Tom Turpin

Thomas (Tom) Turpin ( born June 18, 1873 in Savannah, Georgia; † August 13, 1922 in St. Louis ( Missouri)) was American ragtime pianist and composer.

Turpin was born in 1873 as the second son of John and Lulu Turpin. He taught himself to play the piano itself. Thomas Turpin is a ragtime pioneer who lived in the hometown of ragtime, St. Louis and worked. Tom and his older brother Charles ( Charlie ) bought in 1885 a gold mine in Nevada but were forced by weak yield to return to St. Louis. Published in 1897 Turpin was composed based on the own style Harlem Rag.

Turpin opened in 1900 the restaurant " The Rosebud Cafe " near the tram depot of St. Louis. Many well-known ragtime pianist met there. Scott Joplin wrote some of his works here. Tom Turpin and his brother Charlie also ran the Booker T. Washington Theatre, there appeared alongside Turpin Joe Jordan and Artie Matthews, in the later blues era also Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters and Josephine Baker, whose career began there. The Turpin brothers were the first colored politicians, gaming lounges, dance halls and brothels operated. For the musician Turpin the piano had to be placed on wooden blocks, because he just standing the whole keyboard was able to play because of the abdominal circumference. Although only four Turpin " Rags " published in his lifetime, his influence is on this kind of music as enormous.

Discography

  • Jazz Pianist
  • American composer
  • Born 1873
  • Died in 1922
  • Man
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