Tag Archives: Al Scortino

Song Contest Winner and Finishers in the 2023 Will McLean Best New Florida Song Contest

December 5, 2022Arts, Music, Reporter and Editor2023, Al Scortino, Chad Spikes, Daniel Childs, Edan Archer, Grant Livingston, Jane Fallon, Mike Worrall, Paul Garfinkel, Paul Smithson, Sarah McCulloch, Terry Cassidy, Tom Lubben, Will McLean Best New Florida Song Contest, Will McLean FoundationDonna Green-Townsend

To hear all the Top Ten Songs scroll down past the Top Three Winners

Siesta Key

Singer/songwriter Daniel Childs calls the Florida Gulf Coast home, performing roughly 250 live shows per year. Originally from Tennessee, Childs says he began writing and performing music at a young age, and by 30, he had traveled the breadth of the continental United States playing music. The state of Florida had always captured Daniel’s intrigue, and in 2014 he and his wife Norma made it their permanent home, settling in Pinellas County.

In early 2020 Daniel made the decision to quit his day job and pursue playing music full-time. Since that time, he has become a regular performer in Tampa Bay. In 2021, Daniel produced and independently released his first original album, “Escape.” The Florida beach life is heavily reflected in this collection of songs, which is unmistakable in anthems like “Siesta Key” which won first in this year’s song contest (out of 82 entries) and “Sanibel Day which placed eighth.”

“My goal in releasing ‘Escape’ is to provide people with an escape from the stresses of life, because that’s what writing these songs did for me,” Daniel wrote in reference to the project. Whether through his recordings or live performances, Childs’ says the message in his music is of freedom, hope, and a deep love for Florida.

“I wrote “Siesta Key” during a time of intense stress. The job I was working at the time was stressful, and its demanding nature would often leave me unable to feel at ease, even when I went home at night. My only real escape from stress was to explore the beauty of Florida with my wife. When possible, on weekends we would make overnight trips to various places we were interested in. That’s when we discovered the beach town of Siesta Key, and I fell in love with the vibe of the place.

“Siesta Key’ was the first song I completed in that time period, and it’s one of my very favorites to sing. My favorite line in the song is in the second chorus. It says ‘life is crazy, life is short, and life feels wrong… until you find where you belong.’ I think that’s a truth that Siesta Key, Florida helped me realize.”

You can follow Daniel online through Facebook, Instagram, Spotify and his official website at www.danielchildsmusic.com.

Rosewood

Chad Spikes is a native of Florida whose experience in music is diverse. He has played and performed in bands since the age of 12. He’s spent the last 25 years in American and Bluegrass bands such as Sawgrass Flats and Born Lonesome. He has shared the stage and line-up with national recording acts, performed in various opera roles at FSU, composed and produced the soundtrack for the Emmy Award winning documentary informational film, “Exploration Florida.” Chad says for him music has always been a family affair. Family sing-alongs were a regular feature in his life, exposing him to Doo-Wop, Rock and Roll, Blues, Country, Bluegrass and various other styles of music.

Chad was born and raised in Tallahassee, currently residing in Tampa. His main instruments are guitar and vocal but says he dabbles in mandolin and piano. His second place song in this year’s contest is, “Rosewood.”

“I was inspired to write “Rosewood” to bring this historic event back to light for its 100-year anniversary. I think it’s important we recognize and memorialize those who lost their lives as a result of this horrific tragedy. It’s also important to recognize how far we have come as a nation but not lose sight that we still have a lot of work to do.”

Chad hopes to release an album in 2023.

Sugartown

Sarah McCulloch is a Country/Americana Singer-Songwriter from Davie, FL. Born in Miami, Sarah was raised in the Big Cypress Swamp in a house her family built with hand milled cypress from her Father’s sawmill. Sarah was homeschooled for most of her formative years and drew songwriting inspiration from her colorful childhood, surrounded by the Seminole Tribe and Florida pioneers.

“My father was a force of nature, he was a pioneer who thought outside the box and was always growing spiritually,” says McCulloch. “He taught me the meaning of hard work and perseverance.”

After living in upstate New York for over a decade McCulloch has returned to her homeland of South Florida.

“Songwriting has been a transformative power for me. It not only helped me heal but transition to a new life. I’m most proud of my Florida songs, “Sugartown,” “Sawmiller’s Daughter” and “29 South.” They were all born out of homesick blues for my home state and have drawn me the most attention . . . . so far. ”

Her album, Sawmiller’s Daughter, produced by Jim Bickerstaff, was entirely written by McCulloch except for, “I’m Just An Old Chunk of Coal” written by legendary outlaw songwriter Billy Joe Shaver. She says it was a labor of love and describes the album as an evocative collection of stories rooted in strength, spirit, and family.

