Lewis F. Muir

Who was Lewis F. Muir?

Lewis F. Muir, born Louis Meuer was an American composer and ragtime pianist.

Originally a millinery peddler, Muir started as a pianist in St. Louis cafes and played in the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904. He moved to New York in 1910. His first published composition was "Play That Barber-Shop Chord" from 1910. Vaudeville entertainer Bert Williams used the song in his shows. Other compositions published by Muir in 1910–1911 include "Oh, You Bear Cat Rag", "The Matrimony Rag" and "When Ragtime Rosie Ragged the Rosary".

Journalist L. Wolfe Gilbert criticized Muir's use of the Catholic rosary in the name of a ragtime piece, which he considered sacrilegious. Muir confronted Gilbert in person and, after a heated argument, challenged Gilbert to write a song with him. The result was a romantic song called "Do You Feel It in the Air?" and "Waiting For The Robert E. Lee", the latter becoming the best-known title written by either man. This version of events is somewhat contradicted by Gilbert himself, who said in an interview: " One day I was given a chance to write some stuff for the Clipper, which assured me of my room rent.