Scott Joplin (; 1867/1868 – April 1, 1917) was an African-<!-- Please read the discussion on the talk page before changing this. The composer's race is critically important to his work and biography. -->American composer and pianist. Joplin achieved fame for his ragtime compositions and was dubbed the "King of Ragtime Writers". During his brief career, he wrote 44 original ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. One of his first pieces, the "Maple Leaf Rag", became ragtime's first and most influential hit, and has been recognized as the archetypal rag.