# Was there a "Ragtime revival" trend in early 1970s rock?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-a-ragtime-revival-trend-in-early-1970s-rock/417079>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [August 27, 2007, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-a-ragtime-revival-trend-in-early-1970s-rock/417079 "2007-08-27T13:04:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\
**Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-a-ragtime-revival-trend-in-early-1970s-rock/417079/1 "2007-08-27T13:04:05Z")

</div>

Listening to the 1970s channel on Sirius a while back, I noticed that quite a few songs from the early years of that decade have a very distinctive ragtime-y sound - specifically, a tinkling piano-kind of sound. Was there really a ragtime revival during the era, much like the swing influence in some popular music in the late 1990s?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\
**Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-a-ragtime-revival-trend-in-early-1970s-rock/417079/2 "2007-08-27T13:20:47Z")

</div>

[Ian Whitcomb](http://www.picklehead.com/ian.html) definitely _tried_ to start a Ragtime Revival. His Big Hit was “You Turn Me On” back in the 60’s; it was not Ragtime. But he’s still playing. And he’s written some interesting books–_After the Ball; A Chronicle of Pop Music From Ragtime To Rock_ is one.

Nonesuch records released a set of Scott Joplin rags in the 70’s.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Hodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Hodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodge)\
**Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-a-ragtime-revival-trend-in-early-1970s-rock/417079/3 "2007-08-27T13:29:57Z")

</div>

Marvin Hamlisch’s soundtrack to the movie [The Sting](http://imdb.com/title/tt0070735/) (1973) sparked a huge revival of Scott Joplin’s piano rags which, no doubt, crossed over into other music genres of the era.

Good movie, excellent soundtrack.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\
**Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-a-ragtime-revival-trend-in-early-1970s-rock/417079/4 "2007-08-27T13:34:49Z")

</div>

Well, guess what earworm I’ll be having all day.

Da Da Da Dee Dee  
Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Dee Dee

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2007, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-a-ragtime-revival-trend-in-early-1970s-rock/417079/5 "2007-08-28T19:47:24Z")

</div>

Doctor Hook and Mungo Jerry certainly had an “old-time” feel to their music. I would describe it as “Dixieland jazz”, more than “Ragtime”, but “revival” is a good description.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2007, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-a-ragtime-revival-trend-in-early-1970s-rock/417079/6 "2007-08-28T21:58:42Z")

</div>

I think it’s more a [tack piano](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tack_piano) sound when we’re talking about pop music of the 1970s. It followed the harpsichord fad in pop music of the late 1960s.