Santa Barbara-area ragtimer Kathi Backus died in early January; she was 79. A well known figure in the California ragtime community she played regularly at The Maple Leaf Club in Los Angeles during the 1970s. She strongly supported the Sutter Creek Ragtime Festival from its inception. She frequented events at Arlo “Chip” Lusby’s Skunk Hollow. Her composition Skunk Hollow Blues appeared on the Victorian Gardens Ragtime album from Rivermont, and while a reluctant performer in later years a few of her performances can be found on YouTube.
Her other interests included antiques and ham radio. She volunteered at her local cat shelter every Monday and made that an important part of her life. She counted among her friends fellow ragtimers of several generations and she will be sorely missed.
Joe Bebco is the Associate Editor of The Syncopated Times and Webmaster of SyncopatedTimes.com
