific information is sparse, numerous sources have credited the Chicago World's Fair with spreading the popularity of ragtime.{{sfnp|Berlin|1994|pp=11–12}} Joplin found that his music, as well as that of other black performers, was popular with visitors.<ref>[[#Christensen|Christensen (1999)]] p. 442.</ref> By 1897, ragtime had become a national craze in U.S. cities and was described by the ''[[St. Louis Dispatch]]'' as "a veritable call of the wild, which mightily stirred the pulses of city-bred people".<ref>''[[St. Louis Dispatch]]'', quoted in {{harvp|Scott|Rutkoff|2001|p=36}}</ref>