There’s just something about the Ozark Club! At a time in the 1940s and 50s when Jim Crow discrimination held an iron grip on Great Falls and throughout Montana, Leo Lamar and his unique Ozark Club broke racial barriers. Leo saw an opening in World War II Great Falls, and the door to the Ozark opened to interracial patrons. “Everyone was Welcome” at the Ozark Club. Whites and blacks, young and old, rich and poor, climbed the narrow, dark stairs to the upper floor of the Ozark. LaMar’s strategy for success rested on an exceptional entertainment package anchored by a remarkable house band, the Ozark Boys.

The Ozark Club story had faded over the fifty years before Phil Aaberg, Chris Morris, Ken Robison and the Cascade County Historical Society brought a series of exciting Nights at the Ozark to The History Museum. From 2007 to 2009, a series of seven exciting Nights at the Ozark with prominent national Black Jazz Bands lit up Montana's cold nights. The crowd brought their vibrant memories with them—and the O’Club sprang back to life. The Museum continues to celebrate this unique form of American music with an annual Jazz Night fundraiser in September and a series of free jazz clinics for local music students.

Join us Second Saturday, February 11, 1 pm at The History Museum to listen to some of the original jazz and fascinating stories from the O-Club. Please bring and share your memories of the original Ozark or the Nights at the Ozark Club and help bring the Ozark Club back to life!

Ken Robison, History Museum photo