I love this old recording by Blind Blake, one of the main ragtime guitarists, who lived from 1896 to 1934. Not much is known about who he was or where he came from, however he was and has been very influencial amongst other guitarists including names such as The Reverend Gary Davis, Jorma Kaukoonen, Ry Cooder, Ralph McTell and leon Redbone . His type of ragtime was one where he would frequently syncopate the bass with the melody often leaving gaps for short single line solos. While my playing is different than his, I do adopt this principle of mixing things up in my playing.
Blind Arthur Blake – Black Dog Blues