Otis Boyd

Otis P. Boyd (1920–1999) was a Kansas City pitmaster and the founder of Boyd ‘N Son Bar-B-Q, a foundational figure among the Black barbecue operators who succeeded the Henry Perry generation, with roots in the historic 12th-and-Vine jazz district.

Biography

Born in Granger, Iowa on July 30, 1920, Boyd trained at a Chicago cooking school in 1939.¹ He opened his first soul-food and barbecue restaurant at 12th and Vine in 1946 — in the heart of the Kansas City jazz district — and later established the long-running location at 55th and Prospect by 1967.¹ He died on January 28, 1999, at age 78; the restaurant still bears the family name.¹

Legacy

Otis Boyd is part of the lineage of Black Kansas City pitmasters who carried the city’s barbecue tradition through the postwar era. His original 12th-and-Vine location ties the Boyd family story to the cultural heart of 1940s Black Kansas City.

See also

• boyds-bar-b-q
• henry-perry

Sources

Footnotes

1. Otis P. Boyd memorial records (Find a Grave; everloved memorial) — born July 30, 1920 in Granger, Iowa; Chicago cooking school 1939; first restaurant at 12th and Vine (1946); 55th and Prospect by 1967; died January 28, 1999, age 78. ↩ ↩² ↩³