John LaMere “Playing songs people forgot they remember” John LaMere grew up in Glen Cove, a city on Long Island, just outside the Big Apple. His great-grandfather, Stanley Melinson, sang tenor on Broadway with Al Jolson in the 1920s. He has a 1927 recording of his grandfather. At age 20, after his first college semester, […]
Yankee Jack — A Friend Is Gone If you asked 100 people in Key West who was John Pittorino, no one would know. If you ask the same people, “Who is Yankee Jack?”, everyone will tell you he’s was the cool entertainer, musician at The Bull on Duval Street. John Pittorino was better known as Yankee […]
Founders Park Amphitheater “It couldn’t be stopped” Founders Park’s TIB Amphitheater is located on 45 acres at 87000 Overseas Highway in Islamorada, FL. Long time Islamorada resident, musician, and community leader David Feder has been instrumental in the development, and later management, of the amphitheater. Shortly after incorporating the five islands that made up the […]
Blind Willie Johnson Interstellar Bluesman Famous Key West Blues musician Larry Baeder once said, “A musician needs the understanding of musical history.” The history of the Blues is closely related to gospel and in the 1920s, one of the original Blues artists was Blind Willie Johnson. I have to admit not knowing much about him […]
Terri & Larry “A reconnected duo” My music columns are always about one musician or a Key West music venue. A few weeks ago, I was at Viv’s Wine Bistro listening to Larry Baeder and Terri White. While they took a break, I walked down to Andy’s Cabana to listened to Sam Carlson. Sam asked […]
Abdul Mateen Abdul Mateen was originally from Harlem, New York. He was born at Woman’s Hospital and lived on 115th Street. He attended school in Queens where there was a great music program and learned to play the saxophone, cello, and violin. One day he brought the saxophone home and while outside with his friends, […]
Tim Marshal Curtis a real rock guitarist Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin spending most of his life in the Chicago area. His musical family included a grandfather that was a fourpiece one-man band (drums, guitar, harmonica, and singing) with 50 consecutive appearances at the Wisconsin State Fair. Tim attended Antioch High School, on the northern edge […]
Jessica Wachs with black sheep, artists, and dreamers Growing up in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Jessica Wachs studied music and playied the French horn. She spent the summer months in Albuquerque, New Mexico with her mother. Jessica finally started singing in her junior year of high school, studying vocals as an alto with an inspirational choir […]
Bobi Loré – perfected the art of gathering Bobi Loré, originally from a Brooklyn Italian family, grew up on Long Island, New York. While growing up, he listened to his father and grandfather’s record collection of 30s, 40s, and 50s music. He played trumpet, until dental braces forced a change to the trombone. Bobi studied […]
The Untold Stories Over the past 14 years I have interviewed 205 Key West musicians (and counting). I’ve written three books about them – the Soul of Key West, Volumes 1, 2, & 3 that included photos and very short biographies of over 160 of them. I record all my interviews they usually go for […]
