Complex sentence: Joplin began publishing music in 1895, and publication of his "Maple Leaf Rag" in 1899 brought him fame and had a profound influence on subsequent writers of ragtime.
Split into simpler sentences: Joplin began publishing music in 1895, and his composition of "Maple Leaf Rag" in 1899 brought him fame. This piece had a profound influence on subsequent writers of ragtime.