John Arpin

Arpin performed frequently and toured widely during his musical career, which spanned more than four decades. He died of cancer on 8 November 2007 in Toronto, Ontario.

• Name — John Arpin • Birthplace — Port McNicoll, Ontario, Canada • Place of death — Toronto, Ontario, Canada • Born — 3 December 1936 • Died — 8 November 2007 • Occupation — Canadian composer, recording artist and entertainer, ragtime pianist. • Education — University of Toronto

Arpin recorded more than sixty albums, mostly of ragtime, but also played Broadway music, pop music, and classical music. In 2002, he recorded seven CDs of piano solo music on the April Avenue record label. These albums consisted of favorite Broadway themes and familiar pop tunes.

Arpin performed as a solo entertainer and with orchestras throughout the world. In Canada, he performed with Maureen Forrester and Peter Appleyard. He made several appearances at the Mariposa Folk Festival, the St. Louis Ragtime Festival, and the Scott Joplin Festival in Sedalia, Missouri. In the Toronto area, he performed regularly in bars, clubs, and hotel lounges, notably The King Edward Hotel, The Ports of Call, The Windsor Arms, Mr. Tony's, and Pearcy House.

Ragtime great Eubie Blake pronounced John Arpin "the Chopin of Ragtime", while The New York Times labeled him "the Richter of Ragtime". High Fidelity magazine said of one of his albums: "This is the best recorded collection of piano rags that I know of and is, I suspect, the most authentically performed."