George Botsford (February 24, 1874 - February 11, 1949) was an American composer of ragtime and other forms of music.

Botsford was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and grew up in Iowa. His first copyrighted number was "The Katy Flyer -- Cake Walk," published in 1899. His most important rag is "Black and White Rag," published in 1908. Other Botsford compositions include "Grizzly Bear Rag," "Chatterbox Rag," "Pianophiends Rag," "Texas Steer," "Boomerang Rag," and "Sailing Down the Chesapeake Bay."

Botsford moved to New York City and became a Tin Pan Alley composer. Around 1914-1915 he experimented with "miniature opera" intended to be sung by three or four people, but the idea never gained acceptance. After a long career involving many kinds of music, he died in New York City.

Reference

• They All Played Ragtime by Rudi Blesh and Harriet Janis. Knopf, 1950.

Donate to Wikimedia