Tag Archives: Paul Garfinkel

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

To hear all the Top Ten Songs scroll down past the Top Three Winners
Song Contest winner Daniel Childs
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.

Second Place Finisher Chad Spikes
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.

Third Place Finisher Sarah McCulloch
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

Life & Times in Cross Creek: Memories and Reflections

(DVDs of the video are available for purchase to benefit “The Friends of the MKR Farm” which supports the MKR Historic State Park in Cross Creek. Scroll down for ordering information)

Life & Times in Cross Creek: Memories and Reflections is a very personal endeavor for me. I first presented a program on the topic at the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Farm in December of 2019. I have continued to add pictures and video ever since. It tells the story of many of my friends and neighbors in Cross Creek, some who have personal memories of the late Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “The Yearling,” Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.

The program features very unique historic video, audio and photos of many of the characters Marjorie wrote about in her book, “Cross Creek,” including “Snow Slater” and Berney Bass who both took care of her orange grove. Berney also took Marjorie fishing and gator hunting through the years. You’ll hear from the late author and artist from Evinston, J. T. Glisson, and the late actor “Rip Torn” who was nominated for an Oscar for his role in the Hollywood production of “Cross Creek.” You’ll also meet the Townsend family that Marjorie wrote about in Chapter 4 of “Cross Creek” entitled, “The Pound Party.” The Townsends were also one of the many families who were part of the catfishing heydays in Cross Creek, another special segment of the video.

Here’s an outline of the various segments in the documentary:
Segment 1: Friends & Neighbors of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings- runs 10:37
Segment 2: Visiting “Snow” & Ella Mae Slater- runs 5:41
Segment 3: Catfishing Days in Cross Creek- runs: 23:13
Segment 4: The Movie Business Comes to Cross Creek- runs 4:26
Segment 5: Memories of Marjorie- runs: 8:35
Segment 6: Reflections & Credits- runs: 5:10

Music included in the documentary was provided by:
The Creek by Paul Garfinkel- reverbnation.com/paulgarfinkel

Atlantic Crossing by Jim Hurst & Roberto Dalla Vecchia
JimHurst.com

Daisies for Judy by Jim Hurst Trio
JimHurst.com

Margaret by Mike Jurgensen-
reverbnation.com/MikeJurgensen

Catfish by Danny O’Keefe-
dannyokeefe.com

Stillness by Mark Smith-
coralbay2@gmail.com

Isle of View and The Light and the Longing by George Tortorelli and Lisa Lynne- MedicineWind.com

This video premiered on August 8th to celebrate Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ birthday.

DVD cover of the video “Life & Times in Cross Creek”

DVDs of the video are available to purchase for $15.00 plus $4.00 for postage and handling.  All proceeds will benefit projects on the farm.  Please make your check payable to Friends of the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Farm., and mail to PO Box 337, Micanopy, FL  32667-0337.

Will McLean Music Festival Honors Margaret Longhill

See the special video presentations of the tribute to Margaret Longhill below the text which were produced by Gail Carson and Paul Garfinkel

Margaret Longhill 2
Margaret Longhill (all photos by Gail Carson)

The 27th annual Will McLean Music Festival at the Sertoma Youth Ranch near Brooksville honored Margaret Longhill on March 12th. Longhill has been the gentle, guiding hand and inspiration for hundreds of musicians who have found their voices for Florida.

Since she first met Will McLean (1919-1990), the first folk artist inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame, she has continued to keep the flame burning of Will’s desire to “Save Florida Through Music.”

“Music is a magical way to teach the value of our blessed, flowered land,” says Longhill.

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Margaret making her entrance to the special Saturday night tribute on March 12th

Whether it’s her support for the young performers or the annual ‘Best New Florida Song Contest,’ Longhill, the Will McLean Foundation President Emeritus, possesses the ability to nourish and encourage songwriters across the state simply with her incredulous smile and engaging enthusiasm.  As a result, the library of songs about this “Land of Flowers” continues to grow.

“I’d like to be known as a lover of Florida and promoter of music, especially about Florida.  And I was a convert because I’m from Tennessee and I love Tennessee too, but you know, when you live in Florida you just adopt Florida,” says Longhill.

 

 

 

Donna and Margaret Longhill
Margaret Longhill being interviewed by Donna Green-Townsend

The presentation on Saturday night, March 12th, included a live interview with Longhill on stage by Donna Green-Townsend interspersed with performances by three former “Best New Florida Song Contest” winners.

 

 

 

 

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Ken and Leigh Skeens performing, “The Empty Chair”

Ken Skeen and Leigh Skeens performed the song that won the very first contest called, “The Empty Chair.”  Ken not only won first place during the very first song contest in 1992, but also won second place and tied for third. He then worked for a number of years as the song contest coordinator.

 

 

 

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(from left to right) Mike Jurgensen, Pete Price and Pete Hennings performing “Music Drifts Along This River”

Mike Jurgensen, accompanied by Pete Price and Pete Hennings on guitar and bass performed Mike’s winning song, “Music Drifts Along This River.”  Mike has won the song contest three times and is now working as a judge for the annual competition.

 

 

 

 

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Amy Carol Webb and Ron Litschauer perform, “Oh Margaret” during the special tribute to Margaret Longhill

Margaret recited Will McLean’s poem, “My Soul Is a Hawk,” accompanied by Wayne Martin on fiddle and Dennis Devine on guitar.  Amy Carol Webb, a past song contest winner, then performed a special song she wrote for Margaret’s birthday a few years ago called, “Oh Margaret.”  She was accompanied by Ron Litschauer on mandolin.

 

 

 

 

 

Magnolia Stage Lee Jessie and David March 12 2013
Lee and Jessie Townsend along with bass player David McBrady performing at the Margaret Longhill Tribute Presentation. (photo by Gail Carson)

The tribute also included a Will McLean song, Macclenny Farewell, performed by two young performers, Jessie and Lee Townsend, who represent Longhill’s passion for supporting the musical talent of youth at the festival.  Jessie and Lee were accompanied by David McBrady on bass.

 

 

 

 

A very special thank you to all the folks behind the scenes who made the presentation possible including Ron and Bari Litschauer, Lynn Wodjenski and countless others who helped to set up the living room scene and lights and who made the presentation run smoothly.

Here are the videos of the special tribute to Margaret Longhill produced by Gail Carson and Paul Garfinkel.  The first video was produced by Gail:

 

 Paul Garfinkel’s six segments on the Tribute to Margaret Longhill from Saturday, March 12, 2016 show a wider perspective on the special evening:

Part One:

Part Two:

Part Three:

Part Four:

Part Five:

Part Six:

 

Gail Carson also produced another video for Margaret to thank her for all she has done to promote and to preserve Florida Folk Music. The video demonstrates, through a number of voices, the unforgettable impact Margaret Longhill has had on so many songwriters and performers, especially young performers.

 

 

Will McLean Festival web cover

 

2016 Will McLean Best New Florida Song Contest Winner and Finishers Named

The winner and 2nd and 3rd place finishers of the 2016 Best New Florida Song Contest performed their songs at the Will McLean Music Festival which ran March 11th through Sunday, March 13th at the Sertoma Youth Ranch near Brooksville, FL. 

Lauren Heintz
2016 Will McLean Song Contest Winner Lauren Heintz

The first place winner is Lauren Heintz from Winter Park, FL with her song about Will McLean, the Father of Florida Folk, called, “Florida Born and Bred.”

Heintz, who was the 3rd place finisher in the contest in 2015 and placed 4th in 2013 says she was inspired to write her winning song after researching Will McLean and how he journeyed throughout Florida collecting the history, culture and lore of Florida in his songs, stories, and poems. She says last year’s controversial state-sanctioned black bear hunt along with potential reductions in protection for the endangered Florida panther caused her to reflect on how Florida needs more people like Will McLean to call attention to these concerns. That’s also when her tribute song for Will McLean was born.

Where I Belong CD Cover“Florida Born and Bred” is just one of the songs on her newest CD entitled, “Where I Belong,” recorded at Gatorbone Studios. She says the songs on this album are the plot points of her story, the twists and turns of an edge walker capturing the many aspects of her search for survival and a sense of place and purpose.

In addition to finishing in the Top Ten in the Will McLean Song Contest three times, Heintz has taken home several other songwriting awards. In January of 2014 she won the Vic Heyman songwriting award at the South Florida Folk Festival. Just months before that she won the song contest at the 2013 Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas. She’s also received honorable mentions at the Woody Guthrie Song Contest (2014) and the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest (2015).

