Remembering: Irving Berlin and Alexander's Ragtime Band

March 18, 1911 Irving Berlin copyrights the sheet music for "Alexander's Ragtime Band" and American pop music begins to conquer the world. The song sold over one and a half million copies within it's first eighteen months.

Simple, yet extremely catchy, it was soon being played on pianos in homes around the world. It wouldn't be much longer that the words were added. Once musical recordings began to be common, it was recorded with and without the vocals. It would even spawn it's own movie in 1938.

The song also helped launch Irving Berlin into the spotlight. He would go on to write many many songs, some of which are extremely famous til this day. Three of which are: "White Christmas", "God Bless America", and "There's No Business Like Show Business".