Another rhinestone for the jeweled bracelet of classic Florida Folk Music videos provided to us by the late Carl Wade who shot this video and Gary Fuller, the caretaker of Carl’s videos and CDs, who provided us this wonderful treasure. This is the Dade City Pioneer Fest, a longtime West Central Florida Folk music-dominated festival not far from where Major Dade and his battalion were massacred by the Seminoles in the Second Seminole War.  Sit back and listen (and watch) the classic Bobby Hicks, Cracker from his stories to his songs. And thanks for visiting the Florida Folk Show podcast> Give us a Subscribe if you haven’t already.

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This video features interviews, live performances and other highlights from the first annual Fire on the Swamp music festival which was held at the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation on Dec. 4-5, 1993. Pete Gallagher and Elan Chalford organized the festival along with Chief Jim Billie and the Seminole Tribe of Florida. The festival featured American fiddle legend Chubby Wise and the traditional Irish fiddler James Kelly. There were three fiddle contests held that weekend with over $5,000 in prizes. We hope you enjoy this look back at a piece of Florida Folk history!

Whitey Markle was a proud and defiant defender of Florida’s environment, animals, lands and especially water. Like the late songwriting legend Bobby Hicks, the famous Game Commission biologist songwriter Dale Crider and the 400-song Patriarch of Florida Folk Music, Frank Thomas, Whitey was unforgiving to those who dared despoil Florida, throw a cigarette out a car window, leave litter on a beach, dig holes to drain wetlands, clear cut miles of forest and throw up trailer parks in natural prairies. I can see him right now, face red as fire, his vitriol boiling over with anger towards cowardly politicians and Councilman and the faceless corporations that dare to cross his path. Yet he had a soft touch that could silence an angry room with songs that made you feel the old Ocklawaha flow through your veins as the room grows quiet and shy like the squirrel who perches like a statue until we all safely walk by. Whitey, I knew and respected you every day since we first met at the 1971 Florida Folk Festival and we offer this podcast in your honor, to the bears and panthers and gators and mullet and those vanishing parts of Florida we can still see and feel, which you helped preserve. We present your first appearance at the Florida Folk Festival, including Cousin Thelma’s introduction, as well as your last FFF appearance. And we have your appearances at many environmental meetings, standing like a vicious bantam rooster before governments, the bad guys, the people who want to do things like they did up north where they had to leave because it was so bad. Remember, Whitey and rest in peace knowing you have trained and educated an Army of protectors, a veritable militia who will use their binoculars and notepads and phone cameras to keep watch over Florida and bring to justice the bastards whom I hope your memory will haunt the rest of their days. Richard “Whitey” Markle, a man like no other in Florida history. Courageous, bold, stubborn yet sweet in his own Florida cracker way.

I hope you enjoy this Tribute to Whitey produced by Tim Valle from everything we could quickly get our hands on at the last minute. And thank you for watching the Florida Folk Show podcast.

Pete interviewed Steve Arvey back on April 2nd. Steve was playing that night at the Old Key West Bar & Grill. This video features that interview as well as a few of the songs that Steve played that night. Enjoy the International cigar box guitarist and world travelin' singer songwriter, the West Coast of Florida legend and King of the Folk Vampires for the Florida region, the legendary Steve Arvey!

After the Florida Folk Night @ Old Key West, Pete sits down with Raiford Starke for an intimate interview in Pete's living room. They discuss Raiford's life, family and career. Raiford talks about growing up outside of D.C., how he first got into music, his time spent playing with Chief Jim Billie, spring break in the Florida Keys playing with Big Dick and the Extenders and much more.

On Tuesday September 3, 2019 Buddy Moody put on a great three song set at the Florida Folk Night at Old Key West Bar & Grill. Raiford Starke jumped on lead guitar making this an unforgettable performance. This was a rare collaboration between two of Florida's finest musicians doing what they do best. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Pete recently found a 7" record from The Tribesmen (Joe Dan Osceola & Ben Wilson). Joe Dan Osceola died on June 9 at the age of 82. He was the youngest president of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, the first president of USET and later in life served as the ambassador for the Seminole Tribe. Pete was working for the Seminoles and became friends with Joe Dan when he was the ambassador for the tribe. The Florida Folk Show Podcast presents The Tribesmen - "Pow-Wow" and "Osceola" in memory of the great Seminole leader Joe Dan Osceola.

