Keith Ricks – Island groove master Keith Ricks was born in Bermuda, living there off and on for most of his childhood. His father was in the military, and the family moved around a bit. His grandparents lived in Bermuda so Keith would spend a lot of time with them. He graduated from high school […]
Bob Boyd “Always smiling on the inside” From the upstate hills of Rochester, New York, Bob Boyd was born into a family of musicians. His father was a piano player and conductor. Bob played piano while growing up, graduating from high school in 1976 and studied music at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York. He […]
Jennifer Lowe loves who she gets to be in Key West Jennifer Lowe is from Brookfield, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee. She began taking ballet and violin lessons at five years old and continued through high school. She gained a full scholarship to University of Wisconsin in Madison performing with the school orchestra, graduating in […]
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 […]
