Pianist/Composer born in Peru, IL 1895. Composer of tunes including My Pet and Kitten on the Keys. Credited as the originator of novelty ragtime. A follower of the fingerbuster piano players like James P Johnson and Willie "The Lion" Smith. Died in Lakewood, NJ 1971 Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.