Since 1973, The Mississippi Rag has covered traditional jazz and ragtime like no other publication. For 33 years (November 1973-October 2006), The Rag was a printed tabloid publication, presenting exclusive feature stories by top writers on contemporary and legendary giants of traditional jazz and ragtime, plus stories on less well known but accomplished musicians.

As of January 2007, however, The Rag has made the leap into cyberspace, converting to an online publication and carrying on the RAG tradition while enhancing pages with color, hyperlinks and more treats made possible by the wonders of the Internet. As before, it is published monthly.

The Rag has never been just about history. New and current performers and bands are highlighted in each issue, with information about where and when they're playing. And, perceptive reviews with mail order and website information help readers select the best in recordings, books, and videos.

Dubbed the "bible" of the traditional jazz and ragtime world by its readers, The Mississippi Rag serves a worldwide readership, reaching subscribers in 50 states and 26 countries. More than 1/3 of our readers (and perhaps as many as 2/3rds) are either professional or amateur musicians. Subscribers include top musicians, writers, researchers and critics in the traditional jazz and ragtime world.

Nearly 100 fine freelance writers and photographers regularly contribute stories and photos to The Rag, and at least six critically acclaimed books have resulted from articles first published in The Mississippi Rag. Rare photos spice up our pages. Duncan P. Schiedt's historic photo collection is used extensively, and The Rag has published many rare photos from private collections as well as magnificent photos by Charles Peterson, Nancy Miller Elliott, Ray Avery, William Gottlieb, and Ed Lawless. New to our pages are photos and clippings from the collection of jazz aficionado/photographer Randy Richards, who compiled amazing scrapbooks that will be shared with RAG readers.

The editor/publisher/creator of The Rag is Leslie Johnson, who can be contacted at editor@mississippirag.com.

The Mississippi Rag™ and The Rag™ are registered trademarks.

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