The Music of Blind Boone
Hear the recordings that helped shape American music.
Listen to His Piano Rolls
Historic recordings, gathered in one place
Boone recorded his performances on piano rolls that still survive today. We’ve gathered these historic recordings and embedded them here so you can hear his artistry in his own hands. Each recording is hosted on YouTube for reliable playback on any device.
- Historic piano-roll recordings, embedded and organized
- Playable on desktop and mobile
- Featured on tours via the home’s player piano
Piano-roll recordings
Seven surviving piano-roll recordings, playable below. Each is slated for upload to the Foundation’s YouTube channel with a Blind Boone thumbnail, then embedded here in place of these players.
Now playing
Rag-Medley (2)
Interim audio carried over from the current site. Replaced by a responsive YouTube embed once the rolls are uploaded to the Foundation channel.
More recordings
The remaining six surviving recordings. Each is replaced by a YouTube embed once uploaded to the Foundation channel.
When You and I Were Young Maggie
Piano-roll recording
Camp Meeting Medley (1)
Piano-roll recording
Woodland Murmurs
Piano-roll recording
Gavotte Chromatic
Piano-roll recording
Nearer My God to Thee
Piano-roll recording
Dixie
Piano-roll recording
A Bridge to Ragtime & Jazz
An innovation that opened a door
Boone’s compositions fused African-American folk traditions with European classical forms — an innovation that helped open the door to ragtime, jazz, and boogie-woogie. Explore the pieces that made him a national sensation.