Hello all,  I haven't written in lately because I have been very busy
researching a ragtime composer for an upcoming presentation at the 2008
West Coast Ragtime Festival in November.  The composer is Nat Johnson,
composer of such rags as "Calico Rag" and "Gold Dust Twins Rag", etc.

During the course of research I found out that Nat wrote at least four
rags for piano-roll-only issue.  Of these four I have access to three
of them, either already scanned or about to be scanned for me.  Yes,
I plan to have these rolls recut since I don't believe they have ever
been recut before.

For some reason, they are not listed in the standard ragtime books
(such as "Rags and Ragtime") which list other piano-roll-only rags,
so here's a list [U.S. Music Co.]:

  7269 Helendoro Rag
  7288 Helendoro Waltzes
  7289 Dorothy Rag
  8249 Georgia Sweets - fox trot

Both "Helendoro Rag" and "Dorothy Rag" are fox-trot rags which use
plenty of dotted rhythms for a sort of peppy feel.  "Helendoro Rag"
has a particularly nice trio section.  I have not heard "Dorothy Rag"
yet.  "Helendoro Waltzes" is a really fine ragtime waltz.  I'll get
to "Georgia Sweets" in a minute.

First, Mr. Robert Perry (who scanned the original roll of "Helendoro
Waltzes") noted a somewhat unusual text ad stamped at the end of the
roll, after the music:

  THE FOLLOWING ARE CONSCIENTIOUSLY
  RECOMMENDED TO PLEASE THE
  MOST EXACTING.

  NO.
  7288 Helendoro Waltzes 1.25
  7269 Helendoro Fox Trot .75
  7289 Dorothy Rag .75
  7428 Country Capers Fox Trot .75
  6226 Phantom Valse 1.00

  THEY ARE EXCLUSIVELY WITH US

I have not found out whether "Country Capers" or "Phantom Valse" are
Nat Johnson compositions or not, and I would be interested to find out
who wrote them, given that they were also apparently never published.

"Georgia Sweets" is apparently another Nat Johnson composition which
was never published and nobody I've asked yet, including Trebor Tichenor
and Mike Montgomery, has the roll or can remember ever owning it or
seeing a copy.

So, if anyone has this roll, "Georgia Sweets" (U.S. Music #8249),
I would really like to hear from you.  It would be ideal if the roll
could be loaned for scanning (so recuts can be made, thus preserving
an extremely rare roll from destruction), but at the very least I would
like a recording of it being played, on the owner's piano if they wish.

Thanks,
Andrew Barrett

P.S.  I would also be interested in any information on rolls and
recordings which might have been made of Nat's three songs: "O.P.H.S.
Rag" (1913); "If You'll Come Back" (1920); and "Whose Wonderful Daddy
Are You?" (1924; posthumous)