Etilmon Justus Stark

Etilmon Justus Stark (b. Gosport, Indiana, 1868 – January 1962) – Pianist, ragtime composer, arranger, and bandmaster. The son of John Stark (the man who discovered Scott Joplin), Etilmon Justus Stark was born on a farm in Gosport, Indiana, and moved with his family to Missouri as a young child. In 1885, the family settled in Sedalia, where his father owned a music store/publishing company. Considered the most musically gifted of the six Stark siblings, Etilmon taught music at Marmaduke Military Academy until it burned in 1896. Next, he moved on to the Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington, Missouri, where he served as the school’s first bandmaster from 1896 to 1905. After composing some band works -- including the “W.M.A. Cadet’s March” -- for the Academy, Stark wrote several piano rags that were published by his father’s company. In addition, Etilmon was the primary arranger for the Red Back Book (originally called Standard High-Class Rags). Published by John Stark and Son, the Red Back Book consisted of band arrangements of fifteen standards piano rags (six by Joplin).