Ragtime composer Joseph F. Lamb (1887-1960) lived in a musical time that ranged from the Victorian era through Tin Pan Alley to modern times. Although Lamb is considered one of classic ragtime's ""big three""--along with Scott Joplin and James Scott--he did not fit the usual profile. He was musically self-taught, held a corporate job, and composed in his spare time, yet wrote piano rags Joplin enthusiastically championed and returned to composing and well deserved recognition long after the end of the ragtime era. This is the story of his life, his music, and his world, drawn from family and research sources. Includes a foreword by two of Lamb's children.