Ragtime Man News Today

Max Morath, who stepped out of the 1890s only a lifetime late, and with syncopated piano rhythms and social commentary helped revive the ragtime age o

He died Monday at a care facility near his home in Duluth, Minnesota.

Max Morath, the Colorado Springs native whose illustrious career as a ragtime pianist earned him the moniker "Mr. Ragtime," died Monday in Duluth, Minnesota. He was 96.

A performer and presenter who demonstrated that educational programming could also be entertaining, Morath became an international celebrity who toured for decades before retiring in the Northland.

A student of both music and history, he entertained audiences in the 1960s and beyond while educating them about a genre whose heyday had ended decades earlier.

A 1964 UMD performance introduced the musician to Duluth's Diane Skomars, who he would later wed. Morath, 96, no longer plays gigs — but he's still entertaining.