Ferdinand Joseph LaMenthe (1890 - 1941), more commonly known as Jelly Roll Morton, is a unique figure in the history of ragtime. In the words of jazz historian Whitney Balliett, "Morton properly belongs in the nineteenth-century American mythology of Paul Bunyan and Johnny Appleseed and Davy Crockett . . ." Born in New Orleans, Morton's professional music career began as a 12-year-old pianist in the Storyville district. In 1911, he formed his own band, which broke up four years later. Subsequently, he moved to the west coast (and then to Alaska), organizing bands as he travelled. He began his recording career in 1923. Returning to Chicago, Morton put together one of the greatest jazz bands of all time (the Red Hot Peppers). He considered himself the founder of jazz (a sobriquet that was challenged when he said it as well as now).

Jelly Roll composed some of the livliest (and difficult-to-play) pieces, including "Fingerbuster," "Frog-I-More Rag," "Grandpa's Spells," "King Porter Stomp," "Perfect Rag" and "The Naked Dance." Although composition of the latter is attributed to Tony Jackson, it is Morton's arrangement that is best remembered and most often played.