Ben Harney

While Ben Harney unfortunately was neglected by commercial recording studios during his lifetime, in 1925 a folklorist recorded Harney singing an example of an early ragtime song on a dictaphone phonograph cylinder, and this recording has survived. He's kind of stayed true to his indie roots and I've stayed true to my r&b roots, we've kind of fused together and its something fresh and brand new that people haven't heard before.". Ben Harney died of a heart attack in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I can't wait for everyone to hear it because I think it's amazing I really do. Harney quit touring after suffering from a heart attack in 1928. She told BBC Radio 1: "The song itself is really amazing, it's really, really good. He sometimes performed in blackface. Chris Martin of Coldplay asked her into the studio to contribute to the band's forthcoming album.

Harney's act included him playing piano, singing (including scat singing), and dancing. In March 2004, she signed up with a modelling agency run by Naomi Campbell. Once ragtime became popular he started billing himself as The Originator of Ragtime or The Father of Ragtime, which most (but not all) of his contemporaries thought was an overstatement for the sake of advertising. Thank You reached number 4 on the UK album charts as at 7 March and the title track reached number 2 on the UK singles charts as well as going top 10 in Ireland. Harney toured widely on the Vaudeville circuts in the USA, as well as tours of theaters in Europe and Asia. Her second album Thank You followed soon after featuring collaborations with Bubba Sparxxx on "Club Hoppin" and Asher D of So Solid Crew on "Off da Enz". In 1897 Harney published his book The Ragtime Instructor, the first comprehensive description of ragtime, with instructions of how to rag (add syncopated rhythms to) tunes, including giving written examples of ragged versions of light classics and opera songs. Jamelia came back in 2003 with single "Bout" written with C Swing who had also written Money and featuring Rah Digga. It was her fifth top 40 hit followed by Superstar which gave her international success in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. "Superstar" also appears on the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy soundtrack.

That same year Harney was referred to in print as "the rag time pianist". She put her career on hold for a couple of years to bring up her daughter. In January of 1896 Ben Harney moved to New York City, where he appeared regularly at Tony Pastor's Music Hall. Jamelia became pregnant in 2000 and gave birth to a baby girl, Teja, in March 2001. Harney's tunes "You've Been a Good Old Wagon, But You've Done Broke Down", "Mister Johnson, Turn Me Loose", and "Cake Walk In The Sky" were big hits in the mid 1890s. She was nominated for five Mobo Awards in 2000 winning one. The Independent on Sunday wrote "a poised 19 year old, Jamelia has the homegrown talent to give Missy Elliott a run for her money.". Some historians still debate Harney's ethnic background. The most successful of those was "Money" featuring a guest vocal from Beenie Man which went top 5 in 2000.

Handy referred to him as "white". At 18, she released her first single "So High" and went on to have four songs go into the Top 40 in the UK from her album Drama released in 2000. Johnson referred to him as a "Negro", while W.C. She was signed to Parlophone at the age of 15 when she impressed their A&R man by singing songs that she had written a capella. James P. Growing up in the Midlands, she listened to plenty of urban r&b. Harney was light skinned with red hair; early in his career he played with African American theater troops, but later in his career he represented himself as white. Jamelia was born Jamelia Davis in Birmingham, England.

Ben Harney is generally said to have been born in Louisville, Kentucky, although some sources put his birthplaces as Nashville, Tennessee. Her song "Superstar" went to number one in Australia and New Zealand in early 2004 and went top 10 in the UK, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium and The Netherlands in 2003 and 2004. Benjamin Robertson "Ben" Harney (6 March 1871 - 2 March 1938) was a United States of America songwriter, entertainer, and pioneer of ragtime music. Jamelia real name Jamelia Davis (born January 2, 1981) is a r&b singer from the UK who has had several Top 40 hits in that country. Download recording - "The Wagon" ragtime from the Library of Congress' Gordon Collection (http://www.loc.gov/folklife/Gordon/sideBbandB4.html); performed by Ben Harney in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on about September 9, 1925. Top 40 Charts Jamelia artist page (http://top40-charts.com/artist.php?aid=4174/). BBC Radio 1 Jamelia artist area (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/artist_area/jamelia/).

Jamelia home page (http://www.jamelia.com/). Thank You (2003). Drama (2000).