Prohibition-era gangsters in the 1920s and 1930s played a role in Toledo’s jazz history, Rotary Club of Toledo members heard Monday.

The fascinating tales from local jazz historian Doug Swiatecki went well beyond what’s known about the American-made musical art form.

In Gangsters, Booze and Jazz, a Rotary luncheon at the Glass City Center, Mr. Swiatecki began by backtracking a bit, to an era when Toledo was much more of a thriving city than it is today.

Prohibition began on the federal level in 1920, he said, but both Michigan and Ohio banned alcohol statewide in 1919.

“Toledo had a booming, booming economy in 1920,” he said. “Toledo was at that time an economic powerhouse.”

The city was internationally known for its glass production, but it also had the largest spark plug factory

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