Thomas Shea

Thomas William Shea (born in Mattoon, IL, November 14, 1931, died in Raleigh, NC, March 12, 1982) was an American ragtime composer.

He studied piano briefly as a child, but later became interested in ragtime after hearing the "Maple Leaf Rag." After learning some ragtime by ear, he started composing his own rags. His style has been informally called "Prairie Ragtime." He was active in ragtime circles in the Detroit area and expanded his exposure to ragtime and its proponents by attending ragtime festivals in St. Louis. In 1970 he moved to Raleigh, NC, where he died from a sudden heart attack on March 12, 1982. He is known to have composed over 20 rags, some of which are often performed today ("Brun Campbell Express," "Rosebud Rag," "Corncracker Rag," "Little Wabash Special")and two of which were published ("Brun Campbell Express" in They All Played Ragtime, Oak Publications, New York, 1966; and "Trillium Rag" in Max Morath's Guide to Ragtime, Hollis Music, Inc., New York, 1964). He recorded three LP records which contain his compositions: "Classic and Modern Rags" (Ragtime Society Records RSR-1, 1963), "Prairie Ragtime" (Ragtime Society Records RSR-2, 1964) and "Little Wabash Special" (Stomp Off Records, SOS-1022, 1982).

References

• Jasen, David A., and Tichenor, Trebor Jay, "Rags and Ragtime," Dover Publications, New York,1978, pp. 282-284.
• Blesh, Rudi, and Janis, Harriet, "They All Played Ragtime," Oak Publications, New York, 4th edition, 1971, sheet music insert.

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