“Pie, Pie, Blackbird”, Director Roy Mack, YouTube Video, (1932)

The short film, Pie, Pie Blackbird, was directed by Roy Mack and released and published by Warner Brothers Entertainment Incorporation in 1932. The film was published in the United States of America and created for blues musician fans in order for them to enjoy the sounds of different blues musicians as well as visually see the musicians perform. The short film is 30 minutes and features artists such as Eubie Blake, Calvin Jones, and Freddie Moore (. These blues musicians were able to express how they felt about love interests, Jim Crow Laws, and the Great Depression. Eubie Blake’s musical piece, “Memories of You” plays as background music in the film. This piece was performed during the Great Depression and while it didn’t gain as much popularity as he hoped due to the Great Depression, it is one of Eubie’s more well-known ragtime pieces and contains the classic ragtime melody and style. This source was found in the archives of the Library of Congress website.

“At The Bus Station in Durham, North Carolina”, Jack Delano, Photograph (1940)

This photograph of a Colored Waiting Room sign was taken at a bus station in Durham, North Carolina. The photo was taken by Jack Delano in 1940, a time when Jim Crow Laws and other segregation laws were heavily active. This photo was taken for the general public of the past and future to see the segregation between the black and white races. This sign shows the separation between black and white people in the places that they were allowed to go to and the rights they had. Specifically, African Americans were given separate stations and buildings from white people so that the two races would not mix and that African Americans were given limitations on their rights on what they can and can’t do. This is a crucial photo that helps us understand how ragtime artists like Scott Joplin persevered through discrimination and limitations even in the music industry. 

“Scott Joplin Complete Piano Works”, Scott Joplin, Collection (1971)

New York Public Library. Page 4 (out of 356)

A collection of piano works by Scott Joplin was published in 1971 in New York by The New York Public Library. It was intended for music lovers and individuals who enjoy Scott Joplin’s music. The purpose of the document was for entertainment purposed to enjoy looking at the original copies of Scott Joplin’s music. The document includes some of his most well-known ragtime pieces such as “Maple Leaf Rag” which was ragtime’s most influential pieces and was the classic example for future ragtimes. The document also includes some of Joplin’s waltzes and marches. Scott Joplin is one of the ragtime musicians I will focus on in my project since he was dubbed the King of Ragtime. This book of all of Scott Joplin’s works allows us to see what ragtime music looked like and the style/patterns it used. This source was found in the  Internet Archive Books.