McCulloch’s debut album, Strawberry Moon (2018), gained top recognition as a nominee for Country Album of the Year at the Independent Music Awards in NYC in the Country category, in which McCulloch was the only female artist to be nominated. Her third place song in the this year’s Will McLean Best New Florida Song Contest, Sugartown, was written at a time when she was living in a cold northeastern climate and was really missing home.

“Sugartown is about the small town of Clewiston, Florida on the south rim of Lake Okeechobee. I grew up just south of the area in the Everglades but was bussed in to attend school there. I graduated from Clewiston High School and made wonderful lifelong friends and memories there. Sugarcane is the main industry there and this song is also about the community of farmers and hard workers. It’s about the nostalgia I had for my childhood and the people and places I left behind when I moved away. The song is a taste of small town America.”

“My favorite line is “they’re still raisin’ cane there on Friday night, them Okeechobee boys still looking for a fight.” It’s a great line because it can either be about the big Friday night parties we went to, where it wasn’t unusual for a fight to break out. But more commonly that line is associated with Friday night lights high school football, the rival team of Okeechobee coming to play. I have many fond memories of both the football games and the parties after. It was a great time and that town is full of good, hard working people that I have tremendous respect for.”

You can follow Sarah on Facebook at “Sarah McCulloch Music” or on Instagram @sarahmacsongs or Channel, Facebook (Sarah McCulloch Music), Instagram (@sarahmacsongs) and visit www.sarahmacmusic.com.

4th PL “Thousand Mile Walk” by Tom Lubben, Royal Palm Beach, FL

Tie 5th PL “I Love The Everglades” by Grant Livingston, Miami, FL

Tie 5th PL “The Music Has A Home” by Mike Worrall, Tampa, FL and Jane Fallon, Dunedin, FL

Tie 6th PL “Gainesville” by Edan Archer, Orlando, FL

Tie 6th PL “Florida’s Brigadoon” by Al Scortino, Sebastian, FL and Paul Garfinkel, DeLand, FL

7th PL “Hooked On The Easy Life” by Terry Cassidy, Brooksville, FL

8th PL “Sanibel Day” by Daniel Childs, Largo, FL

9th “Henry and His Railroad” by Terry Cassidy, Brooksville, FL

10th “Freedom” by Paul Smithson, Eustis, FL

Back to the Will McLean website

Back to the list of winners since 1992

Another body identified from the shuttered Dozier School for Boys

August 5, 2015NewsAl Scortino, C.A. Pound Human Identification Laboratory, Donna Green-Townsend, Dozier School for Boys, Erin Kimmerle, forensic anthropology, Lost Boys of Dozier, Lucky Mud, Maggie McKinney, Michael McKinney, Michael Warren, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, USF anthropologist Erin Kimmerle, White House Boys Survivors OrganizationDonna Green-Townsend

DNA testing identifies another body at infamous Florida School for Boys

By Ben Montgomery, Times Staff Writer Tuesday, August 4, 2015 2:20pm

TAMPA — Robert Stephens was murdered in 1937 and buried in an unmarked grave on the campus of Florida’s oldest state-run reform school, the Florida School for Boys, in the Panhandle town of Marianna. On Tuesday, University of South Florida researchers announced that they have identified his remains using DNA and returned them to the boy’s family.

“Sometimes persistence pays off,” said Erin Kimmerle, a forensic anthropologist at USF who is leading a project to identify the human remains excavated from the brutal reformatory campus. Stephens is the sixth boy to be identified. The state believed the cemetery contained 31 burials until USF researchers found 51, most of them buried in the woods surrounding a marked burial ground.

Stephens was buried supine, his arms folded across his abdomen. His remains were too deteriorated to determine cause of death, Kimmerle said, but records from the school and the Jackson County clerk’s office say he was stabbed to death by another inmate, Leroy Taylor, on July 15, 1937, just after his 15th birthday and after 10 months of confinement for breaking and entering. His remains did reveal that he had a severe ear infection and his dental hypoplasia suggests he was diseased or malnourished, Kimmerle said.

(click here to see the rest of the story from Ben Montgomery at the Tampa Bay Times)

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Key FL lawmaker wants a federal probe into abuse allegations at Dozier School for Boys

March 2, 2015

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) is asking the U.S. Justice Department to examine new evidence about the deaths of youth at the now defunct Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, FL. In a letter dated February 24th to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Nelson wrote,“Given new information about wards of the shuttered reform school, and a long history of mistreatment allegations surrounding the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, FL, I believe the department is uniquely positioned to provide an outside and independent review.”

Nelson said earlier in February University of South Florida researchers reported they have found the remains of 51 individuals buried on the grounds of the reform school. He says this contrasts with a 2009 investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement which concluded 31 individuals were buried on the school grounds.

