Tom Turpin was a musician and businessman whose bar in St. Louis became an important gathering place for ragtime musicians, including Scott Joplin. Turpin was born in Savannah, Georgia, and moved with his family to St. Louis in the early 1880s. Turpin’s father ran a saloon and was active in local politics. Together with his brother Charles, Turpin traveled west and invested in a Nevada gold mine. When this venture proved to be unsuccessful, Turpin returned to St. Louis and opened the Rosebud Bar at 2220 Market Street. This saloon became a focal point for the ragtime music scene.

Tom Turpin’s own musical output was small compared to that of other ragtime composers. He did, however, have a strong influence on the development of ragtime. In fact, his composition “The Harlem Rag” (1897) is considered the first published rag by an African American. His other compositions include “The Harlem Rag” (1897), “The Bowery Buck” (1899), “A Ragtime Nightmare” (1900), “St. Louis Rag” (1903), “The Buffalo Rag” (1904), and “Pan-Am Rag” (1914). He is buried in St. Peter’s Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri.