Joe McQueen, Ogden's ambassador of jazz for generations, dies at 100

Joe McQueen died Saturday at the age of 100.

McQueen was a touring jazzman who in 1945 came to Ogden for a two-week gig, and never left. He was so popular at Ogden’s black nightclubs that the white kids from Weber State University came to hear him play — and when the white club owners wanted to hire him, he refused unless the clubs would let black patrons come in and enjoy the show, too.

His reputation spread, so that when jazz greats were on the train between Chicago and San Francisco, they would stop in Ogden just to play with him. In later years, he became an inspiration to new generations of musicians.

Read about McQueen here, at sltrib.com.