Buddy Moody was the featured act at Florida Folk Night @ Old Key West on August 13, 2019. Pete had a brief conversation with Buddy before the night began. After the interview we see performances from the Florida Boys, Scott Howard and Buddy Moody. The episode ends with a great conversation between Pete and Donald Forgione, the former director of Florida Park Services. The Florida Folk Show is partnering with Donald Forgione who will use his extensive experience and unique perspective to produce a regular segment about Florida's parks, its environment and anything else he wants to share with the world.

Every Tuesday at the Old Key West Bar & Grill, on Central Ave in St. Pete, The Florida Boys host the Florida Folk Night. We plan to regularly release videos of the Florida Folk Night, this video is the first. The Florida Boys (Big Jim Allen (guitar), Chuck Walston (steel), Bart Hanchey (guitar), Pete Gallagher (guitar), and Rick Mastry (drums)) start it off with the song "Bobby Hicks."(0:00-2:34) After The Florida Boys, Dusty Starr Williams (guitar, vocals) & Kyle Barrett (guitar) perform "Gator Jim."(2:34-6:20) Then Joe Milligan (guitar, vocals) and L.A. Moore (guitar) play a heartfelt rendition of "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go."(6:20-10:32) Next local legends Rosewood Creek (Colin Ward (guitar), Bonnie Fouts (bass, vocals), Marty Fouts (guitar)) play their original "Proud to Be Born in St. Pete."(10:32-13:27) Sanderling (Bart Hanchey (guitar), Reina Collins (vocals), Kristen Holloway(flute)) are accompanied by Steve Butler (trombone) and Rob Harris (saxophone) for "Until You Come Back To Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)"(13:27-16:44) and "Sunny."(16:44-21:35) The video closes with "I Know You Rider"(21:35-end) featuring Reina Collins (vocals), Kristen Holloway (vocals), Kevin Holloway (mandolin), Mike Godwin (guitar), Pete Gallagher (jews harp), T.C. Carr (harmonica), Rick Mastry (drums) and Patrick Doyle (banjo). It was quite the night of music!

Inside a mobile studio on the banks of the Suwannee River during the 1997 Florida Folk Festival the legendary Diamond Teeth Mary McClain sat down with Liz Pennock to record "Old Folks at Home." This was Mary's last known studio recording, she was 96 at the time. Inside the studio Leslie Gaines interviewed Mary and filmed some of the recording session. Pete has boxes of Leslie's old Betacam tapes from the 1997 Florida Folk Festival that Tim is digitizing. Included among those tapes, and presented here for the first time, is that interview with Diamond Teeth Mary and two alternate takes from the "Old Folks at Home" recording session.

This video features The Florida Boys playing "High Tide", Tom Scudiero (w/Bart Hanchey & J. Robert) playing "Red Tide" and Whitey Markle & The Swamprooters playing "The Poor Old Ocklawaha". All three songs were performed at the River Gazebo at this years Florida Folk Fest. The video was recorded by Tim Valle and the photos were taken by Diane Erickson. Enjoy these three songs about Florida's waters.

Joe Dan Osceola died on June 9 at the age of 82. He was the youngest president of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, the first president of USET and later in life served as the ambassador for the Seminole Tribe. Pete was working for the Seminoles and became friends with Joe Dan when he was the ambassador for the tribe. This is Pete's tribute to his friend and the great Seminole leader Joe Dan Osceola.

This episode of the Florida Folk Show podcast is all about storytelling. It features some great segments including Chief Jim Billie telling the Seminole legend of the Kissimmee River, Will McLean telling the story of the massacre that started the First Seminole War, Chubby Wise explaining his role in writing Orange Blossom Special, and much more. We hope you enjoy these uniquely Florida stories and songs.

Robert Orr “Bobby” Hicks was a legendary Florida folk music songwriter best known for his celebration of the Florida cracker native and staunch defense of the Florida environment in story, song and a roaring activism that scared land developers, water polluters and, even, his own audiences, into paying close attention to a man whose passion for Florida and hatred for those who would despoil it knew absolutely no limits. He took no hostages. He told no lies. He never backed down. “I’m Florida,” he sung out at every show. “Need I say more?”