It was thanks to one of these Black businessmen that St. Louis, MO, became the hotspot of ragtime. John L. Turpin, a Black businessman who moved to St. Louis in 1887, opened a saloon in the city called the Silver Dollar. Following in his father’s footsteps, Turpin’s son, Tom Turpin in 1897, also opened his own saloon, and in addition to being an entrepreneur himself, he was also a self-taught pianist. The same year he opened his saloon, he released his composition, “Harlem Rag,” a piece that became a defining composition of the genre. By the year of 1900, Tom Turpin opened up yet another saloon and brothel, called the Rosebud. By this time, Tom Turpin also had two young proteges, Joe Jordan and Louis Chauvin. Between the three ragtime musicians they not only put the Rosebud on the map, but they also helped make St. Louis the first city of ragtime.