Though she says she’s a bit of a loner, Lauren has had some unique experiences including swimming in volcanic calderas, water-skiing gator-infested rivers, repairing U-2 spy planes near the Yellow Sea while in the USAF, and working in the dot-com tech wars of Silicon Valley. Yet she says what excites her the most these days is stepping onto stages playing her own music at house concerts, listening rooms, and festivals.

Paul Garfinkel (photo by Kathy Bernardi)
Paul Garfinkel (photo by Kathy Bernardi)

Pete Price 6
Singer-Songwriter Pete Price

The 2nd place finishers of this year’s contest are Paul Garfinkel from Jacksonville, FL and Pete Price from Ozello, FL with the song, “Florida Rain.”

Garfinkel says the song “Florida Rain” is the culmination of years of concern about, observation of, and work to protect the future of the Florida environment in general and the state’s water resources in specific.

“I wanted to create a song that would communicate from the perspective of the land, as opposed to those standing upon it. Florida’s natural water systems are extremely complex and sensitive organisms subject to the whims of the state’s residents, corporate occupants  and visitors. The water that falls from the sky and into our aquifers, lakes, rivers, and springs is a scarce resource that is increasingly imperiled by overpopulation, landscape use, harvesting by bottling companies, future fracking, and pollution from all sources. We are headed down a path that is not sustainable in the long term, and as the song says: you’ll miss me when I’m gone,” says Garfinkel. He adds, “Despite an apparent current abundance. I have often spoken the words “I never complain about the Florida rain,” and thus came the title of the song.”

Garfinkel says he also had significant academic and artistic inspiration to write the song from Cynthia Barnett’s books “Rain,” and “Mirage: Florida and the Vanishing Water of the Eastern U.S.”

Pete Price from Ozello, FL worked with Garfinkel as co-writer on the song. Garfinkel says Price offered his creative talent and skill with language to develop the words and music of the song’s bridge, and helped him to fine-tune the lyrics of its verses and chorus.

“To take the imagery one step farther, Pete was the rain and warmth that incubated the seeds of an idea, allowing it to grow and mature into its current form,” says Garfinkel. Pete Price has been in and around the Florida Folk Music scene for nearly twenty years, playing with “Jon Semmes and the Florida Friends,” “Sno Rogers,” and the group, “2PM.” He’s also written a variety of his own original songs.

Paul Garfinkel album coverA Florida Master Naturalist from Jacksonville, Garfinkel has been associated with the Saint Johns Riverkeeper organization as a volunteer and photographer for more than a decade. Along with Florida singer-songwriter Bob Patterson, he co-founded the Florida Artists Water Alliance, now a 900-member public interest group on Facebook, with the purpose of educating Florida’s citizens and decision-makers about important water issues, and to support other water advocacy groups through music and visual art. His recently released CD, “The Last Good Mile,” recorded at Gatorbone Studios, features a variety of his environmental songs.

Several of Garfinkel’s original songs have placed in the Will McLean Song competition. In 1996 he placed third for “Good Enough for Me.” In 1997 “Florida Pines” came in second place and “St. George Street” was third. In 1998 he had a song finish in the top ten and was the winner in 1999 with his song, “The Creek.” He says he didn’t enter again until 2014 when he had two top ten songs, “Stowe,” and “Rain on the Horizon.”

Garfinkel has lived in Florida for 30 years, 25 of those years have been in Jacksonville.  He’s worked in healthcare administration, clinical research and research ethics and regulation for 35 years.  He recently retired in December of 2015 and is now focusing on his music, photography, environmental activism and community service.  He’s a board member of the Stetson Kennedy Foundation and Co-Producer of the Second Sundays at Stetson Concert Series.

Ray Sealey
Ray Sealey (Photo by Gail Carson)

The third place finisher of the 2016 Will McLean Song Contest is Ray Sealey from Quebec, Canada with his song, “The Turpentine.”  Sealey says he is fascinated with history and spent a lot of time researching the turpentine industry in Florida.

The inspiration for the song first came while Sealey was cycling along the Legacy Trail bicycle path that goes by Oscar Scherer State Park, an old railway right of way.  He says he saw historic markers noting how the turpentine trade was served by this line.   He began to search websites, academic papers and newspaper articles to find out all he could about the business.

He was fascinated by the names of the technical jobs associated with the turpentine business:  scrapers, chippers, pullers, dippers and others.  Sealey says he found out in the beginning it was called the naval stores industry (pine tar).

