Benjamin R. Harney  (1871-1938)
Last updated: 01.02.24
Benjamin Robertson Harney was an American vaudeville artist, comedian, singer, pianist and composer of popular music and is generally considered to be an originator of ragtime music from which jazz and modern syncopation was derived.. He was born in Tennessee into a prominent family and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. When working in Middlesboro, Kentucky as a post office employee sometime in 1887 he first heard a mountain fiddler playing a syncopated beat which fascinated to the extent that immediately set out to imitate and master on his piano. Harney moved to New Yorkin 1896 appearing regularly in Tony Pastor's Music Hall. His music was much admired and other composers and songwriters took up his style spreading ragtime across America. He published his influential Ben Harney's Rag Time Instructor the following year and his songs You've Been a Good Old Wagon, But You've Done Broke Down (1896), Mister Johnson, Turn Me Loose (1896) and Cake Walk In The Sky (1899) were all big hits. Harney toured widely in America, Europe, Asia, Australia and the South Pacific billing himself as "The Originator of Ragtime" or "The Father of Ragtime", a claim not accepted by all. He retired after a heart attack in 1928 and died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania aged 66.

Websites:
url15.gif Benjamin Robertson Harney Biography and list of works by "Perfessor" Bill Edwards  
Benjamin R. Harney  (1871-1938) has at least 1 item(s) at the Amazons which you can order on-line by clicking the item's order icon.
b0000cwzdz_m.jpgI'd Give a Hundred if the Gal Was Mine Song
Words and Music by: Benjamin R. Harney.
Publisher: E. T. Paull Music Co.
Suppliers: flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15es.gif
Printed: 1901. Sheet Music 5 pages. Limited Availability.
  Title Co-Author(s) Sequencer
       
audiomidi15.gif Cakewalk in the Sky (1899), The James Pitt-Payne
  Title (Release Year) Performers Instruments
       
audiodbemp315.gif Cakewalk in the Sky (1899), The Midi Ragtime Recorder Ens. D+T/A/T/B/GB(B)
audiodbemp315.gif Mister Johnson, Turn Me Loose (1896) Midi Ragtime Recorder Ens. T/T/B/B/GB(B)
     Performer CD Title Supplier
       
Ragtime Music CDs:
cd15.gif Various Artists From Cake-Walk To Ragtime 1898-1916 CD(s) & MP3 Album(s) flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15ca.gif flag15it.gif flag15es.gif
cd15.gif Various Artists Stomp and Swerve: American Music Gets Hot CD(s) & MP3 Album(s) flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15ca.gif flag15it.gif flag15es.gif
cd15.gif Noel Lester Syncopated Sensations flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15ca.gif
cd15.gif Richard Egan From the Land of Ragtime
cd15.gif Max Morath Jonah Man: A Tribute to Bert Williams CD(s) & MP3 Album(s) flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15ca.gif flag15it.gif flag15es.gif
Item Title Available €     £     $     Other
             
DBE677 The Cakewalk in the Sky (1899) - Ethiopian Two-Step
D+T/A/T/B/GB(B), approx. 3¾ mins.
1-2 days
other.gif
DBE678 Mister Johnson, Turn Me Loose (1896) - Song
T/T/B/B/GB(B), approx. 2¾ mins.
1-2 days
other.gif
     Title Instruments Remarks
       
sm15.gif Cakewalk in the Sky (1899), The D+T/A/T/B/GB(B) dbe15.gifwvicon.gif
sm15.gif Mister Johnson,, Turn Me Loose (1896) T/T/B/B/GB(B) dbe15.gifPub.
     Title Attribution Instruments Source Remarks
           
pdf15.gif Mister Johnson, Turn Me Loose (1896) B.R. Harney (w&m)
M. Irwin (perf.)
Piano, Voice IMSLP wvicon.gif
pdf15.gif You've Been a Good Old Wagon But You've Done Broke Down (1895) B.R. Harney (music)
Biller (words)
Piano, Voice IMSLP wvicon.gif
This list is arranged in chronological order and contains 26 works by Benjamin R. Harney (1871-1938). It does not claim to be complete and represents only the number of items located. Keys: ER pdf15.gif (w&m)
Title Year Attribution Remarks
       
La Pas Ma La 1895
You've Been a Good Old Wagon But You've Done Broke Down 1895 Biller (words)  wvicon.gif
Mister Johnson,, Turn Me Loose (w&m) 1896 Midi Ragtime Recorder Ensemble (perf.)
May Irwin (perf.)
 wvicon.gif youtube15.jpg  audiodbemp315.gif
Ben Harney's Ragtime Instructor 1897  wvicon.gif
I Love My Honey 1897  Pub.
There's a Knocker Layin' Around 1897  wvicon.gif
Draw That Color Line 1898  Pub.
If You Got Any Sense You'll Go 1898  Pub.
You May Go But This Will Bring You Back (w&m) 1898  Pub.
Black Man's Kissing Bug (w&m) 1899  Pub.
Cakewalk in the Sky, The 1899 Midi Ragtime Recorder Ensemble (perf.)  wvicon.gif youtube15.jpg audiomidi15.gif audiodbemp315.gif
Hat He Never Ate, The 1899 Howard S. Taylor (words)  wvicon.gif
Tell It to Me 1899  Pub.
This Sporting Life Is Certainly Killing Me 1899
Only Way to Keep Her Is in a Cage, The 1900  wvicon.gif
I'd Give a Hundred if the Gal Was Mine 1901 Willard & Wheeler (perf.)  amazon15.gif wvicon.gif
T.T.T. (Treat, Trade or Travel) 1902  wvicon.gif
Cannon Ball Catcher 1914  wvicon.gif
There's Only One Way to Keep a Gal 1914  Pub.
I Love One Sweet Black Man ?
Li Hung Chang ?
Sporting Life Is Sure Killing Me, The ?
That Ever Lovin' Rock Pile ?
Tomahau ?
While in Chicago ?
Wissahickon ?
     Composer Title Performer
       
youtube15.jpg B.R. Harney The Cakewalk in the Sky (0:00) Ragtime Dorian Henry
youtube15.jpg B.R. Harney Mister Johnson, Turn Me Loose (0:00) Ragtime Dorian Henry