RB Tolar – “It was always going to be music.” Ronald Bryan Tolar, born in 1958 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, now claims “RB” stands for Rhythm & Blues. He grew up in Gautier, Mississippi, attending school there. He started playing music at 14 and turned ‘pro’ at 15. He began gigging too much, dropping out […]
Pete Jarvis – Veteran of the Battle of the DMZ Pete Jarvis grew up in the Adirondack Mountains near Lake George, in Glenn Falls, New York. His grandfather had an upright piano in a small music room, and Pete would always attempt to play music whenever he visited. At age 9, his mother hired a […]
Turner Harrison – attracted to vintage cars and vintage music Turner Harrison was born in Nashville in 1984 to Jim and Connie Harrison, a country music family that play in some famous country bands. Every generation grows and changes – his parents did not try to encourage Turner or his brother, Miller to learn or […]
Brian Roberts … I always feels joy when leaving for a gig Brian Roberts is originally from Manahawkin, New Jersey. His parents, Ron and Linda Roberts had a pest control business in New Jersey and owned a winter home on Big Pine Key. During the winter, Brian attended Sugarloaf school and would then return to […]
Luannen – I have a million business cards Luannen was born in Cuba in 1979. Her mother, Luisa Ajuria, worked for Radiocentro CMQ in Havana, as an audio operator running live audio programing. It was a huge ten story complex that included a 1600 seat auditorium for productions. She would bring Luannen to work with […]
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 […]
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 […]
Sebrina Alphonso – Key West is still home Born in Key West, Sebrina Alphonso is a 6th generation Conch. She remembers big family parties resulting in instruments coming out, with music, singing, and dancing into the night. She attended Truman Elementary (now the Harvey Building) and joined music programs starting in the first grade. In […]
