Luannen – I have a million business cards Luannen was born in Cuba in 1979. Her mother, Luisa Ajuria, worked for Radiocentro CMQ in Havana, as an audio operator running live audio programing. It was a huge ten story complex that included a 1600 seat auditorium for productions. She would bring Luannen to work with […]
John LaMere “Playing songs people forgot they remember” by Ralph De Palma John LaMere grew up in Glen Cove, a city on Long Island, just outside the Big Apple. His great-grandfather, Stanley Melinson, sang tenor on Broadway with Al Jolson in the 1920s. He has a 1927 recording of his grandfather. At age […]
Bill Blue & Caffeine Carl Wagoner – A sight and sound to behold by Ralph De Palma Bill Blue and “Caffeine” Carl Wagoner have been friends and playing music together for over three decades. It started at one of the first Hemingway Days Festivals in 1984 when high school student Carl Wagoner’s first band, Bad […]
Belle Jampol – Original music comes from the heart Belle Jampol was born in Key West to multi-talented musical parents, guitarist Mateo Jampol and singer/dancer/choreographer Penny Leto, so she was off to a great start. When asked how early she started learning music, Belle said it was before she was born. Her mom was one […]
Hiram Garzaro Understand the importance of live music By Ralph De Palma Born in Valencia, Venezuela, Hiram Garzaro had a hearing problem, at a very young age, that reduced his ability to hear by almost 80%. The condition was corrected by an operation when he was twelve. After waking up from the operation, Hiram could […]
Rick Fusco – You Don’t Choose Key West by Ralph De Palma Rick is from Wilmington, Delaware and comes from a large Italian family, full of musicians and vocalists. He is the sixth out of seven children. His grandfather, Antonio Fusco, came from Italy through Ellis Island. Rick remembers carrying an older brother’s ukulele around […]
Claire Finley: Key West Is A Big Music Sandbox By Ralph De Palma Originally from Devenport, Iowa started classical piano lessons at the age of four. A piano teacher, Barb Davis, lived across the street from her Grandmothers who agreed to give a test lesson to young Claire. Claire continued to study piano from Ms. […]
Bria Ansara – Whatever it takes to get them in the door By Ralph De Palma Bria Ansara was raised in Brookline, New Hampshire and has been singing since she could talk. Her mother would take her to senior centers to sing for retirees, and she would sing “Over the Rainbow” and mostly Disney movie […]
Kari Wolf “You might as well do what you love.” By Ralph De Palma Kari was born in Iowa, raised in a suburb of Chicago, and spent her teens in high school in Madison, Wisconsin. While growing up, Kari and her older sister, Aryn, would sing together. Her mother played guitar and would volunteer and […]
Coffee Butler – Rest In Peace “My Buddy” On Saturday, Feb 12, 2022, the community came together to show our love and to celebrate the life of the wonderful Lofton Ambrose Butler. During the writing of my first book, “The Soul of Key West”, about our local musicians, I kept hearing stories about Coffee Butler […]
