Jeeze, do I feel stupid.  This roll (RYTHMODIK A10802/The Fig Leaf
Rag/Wm. Lawrence/pb Pete Wendling) isn't Joplin's Fig Leaf Rag at all,
and I finally did the smart thing and called Trebor Tichenor on it this
morning (why didn't I think of that in the first place?!!).

Trebor pointed out that this is an easy mistake for us to make today,
assuming anything with a Joplin title is a Joplin composition!  It turns
out that this rag is WRITTEN by Wm. Lawrence and has nothing to do with
Joplin - Lawrence may not have even been aware that Joplin wrote a Fig
Leaf Rag, who knows.  Trebor believes a copy of the sheet music for this
came up in one of the sheet music auctions a while back, and went for a
big sum, like $1000 or so (please don't assume the roll is worth anything
like that; I would be surprised if you could sell it for more than $100
on an auction, but who knows?  There are more fanatic sheet collectors
with that kind of cash to spend than roll collectors).

There's also a THIRD Fig Leaf Rag that Chet Atkins recorded in the 1950's
which is Chet's own composition, a typical country guitar rag.  It came
out on that 50's charcoal gray RCA Victor label.  Trebor remembers
getting all excited when he saw it, again assuming that Chet Atkins
recorded a Joplin rag, then got it and found it was Chet's tune.

I guess that's what we get for jumping to conclusions!  BTW I did play
the roll yesterday, and while it's not bad and I plan to keep it, it
certainly is not one of my favorite rag rolls.

Thanks for bringing this topic up, it's been a fun exercise.  I learned
something today, and it isn't even 9AM yet!  NEXT?

-Rob DeLand¶
(deland_robert@macmail1.csg.mot.com)