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 […]
Sam Carlson – pouring love into his music Sam Carlson is from Pottstown Pennsylvania, located about 60 miles from Philadelphia. His mother played piano and taught him to sing in the church choir. Both parents loved music. They live near the home of the Philadelphia Folk Festival and would often travel to concerts. Sam started […]
A product of Central Massachusetts, Richie Hennessy says music was just part of his life. Both his parents were musicians. His father Richard played in several groups and his mother Margaret played in local orchestras. Richie was in the 4th grade when he studied his first musical instrument which was the cello. In high school, […]
Keith Ricks – Island groove master Keith Ricks was born in Bermuda, living there off and on for most of his childhood. His father was in the military, and the family moved around a bit. His grandparents lived in Bermuda so Keith would spend a lot of time with them. He graduated from high school […]
Bob Boyd “Always smiling on the inside” From the upstate hills of Rochester, New York, Bob Boyd was born into a family of musicians. His father was a piano player and conductor. Bob played piano while growing up, graduating from high school in 1976 and studied music at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York. He […]
Jackie Robinson Inspired In the Spring of 1947, the “great war” was over and our soldiers came back home. A young teenage shortstop at Key West’s then segregated Fredrick Douglas High School read the story of Jackie Robinson. Robinson had broken the color barrier in Major League Baseball, signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers and started […]
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, […]
