Ernest Hogan - La Pas Ma La (1895)

Ernest Hogan (born Ernest Reuben Crowdus; 1865 – May 20, 1909, was the first Black American entertainer to produce and star in a Broadway show, The Oyster Man in 1907, (shows at the African Grove Theatre preceded it by generations) and helped to popularize the musical genre of ragtime.

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Song La Pas Ma La (1895)
Lyrics: Ernest Hogan

Ragtime Skedaddlers

The phrase La Pas Ma La comes from Hogan’s comedy dance called the “Pasmala”, which he and his troupe, the Georgia Graduates, invented. The dance involved a walk forward followed by three steps back. Hogan then composed and published a song in 1895 set to this dance, using the name “La Pas Ma La” as a playful, phonetic rendering of the step’s title.

Often cited as the first published ragtime work, though some scholars debate this due to earlier copyrighted pieces. The song features syncopated rhythms, cakewalk dance moves, and minstrel show theatricality and draws on late 19th‑century American popular music, including Southern folk banjo styles, marching band elements, and urban dance fads.
Hogan’s version was part of minstrel shows, sometimes in blackface, and was issued by J.R. Bell publishing house in Kansas City.