[Elspode]

In the end, though, we were there for the music...chicken-hatted percussionist and all.

The last picture is a brass reproduction of the first printing of The Maple Leaf Rag...the first piece of music composed by an African American for which a publishing contract was signed and royalties paid. When next you watch "The Sting" on late night television, take a moment and thank Marvin Hamlisch for helping to keep the genius of Scott Joplin alive, and the joyous sound of ragtime in the American consciousness.