“I remain troubled that university researchers have uncovered information not contained in the state’s 2009 report,” said Nelson.

The USF team conducting the excavations received a grant to do their forensic research in 2013 from the National Institute of Justice. The team used a variety of technology, including ground penetrating radar, to find the grave shafts of at least 50 unmarked burial sites.

Senator Nelson told Attorney General Holder the USF research indicates children at Dozier suffered from nutritional deficiencies, lack of dental care, and underdevelopment. In one grave, officials discovered what they think may be a buckshot.

Lucky Mud 2 — Maggie and Michael McKinney (Lucky Mud)

Singer Songwriter Maggie McKinney from Econfina Creek, FL, just north of Panama City says she had several friends who were sent there as teenagers.

“They told us stories, but we had no idea how bad it really was. At Christmas the entire grounds were decorated with beautiful lights and the tradition in the area was to ride up to the school and look at the beautiful Christmas lights,” said McKinney. She said about three years ago, “When I heard about just how bad it was there for those boys…I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. I wrote the song shortly after that.”

McKinney’s song about the unmarked graves at the Dozier School for Boys is called, “Lost Boys of Dozier.” The song is included in a video she and her husband Michael McKinney (Lucky Mud) produced featuring pictures from the now closed reform school.

Singer Songwriter Al Scortino from Sebastian, FL was also inspired to write a song about the unmarked graves of the boys who died at the Dozier School for Boys called, “Marianna.”

The work continues to identify the remains and how they died through scientific techniques including DNA matching. According to a press statement, researchers uncovered bones, teeth, and numerous artifacts in all of the burials. The research team is expected to develop a “summary report” for each body, including findings from not only the skeletal and dental remains, but uncovered artifacts, and burial context.

The team is continuing its efforts to find surviving families of former Dozier students to collect DNA. The research team has released a list of those families online. Anyone with information on the families should call Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Master Detective Greg Thomas at (813) 247-8678.

There is also a website dedicated to finding answers for family members.

historic photo — Former Governor Claude Kirk tours the Dozier School for Boys in 1968.

The Dozier School for Boys opened at the turn of the twentieth century in Marianna, west of Tallahassee. State records indicate 96 boys died while housed there. The juvenile reform school has been the subject of repeated state and federal investigations.

According to a statement from the research team, the search for unmarked burials is set to resume at the shuttered school in the coming months using specially-trained K-9 teams and ground penetrating radar.

Earlier Posts

September 3, 2013

2013-09-03_13-23-42_544 — Program Director of the C.A. Pound Human Identification Laboratory at the University of Florida, Michael Warren.

The first round of excavations ended on Tuesday at the now closed Dozier School for Boys in the Marianna community in Florida’s Panhandle with the discovery of the skeletal remains of two bodies. University of South Florida Anthropologist Erin Kimmerle and a team of archaeologists are working to exhume, identify and examine bodies from unmarked graves at the school’s cemetery from the time period of 1914 to 1952. It’s the kind of work that University of Florida forensic specialists know very well. Program Director for the C.A. Pound Human Identification Lab at the University of Florida’s Anthropology Department, Michael Warren has worked a wide variety of high profile cases through the years, including the Caylee Anthony murder case and the recent murder of Seath Jackson in Summerfield. In the latter case Warren was asked to testify during the trial four times. Prosecutors say Jackson was shot, dismembered and burned before being dumped into an area water body. A jury found Michael Bargo guilty of first degree murder in that case. Four others in the case have been convicted.

Michael Warren talked with WUFT’s Amanda Jackson and Donna Green-Townsend about what the process will be like for the USF team doing the excavation of the unaccounted for bodies at the now closed Dozier School for Boys in Jackson County. Warren says he’s confident about the work USF Anthropologist Erin Kimmerle and her team will be doing over the next few months. The excavation of bodies from the Dozier School for Boys began on Saturday, August 31st, 2013. The unmarked graves received national attention after a group of former students, under the name, “The White House Boys Survivors Organization,” made allegations of abuse while residing at the school. Researchers believe there are at least 31 unmarked graves from between 1914 to 1952. USF received $190,000 from the state legislature and nearly $424,000 from the U.S. Department of Justice for the work. He described the process the USF team will be going through:

Published on Sep 2, 2013

USF anthropology professor Erin Kimmerle talked to reporters as exhumations begin at the Boot Hill cemetery at the Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, FL on Saturday. USF researchers are exhuming dozens of graves at the former Panhandle reform school in hopes of identifying the boys buried there and learning how they died.
(video courtesy CNN, edited by Mark Schreiner)

USF Anthropologist Erin Kimmerle speaks at Dozier