Roger A. Graham

Roger A. Graham (12 June 1885 – 25 October 1938) was an American lyricist, composer, singer, and music publisher who flourished from 1906 to 1920 — a period that included World War I, the golden age of Tin Pan Alley (from about 1915 to 1920), the dawn of the Jazz Age (circa 1914), and the silent film era. Graham was a proponent of vaudeville and burlesque songs. But as a lyricist and publisher, Graham is most remembered for having been an exponent of blues songs. In 1922 the Tribune Building was torn down.

Theory over the etymology of the word, "Jazz"

Graham, disputing many other claims over the origination of jazz, opined that Jasbo Brown, a pioneer of jazz in New Orleans, did it first in Chicago, around 1914.