Black Music Month originated in 1979. Jimmy Carter proclaimed the month of June as Black Music Month to celebrate the wonderful music, the achievements, births, important timelines, events and to remember those we lost.
June 18: This Day in Black Music History was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
1. Tom Turpin
1871: Composer & pianist Tom Turpin was born. He is credited with the first published rag by an African-American, his “Harlem Rag” of 1897 (it was composed by 1892). He passed away in 1922.
