Thomas Million Turpin (1873-1922)

Overview

According to the Internet source given below, Tom [Thomas Million] Turpin was an American performer and composer of piano ragtime music. The son of a freed slave, he was born in Savannah, Georgia and moved with his family to St Louis, Missouri in the early 1880s where his father, "Honest John" Turpin; opened the Silver Dollar Saloon. He was self-taught and established himself with Harlem Rag, the first published instrumental rag by an African American composer. He went on to publish further rags including the well-known St. Louis Rag (1903).
After a failed mining venture with his brother Charlie in 1881 in Searchlight, Nevada [later honoured by Scott Joplin with his Search-Light Rag (1907)], Tom Turpin returned to St Louis to open the famous Rosebud Cafe [also to be honoured by Scott Joplin with his The Rosebud March (1905)]. Here he achieved considerable influence on ragtime music, The Rosebud Cafe becoming a rendezvous for some of ragtime's most illustrious performers such as Joe Jordan, Charlie Warfield, Sam Patterson as well as Louis Chauvin.

Websites:
	Thomas Million Turpin	Biography and list of works by "Perfessor" Bill Edwards

Cylinders

	Title (Release Year)	Co-Author(s)	Performers	Issue


	St. Louis Rag (1904)		V.L. Ossman	Edison Gold Moulded Record: 8726

MIDIs

	Title	Co-Author(s)	Sequencer


	Bowery Buck (1899)		Sakae Watanabe
	Buffalo Rag (1904), The		Sakae Watanabe
	Harlem Rag (1897)		Sakae Watanabe
	Harlem Rag (1899), The		James Pitt-Payne
	Pan-Am-Rag (1914), The		Sakae Watanabe
	Rag-Time Nightmare (1900), A		Sakae Watanabe
	St. Louis Rag (1903)		Sakae Watanabe

Samples

	Title (Release Year)	Performers	Instruments


Bowery Buck (1899)	Midi Ragtime Recorder Ens.	T/T/B+D/B/GB(B)
Buffalo Rag (1904), The	Midi Ragtime Recorder Ens.	A/T/T/B/B/GB(B)
Harlem Rag (1897)	Midi Ragtime Recorder Ens.	A/T/T/B/B/GB(B)
Harlem Rag (1899), The	Midi Ragtime Recorder Ens.	A/T/T/B/B/GB(B)
Pan-Am-Rag (1914), The	Midi Ragtime Recorder Ens.	A/T/T/T+B/B/GB(B)
Rag-Time Nightmare (1900), A	Midi Ragtime Recorder Ens.	A/T/T/B+S/B/GB(B)
St. Louis Rag (1903)	Midi Ragtime Recorder Ens.	A/T/T/B/B/GB(B)

CDs

	Performer	CD Title	Supplier


Jazz Music CDs:
Black Swan Classic Jazz Band	Ragtime Revelry	CD(s) & MP3 Album(s)
Ragtime Music CDs:
Various Artists	1904 St. Louis World's Fair: Meet Me At The Fair
Various Artists	Best Ragtime Album Ever
Various Artists	A Century of Ragtime 1897-1997
Various Artists	From Cake-Walk To Ragtime 1898-1916	CD(s) & MP3 Album(s)
Various Artists	From Ragtime to Jazz Vol. 3: 1902-1923	CD(s) & MP3 Album(s)
Various Artists	Gold Collection
Various Artists	Good Time Jazz Story
Various Artists	Kings of Ragtime
Various Artists	Piano Music In America 1900-1945
⇑Various Artists	Ragtime 1900-1930
Various Artists	Ragtime Hard To Find Classics
Various Artists	Ragtime: The World's Greatest Ragtime Album
Various Artists	The Roots of Rag-Time	CD(s) & MP3 Album(s)
Various Artists	Scott Joplin and the Age of Ragtime
Various Artists	Spirit of Ragtime
Various Artists	That Devilin' Tune	CD(s) & MP3 Album(s)
Various Artists	The Traditional Jazz Ragtime Collection
New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra	Grace and Beauty
Claude Bolling	Original Ragtime	CD(s) & MP3 Album(s)
Claude Bolling	Original Ragtime/Original Boogie Woogie/Original Piano Blues	CD(s) & MP3 Album(s)
⇑Claude Bolling	Le Ragtime
Elite Syncopators	American Sampler Rag	CD(s) & MP3 Album(s)
Miguel Pineda-Van Gelder	A Ragtime Feast: Forgotten Rags
Ralph Press	The Great American Ragtime Revival/with Sound Effects	CD(s) & MP3 Album(s)
The Skirtlifters	A Ragtime Episode
Charles Thompson	The Neglected Professor
Wally Rose	Rags Blues Joys
Wally Rose	Ragtime Classics
James Price Johnson	The Best of Scott Joplin and Other Rag Classics	CD(s) & MP3 Album(s)
Trebor Jay Tichenor	Ragtime Reunion
Trebor Jay Tichenor	Tempus Ragorum
⇑Mimi Blais	Old Rags New Rags
Mimi Blais	Once Upon a Rag Time
Mimi Blais	Sunday Morning
Spare Parts	Now Tango
Paragon Ragtime Orchestra	On The Boardwalk	CD(s) & MP3 Album(s)
Lu Watters	Originals & Ragtime: San Francisco Style: Vol. 2
The Great American Main St. Band	Silks & Rags
Evergreen Ragtime Trio	It's a Rouser
William Bolcom	Heliotrope Bouquet Piano Rags (1900-1970)
Ton Van Bergeyk	Famous Ragtime Guitar Solos	CD(s) & MP3 Album(s)
Richard Zimmerman	The Roots of Ragtime	CD(s) & MP3 Album(s)
⇑American Ragtime Ensemble	Ragtime Chamber Music
St. Louis Ragtimers	The St. Louis Ragtimers: Volume 1
St. Louis Ragtimers	The St. Louis Ragtimers: Volume 4
Brent Watkins	The Heroes of Parlor Town - Volume 2	CD(s) & MP3 Album(s)
Sue Keller	Rag Time Sue
Turpintyme Ragsters	Chicken Chowder
David A. Jasen	Rompin' Stompin' Ragtime
Heliotrope Ragtime Orchestra	It's a Bear
Peter Muir	Spontaneous Ragtime
Jack Bradshaw	Takes Two [Ragtime Piano Duos]
Scott Kirby	Bucktown in the 90's
⇑Royal City Saxophone Quartet	Ragtime for Rent	CD(s) & MP3 Album(s)
Max Morath	The Best of Scott Joplin and Other Rag Classics	CD(s) & MP3 Album(s)
Bill Edwards	The Rag's the Thing
Bill Edwards	Syncopated Safari

