Ben Harney, Date of Birth, Date of Death

Ben Harney

American musician

Date of Birth: 06-Mar-1872

Date of Death: 02-Mar-1938

Profession: composer, songwriter, vocalist, pioneer

Nationality: United States

Zodiac Sign: Pisces

Benjamin Robertson "Ben" Harney (March 6, 1872 – March 2, 1938) was an American songwriter, entertainer, and pioneer of ragtime music.
His 1895 composition "You've Been a Good Old Wagon but You Done Broke Down" is regarded as among the earliest, if not the earliest, ragtime composition.
Though now probably more associated with Scott Joplin, in 1924 the New York Times wrote that Ben Harney "probably did more to popularize ragtime than any other person." Time Magazine termed him "Ragtime's Father" in 1938.