Bob Darch: Saving Sedalia’s Ragtime Heritage

For some time now, I have been gathering material on “Ragtime” Bob Darch in anticipation of the 100th anniversary of his birth in 2020. I have discovered many others have recently written or are writing about Bob’s life and career, so for now, I’ll focus on the affectionate bond Bob had with Sedalia, Missouri. In a way the symbiotic relationship can be summed up in the words of an April 10, 1961, Sedalia Democrat editorial. After describing the wide range of Bob’s appearances and the publicity he had garnered for himself, the editor concludes, None should begrudge the publicity Bob has gotten for himself. It’s his business to get a much as he can, and he certainly has the knack for getting it in abundance wherever he goes. What we mean in saying we shouldn’t begrudge Bob all the publicity he gets is the fact that Darch always sees to it that Sedalia shares in the beneficial publicity. And, of course Sedalia reciprocated by hiring him to return and perform often over the years. According to a Sedalia Democrat article, July 21, 1959, Bob’s first unpublicized visit to Sedalia was in 1947. However, I suspect that should have been 1957 as Bob was still in Japan in 1947. Whichever date is correct, Bob was fascinated by the city where Joplin’s Maple Leaf Rag was first published, and Seda