Petronia Street, A Music Phenomena Almost 2 million tourists visit Key West annually. With the advent of the Coffee Butler Amphitheater, music tourism is growing. Another recent Key West music phenomena is the burgeoning Petronia Street music corridor. The Key West graveyard splits Petronia Street from the Meadows through Duval Street were a tall gateway […]
Denis Hyland – New life for a true jazz club Denis Hyland was born in New York City and raised in New Jersey. His father was a writer for Billboard magazine. As a young child performer, with incredible New York City influences, Denis was featured in the musical Mame, until his voice changed. He was […]
THE SOUL OF KEY WEST Is a trilogy of photographs and over 150 biographies of the musicians that make up the soul of Key West. Music permeates Key West right down to the coral rock. The Key West musical soul is an outpost of humanity, One Human Family, in a sea of swirling, turbulent, incivility. […]
Mary Spear is on a higher and happier frequency Mary Spear was raised in Carroll, Iowa. At fourteen, she was listening to recordings of Joni Mitchell, Pete Seeger, and Bob Dylan and started playing the guitar. She was very musical in high school, also learning to play the flute and piano. While in high school, […]
Commander Moulton and the Historic American Legion Post 168 Located at 803 Emma Street in Bahama Village, the American Legion Post 168 was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. Commander Nancy Moulton, a self- proclaimed “fix-it” person, is trying the promote the site. It has been termed by the long-time Bahama […]
Camille Toler – “Life, Love and Key West” Camille Russo Toler comes from a very big Italian family and grew up on the Upper West Side of New York. Later, they moved to Richmond Hill neighborhood in Queens where she graduated from Richmond Hills High School. While Camille never had a voice lesson or studied […]
James King – recently discovered how much he is appreciated James King was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina and raised in Columbia, South Carolina. His mother passed away when he was 11 years old and his maternal grandmother raised him and his younger sister. There was a 1935 Everett upright piano in her house which […]
Albert Romano – Looking for answers Originally from a big Italian family in Providence, Rhode Island, Al Romano was the oldest – he had four sisters. His uncle, Tony Tomasso, lived next door. He was big band trumpeter who could have been a big star but did not want to leave home and tour. Uncle […]
Barry Cuda – A Music Archeologist Kent Smith (aka St. Petey Twig, aka Barry Cuda) was born and raised in Pensacola, Florida. His father was a “hip” eye surgeon who could have easily been an R&B musician. Barry Cuda, as he is known to most Key West locals, listened to his dad’s 78’s and LP’s […]
Geoffrey Lowe “A town like no other” Geoffrey Lowe was born and raised in Fort Collins, Colorado. Both of his parents were very musical and they encouraged him to study piano when he was in the 3rd grade and then later the violin. In the 5th grade, Geoff learned bass but continued studying the violin, […]
