Other forms of music became popular just before World War II and during the post-war years.  Dixieland became an endangered species.  This prompted diehard lovers of this piece of genuine Americana to form jazz clubs across the country, Columbia, SC among them.  In 1958, Bud Hutto, with the able assistance of Ralph Goodwin, formed The Columbia Jazz Club.   The first "house band" consisted of Ralph on piano, Jim Spruill on guitar, and Dr. Ambrose Hampton played the back of a chair.  From the beginning, Bud noted that the club was spawned, "Not only to provide a place for jazz lovers to listen to live jazz, but also to create a healthy interest in preserving this rare and purely American art form."  The first issue of The Cat's Meow, the club newsletter, was published in September of 1958.  It played a big part in the promotion and growth of the club, and has been published monthly for the past 40 years.

While the club tried to maintain a balance of Dixieland and modern jazz in the early programs, it soon became evident that there were two distinct schools of membership interest.  The two groups separated, and the modern group retained the Columbia Jazz Club identity (continued).