beer garden moment

I took this photo during the shooting of the documentary in 1995. Grant Jr., not to be confused with his guitar playing brother who plays professionally under that name, is sitting in Molly's Tavern, a St. Louis beer garden, with Virgil and Ollie Matheus. The latter owned the short-lived Holy Barbarian nightclub in St. Louis where Grant's father performed before being discovered in nearby East St. Louis, Illinois, by Blue Note Records saxophonist Lou Donaldson. Concert promoter Jorge Martinez, organist Terry Williams and drummer Kenny Rice, saxophonist Chuck Tillman and John Matheus were also present. It wasn't until years later that I learned how the German presence in America by the middle of the 19th century probably contributed to the proliferation of beer gardens in this country. I look forward to discussing interactions between African Americans and Germans in the urban space next month when I start teaching "The Nineteenth Century City" for the third time at the University of Alabama. Roll Tide!