If the clothes make the man, then part-time actor and equestrian Melvin Stewart has it made in the shade. He wears his black suede jacket, the one with loose flowing fringe, beaded shoulder patches, bison bones-like buttons, eagle buttons and stitching around the collar like it was made for him. The black, wide-brim, Rodeo King cowboy hat and western boots with a soft basket weave material complete the picture.
It’s not all for looks, he said. The fringes keep the flies off when you’re riding horses.
Stewart’s identity is mixed, he said. He’s Cherokee on his mother’s side, Blackfoot on his father’s. At the annual Low Country Pow Wow and Cultural Festival in Hardeeville, S.C., Chief Running Deer gave him the name Tuscaloosa. “I was shocked,” Stewart, 68, said. “It means Black warrior in Cherokee. My aunt named me Melvin. I like that name too. Someone told me it means mighty warrior in Navajo. I’m not sure about that.”
This man of many names, the oldest of 10 children, is also called Grasshopper and Road Runner “because I’m skinny and I can run fast.”
Credit: Jane Fishman / For Savannah Morning News
Credit: Jane Fishman / For Savannah Morning News
His wife of 46 years, Ruby, a mix of Cherokee and Sioux, calls him Stewart.
Between his names, his sartorial dress and his heritage the man has style. He carries it well. No wonder he’s been in 14 movies.
It doesn’t hurt he knows his way around horses since his days in Gary, Ind., where his aunt and uncle raised quarter horses and his father was a jockey who knew how to break or train horses. He has ridden in the Martin Luther King, Jr., parade and the St Patrick’s Day parade.
But none of his acting experience started that way. For 40 years, he drove an 18-wheel truck carrying cranes and heavy equipment.
“I was fearless. I loved pulling heavy equipment. They called me ‘suicide man.’”
That career ended in 2016 when someone sideswiped him and nearly took his life. He couldn’t talk for two years. Now he’s walking around with four screws and a plate in his neck. The accident affected his memory (it comes and goes) and vocal cords (his voice is shaky), but it didn’t touch his good nature. He has resumed his duties as one of 14 ministers at the Jonesville Baptist Church in Tatumville off Montgomery Street. He’s also the chaplain of his riding club, where he reads scripture and prays.
Credit: Jane Fishman / For Savannah Morning News
Credit: Jane Fishman / For Savannah Morning News
Still, when producer Chris Forbes ran into Butch Clark, the president of a riding club called the Carolina Cowboys, in a Ridgeland, S.C., post office and asked for Black cowboys for a film he was making, Grasshopper’s name came up, even though he was still recovering from his accident.
His roles have varied. In "Wyatt Earp shoots First," he plays a preacher. In "The Last Days of Billy the Kid" – "my favorite movie" - he played a U.S. Deputy. In "Hampton's Legion," which came out six months ago, he played a slave. "Sherman's March to the Sea," his last movie, was filmed at the Promised Land Farm, where Stewart goes to buy greens.
Even though he hasn’t ridden since his accident, Stewart remains optimistic. He visits his new horse Candy regularly at a stable in Yemassee, S.C.
“I love the power and closeness of a horse,” he said. “The bonding. Once I get straight you’ll see me riding in the parade again. It’s gonna be soon.”
Jane Fishman is a contributing lifestyles columnist. Contact her at gofish5@earthlink.net or call 912-484-3045. See more columns by Jane at SavannahNow.com/lifestyle/
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Cheerful and upbeat, a man called Grasshopper feels right out of the movies — and he is.
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