Item	Title	Available	€	£	$	Other



DBE475	Bowery Buck (1899) - Rag-Time Two-Step T/T/B+D/B/GB(B), approx. 2½ mins.	out-of-print	€12.00	£10.00	$15.50
DBE476	The Buffalo Rag (1904) A/T/T/B/B/GB(B), approx. 2¼ mins.	1-2 days
DBE478	Harlem Rag (1897) - Two Step A/T/T/B/B/GB(B), approx. 2¾ mins.	out-of-print	€15.00	£12.50	$19.50
DBE477	The Harlem Rag (1899) - March & Cake Walk A(T)/T/T/B/B/GB(B), approx. 3¼ mins.	out-of-print	€15.00	£12.50	$19.50
DBE215	The Pan-Am-Rag (1914) A/T/T/T+B/B/GB(B), approx. 2¾ mins.	1-2 days
DBE479	A Rag-Time Nightmare (1900) - March and Two-Step A/T/T/B+S/B/GB(B), approx. 1¾ mins.	out-of-print	€12.00	£10.00	$15.50
DBE480	St. Louis Rag (1903) - Instrumental Novelty A/T/T/B/B/GB(B), approx. 2¾ mins	out-of-print	€12.00	£10.00	$15.50

Library

	Title	Instruments	Remarks


Bowery Buck (1899)	T/T/B+D/B/GB(B)
Buffalo Rag (1904), The	A/T/T/B/B/GB(B)	Pub.
Harlem Rag (1897)	A/T/T/B/B/GB(B)	Pub.
Harlem Rag (1899), The	A/T/T/B/B/GB(B)	Pub.
Pan-Am-Rag (1914), The	A/T/T/T+B/B/GB(B)	Pub.
Rag-Time Nightmare (1900), A	A/T/T/B+S/B/GB(B)	Pub.
St. Louis Rag (1903)	A/T/T/B/B/GB(B)	Pub.

	Title	Attribution	Instruments	Source	Remarks


Bowery Buck (1899)	T.M. Turpin (music)	Piano	IMSLP
Buffalo Rag (1904), The	T.M. Turpin (music)	Piano	IMSLP	Pub.
Harlem Rag (1899), The	T.M. Turpin (music)	Piano	IMSLP
Rag-Time Nightmare (1900), A	T.M. Turpin (music)	Piano	IMSLP	Pub.
St. Louis Rag (1903)	T.M. Turpin (music)	Piano	IMSLP

Works

This list is arranged in chronological order and contains 9 works by Thomas Million Turpin (1873-1922). It does not claim to be complete and represents only the number of items located. Keys: ER

Title	Year	Attribution	Remarks


Harlem Rag	1897	Midi Ragtime Recorder Ensemble (perf.) Two Step
Bowery Buck	1899	Midi Ragtime Recorder Ensemble (perf.)
Harlem Rag, The	1899	Midi Ragtime Recorder Ensemble (perf.) March & Cake Walk
Rag-Time Nightmare, A	1900	Midi Ragtime Recorder Ensemble (perf.)	Pub.
St. Louis Rag	1903	Midi Ragtime Recorder Ensemble (perf.) Vess L. Ossman (perf.)
Buffalo Rag, The	1904	Midi Ragtime Recorder Ensemble (perf.)	Pub.
Siwash	1909
Pan-Am-Rag, The	1914	Midi Ragtime Recorder Ensemble (perf.)	Pub.
When Sambo Goes to France	1917		Pub.

Videos

	Composer	Title	Performer


	T.M. Turpin	The Harlem Rag (0:00)	Ragtime Dorian Henry
	T.M. Turpin	St Louis Rag (2:51)	Tom Turpin Piano Roll