What If …. By Ralph De Palma A while back, former Key West pianist Dave Burns and I were discussing Key West legendary performer Coffee Butler. Both Dave and I lived in Miami during the 60s and 70s when Miami Beach would see major artists, like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Guy Lombardo, and […]
Tony Elitcher Tony Elitcher was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Montrose, a small town just north of the city. When Tony was six, his parents found a soprano saxophone for $25 and Tony began to play music. He attended Hendrick Hudson High School which had a fantastic music education program. The high […]
Thom LaFond “An art of time” Thom LaFond grew up in Albany, New York and began playing music on his mother’s guitar when he was nine years old. By the age of thirteen Thom was committed to being a professional musician. He had musical relatives that lived in New York City and across the river […]
Peter Diamond “The most important thing is always the next song.” Peter Diamond Ilacqua was born in central New York near Syracuse. At age 6, he moved to Key West to live with his father. Peter graduated from Key West High School in 1961. He later went to school in Miami and became […]
Lonnie Jacobson – a musician’s musician One of three brothers, Lonnie Jacobson grew up in New Hope, Pennsylvania near Philadelphia. His father was a mailman and his mother, Norma, was just a sweetheart to everyone. He loved playing music and, in 1973, graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in Musical Arts. Jacobson had a […]
Chief Billy – one of two Harpo’s William Ochoa Jr. (aka Chief Billy) was born just outside of Pasadena, California and is of Mexican and Native American heritage. At age 9, he received a snare drum for Christmas but by December 28, it was taken away because he was rehearsing too much. His parents replaced […]
Little Room Jazz Club – thanks for the memories In June 2015, I received a call from my friend Denis Hyland inviting me to lunch at the Half Shell Raw Bar. He said that had he something important to talk about. After drinks were ordered, Denis said, “I’m going to need your help. Wayne (Smith) […]
Charles Daniel Knowles Sr., aka Captain Hornblower by Ralph DePalma The heyday of Key West’s jazz scene was from the late 1960s through the late 1980s. In 1977, Danny Knowles opened Captain Hornblower’s, a terrific jazz club in a setting right out of a Humphrey Bogart movie. It was located upstairs in what was then […]
Richard Crooks – gets a standing ovation In 2013, after shooting a recording session for Bill Blue’s album, Mojolation (his first new album in over 30 years), I had lunch with Bill. He described how all the musicians in Key West wanted to help record his new music. One in particular was the world class […]
Dottie Martin “…a legendary Key West classic.” Dottie was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. At age 17, she fell in love with a 4ft. 10in. jockey. They were married, traveled around the country, and soon later, divorced. Dottie started singing and performing at the age of 20. In 1949, while visiting friends in New […]
