“I would like to share my local’s love for the music insider’s walking tour.”
The lure of the Key West music scene is nothing short of magic on any given day The live music starts flowing as early as the libations do!
Starting as early as 9:00 am till the wee hours of the next day, it is possible to visit dozens of music venues. Restaurants with live music, often times there are festivals in town featuring live music, boating trips with live music, buskers can be found making sweet music on Duval Street, and our local talent can be found at our world famous spectacular sunset spots, Mallory Square and Sunset Pier!
I counted! There are 37 establishments on Duval Street where you can catch great music, over a dozen music festivals every year, 7 boat trips that offer live music, and there are currently a changing cast of over two dozen local buskers playing music throughout the day and evening as you make your way down Duval Street. Every day of the year you will find 3 or 4 music makers at Mallory Square when everyone gathers to watch the sun sink behind the horizon.
When I first arrived in Key West in 1988 the music scene was as lively and vibrant as it is today, and it seems like there is some kind of invisible thread connecting the hundreds of musicians that have graced the stages over the years.
Down in Bahama Village, the heart and soul of Key West, there’s a sweet little stage that holds some big magic. At 803 Emma Street is the club the locals call the Old Legion. The official name is William Weechie American Legion Post 168.
During the days of segregation, the stage was used for thank you concerts for the local Conch families, who housed and fed some of the African American performers that were on the Chitlin Circuit, who came down to visit Key West from their Miami gigs. BB King, Etta James, Otis Redding and James Brown are included in the long list of amazing musicians who have played on that legendary stage.
I would like to share my local’s love for the music insider’s walking tour.
Start out with visiting the WWALP Post 168’s historic building on Emma Street and hang a right onto Petronia. There is always some sweet live music playing for breakfast, lunch and dinner, at Blue Heaven. From there, make your way to Duval Street, and pass by music playing at Andy’s Cabana and Ram’s Head Southernmost.
Once on Duval Street, whether you take a right turn or a left turn, you will find music in the clubs, restaurants, cigar shops and the famed Duval Buskers, my favorite being Drummer Boy. I call him Buckets. He’s a night street performer that you can find in front of the first Spanish-American school, the San Carlos, and he’s been playing soothing beats on buckets for tips for over 17 years!!
If you keep walking west down Duval Street, you’ll take in the sweet sounds drifting out of favorite establishments including Willy T’s, The Bull, Sloppy Joe’s and a little off the beaten path, the Hog’s Breath.
By the time you reach the end of Duval Street to catch the sunset, it’s typical that you would have listened to over 22 songs! After the sun sinks, head back down Duval for an entire new line up of incredibly talented singers, songwriters, rockers, country pickers, crooners, jazz players and you can even find some hip-hop as the night crew of muses take the stages.
Currently, there are over 250 full time working music makers that call our magical tropical music island home.
We’re so happy you’re here and hope you enjoy the warm sunshine, great food, amazing local community and the incredible music! Cheers to the music!
Kim Walsh is a versatile musician and producer of the Cayo Hueso Original Music Series in Key West.