Exterior of the Sir John Hotel in Overtown, shot sometime in the 1960s. Credit: Black Archives.
A legendary Overtown nightclub manager and a Miami Beach businessman who played a pivotal role in nightclub culture in the predominantly Black neighborhood will be honored with an immersive jazz experience in Liberty City.
A Night at The Sir John’s Knight Beat, a celebration of iconic Knight Beat club at The Sir John hotel, will be hosted at the Marshall L. Davis Sr. African Heritage Cultural Arts Center. The event coincides with the country’s 250-anniversary commemorations in an effort to recognize cultural contributions to American history.
Marshal L. Davis Sr., the center’s longtime managing director, said he was too young to hang out at the Knight Beat in its heyday, but seeing people dressed up and having fun was something people should experience. This is why he brought the event back for a second year.
“I always saw people come out clean and the music sounds so uplifting,” he said. “I said that this is an experience that should be repeated, and others should have.”
The event honors Sam Rabin and Clyde Killens, who partnered together during the Jim Crow era to operate Knight Beat, providing a safe space for Black performers during segregation.
“You have these two men in during segregation, one Jewish and one African American, bringing the community together in a time when the lines were drawn to separate us,” said Carmen Morris, theater marketing manager for the center. “It could have been a dangerous thing for them, but they did it, and it worked, and I believe it contributed to the evolution of the music and the culture.”
Nat King Cole, right front, with Judge Johnson, left front, at the Knight Beat, the nightclub at The Sir John Hotel in Overtown’s heyday. Photo courtesy of John Johnson C.W. GRIFFIN MIAMI HERALD STAFF
Rabin operated th Knight Beat, which he purchased from his father-in-law, for 10 years before selling it in 1963, according to Miami Herald archives. The club served as a beacon of entrepreneurship and artistic expression during Jim Crow.
The club attracted top performers such as Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke, and Flip Wilson and also promoted boxing matches – a feat accomplished by in part by Killens’ stellar management.
Born in Valdosta, Georgia, Killens moved to Miami with his godmother Georgette Campbell, owner of Brownsville’s Georgette’s Teahouse, a place for entertainers to rub elbows and where Killens met celebrities, according to Miami Herald archives.
Killens lived in Overtown, then known as Colored Town or the Central Negro District, and worked at the Lyric Theater playing drums for vaudeville shows and silent movies. He would go on to operate several nightclubs, including the Nut Club, the Elks, the Knight Beat at the Sir John Hotel and Clyde Killens Pool Hall, which is now home to Red Rooster restaurant.
Exterior of the Sir John Hotel in Overtown, shot sometime in the 1960s. Credit: Black Archives.
Originally built in 1951 as the Lord Calvert Hotel, the Sir John Hotel sat in the heart of Overtown and was a key stop on the Chitlin Circuit for Black artists during segregation and had a listing in The Greenbook, a guide for Black travelers to know where they could find lodging during segregation. Celebrities such as Sammy Davis Jr. and Lena Horne who performed in Miami Beach would often return to the Overtown neighborhood and perform at the nightclub because Black people were not allowed to stay on the beach.
The Knight Beat closed in 1973 due to financial challenges, the Miami Herald reported. The Sir John was demolished in the mid-1970s.
Friday’s event is expected honor the memory of the venue with live 1950s and 1960s jazz tunes performed by Daniel Washington and the Idyllic Funk Band, who performed a selection of songs to honor the nightclub’s memory at last year’s performance.
Clyde Killens, best know for bringing famed music to Miami like Dionne Warwick, Count Basie and Aretha Franklin, listens to the Melton Mustafa Orchestra at the Lyric Theater. The Overtown NET hosted the event. CHARLES TRAINOR JR/HERALD STAFF
The evening’s event will also feature a virtual art exhibit that shows archive video of people dancing at the Sir John’s Knight Beat and an art exhibit that reflects the scenery of the nightclub as people enter the plaza. Attendees will also learn how to Lindy Hop, a swing dance that originated in Harlem in the 1920s. Local historian Nadege Green will also hold a talk about the importance of the Sir John’s Knight Beat.
Rebecca Phoenix Vaughns will perform spoken word and singer Angel Refuse will sing “Strange Fruit” and “What A Wonderful World.”
“We’re ending the set with that because we wanted to give people hope,” Morris said. “I think this song really does do that.”
IF YOU GO:
WHAT: A Night at The Sir John’s Knight Beat
WHEN: Friday, Feb. 27, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
WHERE: Marshall L. Davis Sr. African Heritage Cultural Arts Center, 6161 NW 22nd Ave, Miami, FL 33142
COST: Tickets start at $28.52
INFO: https://www.eventbrite.com
Miami Herald
Raisa Habersham is the race and culture reporter for the Miami Herald. She previously covered Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale for the Herald with a focus on housing and affordability. Habersham is a graduate of the University of Georgia. She joined the Herald in 2022.