Music is in his soul
Cliff Sawyer – Music is in his soul
Cliff Sawyer was born and raised in Key West and has been singing since he was four years old. While growing up in Bahama Village, Cliff remembers hearing street corner bands singing and playing outside his window. His father played the trombone on the streets with Fats Navarro.
The first song he ever sang was “Bad, Bad Whiskey” – It could make you lose your happy home. He sang in the church choir and at Frederick Douglass School. He played the kettle drums in his elementary school band but was mainly a vocalist. Cliff was also a star track athlete and exercised by running around the entire island of Key West. He continued to sing through Key West High School, graduating in 1966 (two years after Key West desegregated the Douglass school in Bahama Village).
He often sang with high school friend, and guitarist, Andy Johnson. Cliff and cousin Charles Hall were cast as natives in the film PT109 which was filmed on Big Munson Island (now Little Palm Island). Cliff remembers during their breaks that he and Charles would sing. Co-star Robert Blake asked them to move to Hollywood, and said he would help them get started with Capitol Records but neither Cliff or Charles would leave their island home.
In 1967, Cliff was drafted into the Army, along with over 30,000 other young men every month and at age 19, he was sent to Vietnam. He came back from Vietnam a changed man. He began smoking and drinking which was far out of his normal character. He developed an alcohol problem. Later, he was diagnosed with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), received help from the Veterans Administration, and learned to manage those demons but the images of Vietnam still haunted him. He once told me that he would still get flashbacks of seeing an Army friend’s smiling and happy face and, then minutes later, the vision would be of his friend dead.
As irony would have it, Cliff performed weekly at Little Palm Island for over twenty years, along with Phil Sampson. Over his career, Cliff has worked with almost every musician in Key West. In 2005, he recorded a beautiful CD, “Looking Back” with Fritz Ziegler. Larry Smith once said “(Cliff) … is an introverted reserved polite gentleman who blends in unassumingly with the crowd – until he steps on stage and magically transforms into a star singer by simply allowing his talent to emanate with a joyful confidence.” His longtime collaborator and friend Larry Baeder said, “If he had left Key West and gone to New York or L.A., he would have become a household name. I was humbled to have him record my tune, The Rain Song.”
In the middle of the Bahama Village community, Mrs. Sara Sands Butler and Mrs. Naomi Saunders Sawyer were the best of friends. Their families spent birthdays and holidays together, and their two sons also became best friends. Lofton Ambrose (aka Coffee) Butler, and Clifford Sawyer grew up together almost a generation apart but close friends. Both became successful entertainers and made their mothers proud. They spoke of their mothers all the time.
Cliff occasionally sat in with Coffee Butler at the Hukilau and usually sang Al Green’s song, “Let’s Stay Together.” In 2005, Cliff organized a concert at the Tennessee Williams Theater. The orchestra included the finest Key West musicians. Performing in such a huge room was quite a contrast from the intimate clubs Cliff was used to. He said when he walked on the stage he couldn’t see anyone in the cavernous venue because of the lighting. The concert included a special guest performance by retiring Coffee Butler, who walked on stage and sang “What A Wonderful World” with Cliff.
In December 2015, a concert was scheduled for the book release of Soul of Key West, Volume II. Coffee was coaxed out of retirement to perform along with Cliff and cousins Robert Albury, Clayton Lopez, and sister Mina Lopez -Martin. It was sold out weeks before. An encore concert was scheduled in 2016 which was also sold out (plus four additional sold out concerts through 2019). The two insisted on singing “A Mother’s Love”, a musical tribute to their loving mothers. Written by Cliff Owens in 1957, it was dedicated to the love that only a mother has. There was not a dry eye in the theater. It’s a great song made even better by these two wonderful performers and their passionate love for their two fantastic mothers. We recorded an album titled A Mother’s Love, which was released on Coffee Butler’s 90th Birthday. On the way to record the title song, the two talked about their mothers all the way.
In November 2021, Skipper Kripitiz invited Cliff to his Tuesday night gig at Virgilio’s. Cliff had been struggling since COVID, having little contact with others and no opportunities to sing. That evening, Cliff was wonderful. He sang several old Al Green songs and his favorite Johnny Mathis standards. Clayton Lopez sang with his old friend – it was a beautiful reunion. Cliff finished his performance with “Oh Happy Day”, an old gospel song made popular by the Edwin Hawkins Singers in 1968. The crowd loved it and gave him a long applause. That was his last public performance.
Cliff is suffering from dementia and resides in a Veterans Administration care facility in Pembroke Pines, near Fort Lauderdale. When friends and family visit, he always perks up and can be coaxed into a song. Music will always be a part of Cliff’s soul. You can still hear some of Cliff’s songs on Youtube (Soul of Key West channel).
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