Ollie Matheus, another one gone too soon

The late Ollie Matheus, former owner of the short-lived The Holy Barbarian nightclub, a beatnik hang-out in St. Louis, is one of the real heroes of this film. In the late 1950s, Matheus boldly put black and white musicians onstage and paid a heavy cost.

As he liked to say when we first met him in 1994, he went on to fight for freedom in Mexico and later, in Haiti. He was some kind of guy. In one of the photos below, he is pictured with his brother John, and Virgil, the latter who was pretty special, too. On the eve of starting my doctoral work, Virgil and his wife, Joan, graciously agreed to do a swing dance demonstration in a lesson I was teaching on the influence of Africa on American vernacular dance.

Olllie Matheus, rebel with a heart.

The Matheus Brothers during filming.

Ollie in front of his car. Check out the license plate.