Through research he discovered the main workers were black, men who were slaves before the civil war,  and peonage workers who were paid in scrip to spend at the company store. Other workers were prisoners who were provided by local law enforcement.  Sealey says the turpentine business was largely a dark part of Florida history because of many stories of deaths, murders, politics, power and wealth in play.

Ray Sealey
Sealey’s album released in 2015. Album cover photo by Luc Cardinal

Born in England, Ray Sealey emigrated to Canada, and earned a degree in English Literature from the University of Western Ontario. He was always active in the folk music scene in those years and toured Europe in the late 60’s with a Canadian folk group. However, classical music finally took the more important place in his life while studying classical guitar at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.

He taught music at the University of Western Ontario and subsequently at the University of Ottawa. He also worked as a host and documentary maker for the CBC in Ottawa. It was during this period that he became increasingly active in production and arts management.

In 1997 he moved to Montreal and later to the Laurentian Mountains north of Montreal in Québec to become Executive Director of CAMMAC (Canadian Amateur Musicians/Musiciens amateurs du Canada).  He retired from that organization in 2007 following the completion of a major rebuilding project at the CAMMAC Music Centre in the Laurentians. His last post was as Executive Director of the chamber orchestra I Musici de Montréal.

Now, later in life, he has returned from the classical world to his early roots in folk music. His love of poetry and the folk songs that led him to the guitar are now combined in new musical directions and discoveries. He spends summer in the Laurentians and winter in a camper in any part of Florida that looks interesting. In 2014 Sealey was the third place finisher in the Will McLean Best New Florida Song Contest with his song, “Kissimmee Prairie Dream.”

The winner and finishers of the song contest will performed their songs during the 2016 Will McLean Music Festival which ran from March 11th through March 13th at the Sertoma Youth Ranch near Brooksville, FL.

Click here to go back to the Will McLean Festival website
or
Click here to go to the list of winners by year

The Gatherings (26-Part Music Series Recorded at various Florida festivals and venues)

Musicians perform Apalachicola Doin' Time finale at the Florida Folk Festival in 2000The Gatherings – Folk and Blues From The Land of Flowers   26 part live-music series

(Producer- Bill Beckett and Host- Donna Green-Townsend)

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Program #1- Dale Crider & Roy Bookbinder 

Program #2 Al ScortinoCarrie Blackwell Lon and Lis Williamson 

Program #3 Sue Grooms & Ron and Bari 

Program #4 Mark Smith – Grant Livingston Paul Garfinkel

Program #5 James Hawkins & Frank and Ann Thomas 

Program #6 Valerie Caracappa – Boomslang Bobby Hicks 

Program #7 Under the Water Lilies – Rod MacDonald – Blue Velvet

Program #8 Patchwork & Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys 

Program #9 Steve Blackwell & Marie Nofsinger 

Program #10 Don Grooms Tribute

Program #11 The Spiritual Consolators & Pam Laws 

Program #12 Art Crummer & Bill Wharton and the Ingredients 

Program #13 The Spiritual Consolators & TC Carr and the Catch 

Program #14 Upsala and Sno Rogers

Program #15 Tammerlin 

Program #16 Mindy Simmons 

Program #17 Dinella and Gieger & Ken Skeens and Leigh Goldsmith

Program #18 Jeanie Fitchen 

Program #19 Clyde Walker 

Program #20 Magda Hiller 

Program #21 Sam Pacetti 

Program #22 Harvey Reid 

Program #23 Destination Still Unknown 

Program #24 CD Sampler

Program #25 Campfire Tapes 

Program #26 Studio Tapes 

These Diamonds

scan0005The late Will McLean spent his life writing songs to save Florida through music.  Now the foundation named after the father of Florida folk is marketing an environmental CD trying to continue McLean’s lifelong mission.  The acoustic CD features musicians from across the Sunshine State singing about a wide variety of environmental stories and issues.  As Donna Green-Townsend reports even the CD title, These Diamonds carries a story behind it.

Florida musicians included on the CD are:

The Eagles Fly – Mindy Simmons

Lullaby of the Rivers – Bob Patterson

Rose and the Gold – Mem Semmes

Cracker CowmanFrank Thomas

Florida Pines – Paul Garfinkel

Paw Prints in the Sand – Ken Skeens

These Diamonds – Grant Livingston

Turtle Tears – Amy Carol Webb

Rand McNally Map of Florida – Jim Bickerstaff

Plumes – Steve Blackwell

Apalachicola Doin’ Time – Dale Crider

Song For Our Children – Mary Ann Dinella