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 […]
Bobby Nesbitt Key West lost its piano bars At ten years old, Bobby Nesbitt could already play the trumpet and read music. He started taking piano lessons, learning classical music and style early on, but his passion soon became the Music Masters of the 20th Century like Irving Berlin, Ira Gershwin, and the Great American […]
Mary Spear “When all else fails, I play Dead” Mary Spear was raised in Carroll, Iowa. At fourteen, she listened to recordings of Joni Mitchell, Pete Seeger, and Bob Dylan and started playing the guitar. While in high school, Mary attended summer music programs at the University of Vermont. She lived on Lake Okoboji in […]
Tony Roberts – Four chords and the truth Tony Roberts is a very unique songwriter and performer – so unique that the local blood bank frequently calls him to donate blood. Growing up in Boston, Tony was obsessed with writing and frequently attended writing conferences. He read ferociously and loved Hemingway. He was inspired by […]
