December 2022

The St. Louis Ragtimers were together for 50 years as a group. Three of the founding members are still alive and perform once a month at Evangelines in the Central West End of St. Louis. This is not far from the infamous, historic district called, Gaslight Square. The Ragtimers started in a very small bar in Gaslight featuring Traditional Riverboat Jazz.. called, "The Natchez Queen." When Gaslight Square was mostly demolished by a tornado, Don Franz (after an idea by Trebor Tichenor, Ragtime Historian) purchased an old, run-down showboat on the Mississippi River Levee. The group helped restore the old boat and hosted Ragtime and Traditional Jazz Festivals there for over 30 years.. bringing in the very best performers from all over the U.S. and Europe. The Goldenrod became a National Heritage Site and The St. Louis Ragtimers, a National Treasure.