Vincent Oliver
Vincent Oliver (born 1941 in Birmingham) is a barber and the owner of the Hippodrome Barber Shop in Woodlawn.
Oliver grew up in East Birmingham, attending kindergarten at Willow Wood Park, grammar school at Woodlawn Grammar School, and graduating from Woodlawn High School in 1958. He then moved to Jacksonville, Florida where he attended barber college before returning to Birmingham. He followed in the footsteps of three of his uncles who were all barbers.
Oliver also played saxophone with local groups like The Nomads, and recorded with Phil Cay and the Blue Notes in the late 1950s.
He lived in Huffman with his wife Betty from 1961 to 1997, raising his three sons John, Tony and Chris. He and Betty moved to Leeds in 1997. He bought his Woodlawn shop in 1966 and has cut hair there ever since, accumulating a broad base of loyal customers as well as a layered collection of memorabilia.
References
- Knox, David (December 15, 1999) "Hippodrome Barber Shop overflows with stuff he won't reject." Birmingham News
- Jones, Melanie (September 18, 2002) "Just a Chat...with Vince Oliver." The Birmingham News
- Parker, Sylvia (September 3, 2012) "Phil Cay and the Blue Notes" Alabamalama
- Chambers, Jesse (December 20, 2017) "Shop Talk" Iron City Ink