Jackie Robinson Inspired In the Spring of 1947, the “great war” was over and our soldiers came back home. A young teenage shortstop at Key West’s then segregated Fredrick Douglas High School read the story of Jackie Robinson. Robinson had broken the color barrier in Major League Baseball, signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers and started […]
Chris Rehm and Dani Hoy – The Shanty Hounds Chris Rehm grew up in Ho-Ho-Kus, a small town in New Jersey. He started performing in the eighth grade with the grammar school band. They didn’t have a vocalist so Chris jumped in and started singing the Rolling Stone’s “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”. After high school, he […]
Petronia Street, A Music Phenomena Almost 2 million tourists visit Key West annually. With the advent of the Coffee Butler Amphitheater, music tourism is growing. Another recent Key West music phenomena is the burgeoning Petronia Street music corridor. The Key West graveyard splits Petronia Street from the Meadows through Duval Street were a tall gateway […]
Denis Hyland – New life for a true jazz club Denis Hyland was born in New York City and raised in New Jersey. His father was a writer for Billboard magazine. As a young child performer, with incredible New York City influences, Denis was featured in the musical Mame, until his voice changed. He was […]
THE SOUL OF KEY WEST Is a trilogy of photographs and over 150 biographies of the musicians that make up the soul of Key West. Music permeates Key West right down to the coral rock. The Key West musical soul is an outpost of humanity, One Human Family, in a sea of swirling, turbulent, incivility. […]
Mary Spear is on a higher and happier frequency Mary Spear was raised in Carroll, Iowa. At fourteen, she was listening to recordings of Joni Mitchell, Pete Seeger, and Bob Dylan and started playing the guitar. She was very musical in high school, also learning to play the flute and piano. While in high school, […]
B.O.’s Fish Wagon – “A little piece of Key West history” Born and raised in Key West, Buddy Owens is a true Conch. He grew up on Bahama Street in a house with a cistern and outhouse. Buddy’s claim to fame came early in life when he kicked a forty-yard winning field goal in a […]
Commander Moulton and the Historic American Legion Post 168 Located at 803 Emma Street in Bahama Village, the American Legion Post 168 was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. Commander Nancy Moulton, a self- proclaimed “fix-it” person, is trying the promote the site. It has been termed by the long-time Bahama […]
Camille Toler – “Life, Love and Key West” Camille Russo Toler comes from a very big Italian family and grew up on the Upper West Side of New York. Later, they moved to Richmond Hill neighborhood in Queens where she graduated from Richmond Hills High School. While Camille never had a voice lesson or studied […]
James King – recently discovered how much he is appreciated James King was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina and raised in Columbia, South Carolina. His mother passed away when he was 11 years old and his maternal grandmother raised him and his younger sister. There was a 1935 Everett upright piano in her house which […]
