John Stark and Son

John Stark and Son Publisher Spencer County, Kentucky, 1841; St. Louis, Missouri, November 20, 1927. Owner of a music store in Sedalia, Missouri, John Stark liked Scott Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag” enough to publish it in September 1899. The first edition quickly sold out. When Stark wanted to order another edition from the printing firm in St. Louis, he was told he would have to wait his turn, as it was busy with larger orders. This so infuriated Stark that he went to St. Louis and bought the…