Thomas Million John Turpin (November 18, 1871 – August 13, 1922) was an American composer of

ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its Syncopation, syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers ...

music. Turpin is credited with the first published rag by an

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, his "Harlem Rag" of 1897 (although it was composed by 1892, a year before ragtime's introduction to the world at the 1893 World's Fair).

Biography

Tom Turpin was born in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

, a son of John L. Turpin and Lulu Waters Turpin. In his early twenties, he opened a saloon in

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

which became a meeting-place for local pianists, such as Joe Jordan and

Scott Joplin Scott Joplin (November 24, 1868 – April 1, 1917) was an American composer and pianist. Dubbed the "King of Ragtime", he composed more than 40 ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. One of his first and most popular pieces, the ...

, and an incubation point for early folk ragtime. This saloon, named the Rosebud Café, became the namesake of Joplin's "Rosebud March" (1905). The saloon was closed in 1906. Including the "Harlem Rag", Turpin published a total of seven compositions. Two were recorded by contemporary musicians: St. Louis Rag (1903) was recorded most notably by the

United States Marine Band The United States Marine Band is the premier band of the United States Marine Corps. Established by act of Congress on July 11, 1798, it is the oldest of the United States military bands and the oldest professional musical organization in the ...

and

Arthur Pryor Arthur Willard Pryor (September 22, 1869 – June 18, 1942) was a trombone virtuoso, bandleader, and soloist with the Sousa Band. He was a prolific composer of band music, his best-known composition being "The Whistler and His Dog". In lat ...

's Orchestra in 1906, and Buffalo Rag (1904), was recorded by Vess L. Ossman. Turpin was a large man, six feet (1.83 m) tall and 300 pounds (136 kg); his piano had to be raised on blocks so that he could play it standing up, otherwise his stomach would get in the way. In addition to his saloon-keeping duties and his ragtime composition, he controlled (with his brother Charles) a theater, gambling houses, dance halls, and sporting houses. He served as a deputy constable and was one of the first politically powerful

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

s in St. Louis. His influence on local music earned him the title "Father of St. Louis Ragtime." Turpin died of

peritonitis Peritonitis is inflammation of the localized or generalized peritoneum, the lining of the inner wall of the abdomen and covering of the abdominal organs. Symptoms may include severe pain, swelling of the abdomen, fever, or weight loss. One pa ...

in 1922.

Date of birth

Turpin's date of birth is uncertain; both 1871 and 1873 appear in published sources. His gravestone says simply 1871. The 1900 Federal Census for the city of St. Louis (Enumeration District 220, Sheet 9, Line 79) listed his birthdate as "November 1871", but on his draft registration card he wrote November 18, 1874. However, some historians believe he was born in 1873.

In popular culture

He was portrayed by

Godfrey Cambridge Godfrey MacArthur Cambridge (February 26, 1933 – November 29, 1976) was an American stand-up comic and actor. Alongside Bill Cosby, Dick Gregory, and Nipsey Russell, he was acclaimed by ''Time'' in 1965 as "one of the country's foremost cel ...

in the 1977 film ''

.'' He is a minor character in Philip Jose farmers riverworld book series

List of compositions

1897 * ''Harlem Rag - Two Step'' 1899 HarlemRag

* ''Harlem Rag'' rranged by Will Tyers * ''Bowery Buck - Ragtime Two Step'' 1900 * ''Ragtime Nightmare'' 1903 Louis Rag 1903

* ''The St-Louis Rag'' 1904 * ''The Buffalo Rag'' 1909 * ''Siwash - Indian Intermezzo'' npublished and Assumed Lost 1914 * ''Pan-Am Rag'' Arthur Marshall">Arthur Marshall (composer)">Arthur Marshall 1917 * ''When Sambo Goes to France''

References

External links