Frontier Club
The Frontier Club was located at 7365 Old Central Ave NE in Fridley.
Much of the information below comes from an extensive interview with Sherwin Linton, who performed at the Frontier Club quite frequently from 1963 to 1975. I extend my humble appreciation to my friend Sherwin for his information and photos!
Note that I retype the information that is in the ads, because the ads are not searchable.
FRIDLEY NITE CLUB
Before it was the Frontier Club it was known as the Fridley Nite Club, owned by Sheldon Stanley “Shelly” Morris. The first mention of this establishment was on March 3, 1960, in a robbery report. (What would we do without robbery reports?) Morris was an ex-con who did time in three Federal prisons for transporting a stolen car over state lines back in 1946.
Here’s an ad buried in the classifieds:
Minneapolis Star, 1960
Minneapolis Tribune, December 8, 1961
FRONTIER CLUB
The club must have changed names before December 1962, because a robbery report from that time lists it as the Frontier Club, with Morris as the Manager.
LINK TO THE T. EUGENE THOMPSON MURDER
In April 1963, Morris was indicted for first degree murder in the murder of Mrs. T. Eugene Thompson. He was accused of being an accessory after the fact for handling the luger that Richard Anderson planned to use to kill Mrs. Thompson, and showed police where it was located. He was convicted of the charge, received a five year suspended sentence, and placed on probation. In 1989 he was indicted on tax evasion charges.
NEW OWNERSHIP
In the spring of 1963, Dick and Marlene Povlitzski bought the club from Morris for $3,000. Sherwin Linton indicated that Morris had to sell the club because of his legal problems. Dick had only a third grade education and was illiterate but he could add and subtract and was very good at making money. Marlene had previously owned a 3.2 place called The Mug.
At first the place was kind of a dump, with card tables and in dire need of paint. Sherwin told Dick that he needed to get new tables, which he did, and that if Dick bought the paint, Sherwin and the band would paint the place after they finished their gig, which they did.
SHOWS AT THE FRONTIER
Sherwin and his band, the Fender Benders, were the first band to play there after Dick and Marlene bought the place, in April 1963 until January 1964. Other bands would come and go, but Sherwin Linton’s band would be a staple throughout the life of the club.
A list of performers, culled from the pages of the Minneapolis Star and Tribune and photos from Sherwin, follows.
1963
April to December, 1963: Sherwin Linton and the Fenderbenders
1964
January 1964: Sherwin Linton and the Fenderbenders
March, 1964: The Del-Rays, Johnny Jay
March 10, 1964
April 1964: Sherwin Linton and the Fender Benders
April 23, 1964
1965
In about 1965, there was a a gathering at the Frontier Club of Twin City and Nashville entertainers with the George Kent Band.
Shown kneeling: Texas Bill Strength and Mercury Recording artist George Kent. Standing: Sherwin Linton; Tony Farr; Chill Hilman; Gary Verne, George Kent’s Drummer; George Guinn, who was from Oklahoma and popular in the Midwest; and Wayne Wilson, who later became Buck Owens bass player. All those with matching shirts were George Kent’s band.
Photo courtesy Sherwin Linton
1966
In 1966, Dick and Sherwin got together and decided to get some “name” entertainment in the club. Sherwin suggested Buddy Knox, best known for the hit “Party Doll.” Buddy took the job for less than he wanted, but he wasn’t working, so he came, and was such a hit that he was held over for an additional two weeks.
Since Sherwin had the connections and knew how to get in touch with the stars, he went to work and got such superstars as Hank Williams, Jr., Ernest Tubb, and Ray Price to appear at the club. This starpower required that Dick dun customers a $3 cover charge. It doesn’t seem like much, but Will Jones remarked that “cover charges have never been popular in the Twin Cities,” even causing popular supper clubs to close. Not so the Frontier Club.
May 11 and 12, 1966: Sheb Wooley
August 12 and 13, 1966: Stonewall Jackson
1968
In February 1968, building on the success of the Buddy Knox show, Sherwin scored a coup and booked Gene Vincent into the club. He was initially booked for one week, but was held over for two more. He showed up in leather pants and a Nehru jacket, and the people loved him!
