Pan Am Rag - Music

Thomas Million John Turpin November 18 1871 – August 13 1922 Was An African-American Composer Of Ragtime Music. Tom Turpin Was Born In Savannah Georgia A Son Of John L. Turpin And Lulu Waters Turpin. In His Early Twenties He Opened A Saloon In St. Louis Missouri Which Became A Meeting-Place For Local Pianists And An Incubation Point For Early Folk Ragtime Such As Musician Joe Jordan. Turpin Himself Is Credited With The First Published Rag By An African-American His "Harlem Rag" Of 1897 It Was Composed By 1892 A Year Before Ragtime's Introduction To The World At The 1893 Worlds Fair . His Other Published Rags Include "Bowery Buck " "Ragtime Nightmare " "St. Louis Rag " And "The Buffalo Rag". 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-Americans In St. Louis. His Influence On Local Music Earned Him The Title "Father Of St. Louis Ragtime." read less