Benjamin Robertson "Ben" Harney （March 6, 1872 – March 2, 1938） was an American songwriter, entertainer, and pioneer of ragtime music. His 1896 composition "You've Been a Good Old Wagon but You Done Broke Down" is regarded as one of the early ragtime composition.In 1924, the New York Times wrote that Ben Harney "probably did more to popularize ragtime than any other person." Time Magazine termed him "Ragtime's Father" in 1938.