Investigates black musical comedy productions, sideshow bands, and itinerant tented minstrel shows. Ragtime history is crowned by the "big shows," the stunning musical comedy successes of Williams and Walker, Bob Cole, and Ernest Hogan.

The explosion in popularity of ragtime music in the early part of the twentieth century opened up previously unthought-of opportunities for black performers. However, these opportunities were stymied by systematic racism at every turn. "Ragged but Right" closely traces the mass popularity of so-called "coon songs" during the early years of rag, to their eventual transformation into the original blues music listened to and loved by millions around the world. It also investigates the importance of black musical comedies, sideshow bands, and minstrel shows, and how they helped bring jazz and blues into the mainstream. This insightful volume reveals, for the first time, the wave of creativity that swept up thousands of black musicians, writers, performers, and entrepreneurs - setting them on the road to success despite the overt racism of the times.