Music is the glue that holds Key West together
Mick Kilgos: ” …music is the glue that holds Key West together.”
Often introduced by Ericson Holt as ‘the pride of Kankakee’, Mick Kilgos was born in Kankakee, Illinois, a small town 45 miles south of Chicago. When he was 14 years old, Mick starting playing music. His life mirrors the story of that legendary train ride from Kankakee to New Orleans aboard a train called the “City of New Orleans” as told by Steve Goodman’s song.
The City of New Orleans Amtrak train starts in Kankakee and ends in New Orleans. The song, made famous by Arlo Guthrie, is a great rendition of what old Mississippi Blues players, like Muddy Waters, use to go through to get from New Orleans to Chicago and back.
Mick was fortunate enough to work with Bill Blue and the Nervous Guys for many years. He remembers seeing a very young Caffeine Carl, peeking over the saloon doors at Sloppy Joe’s, watching Bill and the Nervous Guys for years. Carl picked up some very good guitar habits and became one of Bill Blue’s favorites.
He also worked with Barry Cuda for decades, and as soon as his shoulder heals, he will be back to work with Ericson Holt. To Mick, playing with Ericson is a treat. Ericson is so plugged into the romance and the feeling of the piano, his music is organic, and fits Mick’s drumming perfectly.
In 1998, Mick was diagnosed with cancer. They held a fundraiser for him at the Green Parrot that ran all day and into the night. The next day Manager John Vagnoni handed him $14,000, mostly in five and ten dollar bills. Mick and Bill Blue went all over town counting out the money – he had enough to pay all of his doctors a portion of their bill. Mick has been cancer-free for 24 years.
The infamous Full Moon Saloon was located across from the First State Bank on Simonton. The night the Full Moon closed down, July 18, 1993. Dennis Wally was one of the Full Moon’s bartenders. He served spicy pickled string beans in drinks at the Full Moon. When it was closing, Mick asked what would happen to those wonderful pickled beans. Dennis said, “We’re closing, you should start making these and sell them.” Mick’s Spicy Caribe Beans were born that night at the Full Moon Saloon. They are still served at the Green Parrot and other locations today.
After drummer songwriter Steve Mello moved away, Mick started working with Barry Cuda. They played every Friday for over ten years at BO’s Fish Wagon. His most fun gig was with the band, Bong Hits for Geezers. Cuda played the best boogie woogie music with his 400-pound acoustic piano that he rolled around Key West.
The famous world class drummer, Richard Crooks, moved to Key West around the same time Mick took a sabbatical to San Francisco, and filled in with Cuda. Mick knew Richard Crooks earlier and their friendship really became strong when both were together in Key West. 
They shared BO’s gigs as well as other gigs. Crooks became a mentor to Mick.
Richard told Mick a story: While doing session work in New York in the 80s, he would have lunch once in a while with fellow session drummer Steve Gadd. One day at lunch, Steve asks Richard to teach him the famous NOLA Second Line drum beat. Richard had toured with Doctor John and knew New Orleans beats very well. Richard gave him some basic second line beats over lunch, and Steve picks up on them quickly. About two months later, Paul Simon releases his famous song, “Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover”. The unique drum beat to the start of the song is Steve Gadd doing the NOLA Second Line beat that Richard Crooks had taught him over their lunch.
After the passing of his good friend Richard Crooks, Kilgos was instrumental in helping setup the Crooks Second Line Celebration in 2015. It has grown into a large annual fundraiser for the Bahama Village Music Program and results in two young music students attending the Berklee School of Music Summer Program every year.
Mick has often said “music is the glue that holds this town together.” He agrees there is nowhere else that has more live music in such a confined area. February 22, 2015 was proclaimed, by the Key West City Commission, as Mick Kilgos Day. To help celebrate the occasion, good friend and local guitarist Carl Peachy had his very artistic wife, Kate, painted one of Mick’s drum sets with a heavy New Orleans Voodoo theme.
Mick recently underwent surgery on his right shoulder and has been unable to perform for several months. He could use some of that New Orleans “gris-gris”. He can’t wait to get back to work drumming all over Key West again. Meanwhile, a friend has set up a GoFundMe page seeking to help Mick pay his heavy medical expenses. Please help Mick if you can at: https://gofund.me/c9055ed2b
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