This was apparently also the time that the Frontier Club expanded, becoming an all-out restaurant.
Ad courtesy Sherwin Linton
Photo of Gene Vincent courtesy Sherwin Linton
Playing with Gene Vincent below are Sherwin Linton, Ann and Shirley Evans, and Arlon Austin.
Photo courtesy Sherwin Linton
NO-SHOW JONES
There were other performers, of course, including Merle Haggard, Marvin Rainwater, and Texas Bill Strength. Sherwin told the story of a one-nighter featuring the notorious George Jones. His band showed up by bus, but George was going to fly in. Sherwin had to hurry and drive to the airport, pick up George, and get back to Fridley in time for the set. Of course he got a speeding ticket, and of course “No Show” Jones didn’t show. And without Jones, the Jones Boys wouldn’t play either. The customers, knowing Dick, thought it was all a trick, but it wasn’t. Next time George actually did show up in town, Dick and Marlene slapped him with a summons. Or so the story goes!
1971
August 24 to September 5, 1971: Buddy Knox returned.
Minneapolis Star, 1971
November 14, 1971: Kitty Wells
Minneapolis Tribune, 1971
1972
On September 27, 1972, John Richard Snider, 25, was sitting in a booth at the club with club bartender Larry Schmidt, who was days from being 24. Both were from North Minneapolis. They got into an argument, apparently over a salad. Snider went to his car and retrieved a gun that belonged to a friend of his from the glove compartment. Snider returned to the booth, sat down next to Schmidt, pulled the gun out, and fired point blank into Schmidt’s side. Snider immediately said “Call and ambulance” and surrendered to police. (Fridley Sun, October 4, 1972 – rest of the article is missing).
In March 1973, Snider pleaded guilty to second degree manslaughter in Anoka County District Court. He was freed on $10,000 bail pending the results of the investigation. The outcome of this case was not reported in the Minneapolis papers. Thank you to the Fridley Historical Society for this information
1973
April 9 and 10, 1973: Sherwin Linton Show
April 13, 1973: Ferlin Husky – Simon Crum
Minneapolis Tribune, 1973
November 11, 1973: Denny and the Tornados
November 20 to December 3, 1973: Sherwin Linton and the Cotton Kings.
Around this time the Frontier Club was broadcast on KTCR radio on Sundays from 3 to 4 pm, and a bit later also on WMIN from 4:30 to 5:30 pm. Bands had little choice but to keep playing, no matter what.
1974
January 22, 1974: Sherwin Linton and the Cotton Kings plus Denny and the Tornadoes
April 12, 1974: Ernest Tubb and His Texas Troubadours
April 13, 1974: Sherwin Linton and the Cotton Kings
Minneapolis Tribune, 1974
April 19, 1974: Junior Samples
1974
April 26, 1974: Hank Williams, Jr.
Minneapolis Tribune, 1974
May 1, 1974: Tom Lammon and the Country Souls, nightly
May 3, 1974: Roy Drusky and the Loaners
May 10, 1974: Stonewall Jackson, plus Tom Lammon and the Country Souls
May 17, 1974: Bob Luman and the Stone River Band
May 27 to June 2, 1974: Sherwin Linton and the Cotton Kings
June 3 to 9, 1974: The Doyle Holly Show
Minneapolis Tribune, 1974
1975
June 27 to 29, 1975: Sherwin Linton and the Cotton Kings plus Cassie Freeman
August 8 to 10, 1975: The Sherwin Linton Show
FIRE DESTROYS THE FRONTIER CLUB
The club was destroyed by fire on November 28, 1975. Keith Zeller reports that his band was there six nights a week, and then one night Dick told them to take their instruments home with them. Lo and behold, the club went up in flames that night, and arson was suspected. Zeller was always grateful for the warning.
The Frontier Club reopened as the Fridley American Legion Post 303 in about January 1977. It sponsored a dance featuring Chill Hilman on April 1, 1977.