claim: Absinthe is alcohol free.
evidence: Thomas Million John Turpin -LRB- November 18 , 1871 -- August 13 , 1922 -RRB- was an African-American composer of ragtime music .. ragtime. ragtime. African-American. African-American. Tom Turpin was born in Savannah , Georgia , a son of John L. Turpin and Lulu Waters Turpin .. In his early twenties he opened a saloon in St. Louis , Missouri which became a meeting-place for local pianists and an incubation point for early folk ragtime , such as musician Joe Jordan .. ragtime. ragtime. Joe Jordan. Joe Jordan ( musician ). Turpin himself is credited with the first published rag by an African-American , his `` Harlem Rag '' of 1897 -LRB- it was composed by 1892 , a year before ragtime 's introduction to the world at the 1893 Worlds Fair -RRB- .. ragtime. ragtime. 1893 Worlds Fair. 1893 Worlds Fair. African-American. African-American. His other published rags include `` Bowery Buck , '' `` Ragtime Nightmare , '' `` St. Louis Rag , '' and `` The Buffalo Rag '' .. Turpin was a large man , six feet -LRB- 1.83 m -RRB- tall and 300 pounds -LRB- 136 kg -RRB- ; his piano had to be raised on blocks so that he could play it standing up , otherwise his stomach would get in the way .. In addition to his saloon-keeping duties and his ragtime composition , he controlled -LRB- with his brother Charles -RRB- a theater , gambling houses , dance halls , and sporting houses .. ragtime. ragtime. He served as a deputy constable and was one of the first politically powerful African-Americans in St. Louis .. His influence on local music earned him the title `` Father of St. Louis Ragtime . ''