Thomas Shea

Thomas William Shea was an American ragtime composer.

Biography

Born in Mattoon, Illinois, Shea studied piano briefly as a child, but later became interested in ragtime after hearing the "Maple Leaf Rag." After learning some ragtime by ear, he started composing his own rags. His style has been informally called "Prairie Ragtime." He was active in ragtime circles in the Detroit area and expanded his exposure to ragtime and its proponents by attending ragtime festivals in St. Louis. In 1970, he moved to Raleigh, North Carolina. He is known to have composed over 20 rags, some of which are performed today and two of which were published. He recorded three albums which contain his compositions: Classic and Modern Rags, Prairie Ragtime and Little Wabash Special.
Shea died in Raleigh from a heart attack in March 1982. Asteroid 60614 Tomshea, discovered by astronomers with the Catalina Sky Survey in 2000, was named in his memory. The official was published by the Minor Planet Center on January 12, 2017.