In the late 80's, I was introduced to the Frank Brown International Songwriters' Festival (FBISF) while visiting the Gulf Shores area during a trip to the Alabama-Florida Gulf beaches. At the time, I was in the real estate business, owned two art galleries, traveled a lot, and had an extraordinary love and passion for art and music. One night I was at a beachfront bar in Gulf Shores, Alabama that was located where the Hangout is today, and it was the second weekend of a festival and, wow, was the talent amazing! Once I discovered the festival, I planned my November fall visits to the beach around the annual event.
Around 2000, I ended up moving to the beach to develop real estate and connected with many business partners, musicians, songwriters and local island folks in Perdido Key, FL. One of those people was Joe Gilchrist, the owner of the Flora Bama and the founder of FBISF, someone who I met and visited with many times over the years as a bar patron, but really never knew personally. Joe and I became friends while we were both in the bar business (I owned the Purple Parrot Tiki Bar while he owned the Flora Bama) and we were both heavily invested in the future development of Perdido Key. We served on boards and community activist groups together and shared many of the same interests, with the two most well-known for both of us being us having a good time and music. Over the years, as Joe and I became good friends I became more and more involved with the local music community. As part of my business interests, opportunities came up for me to purchase the Playa del Rio RV Resort aka PDR as well as become an owner of Sandy Roots Records with Christina Christian and Nick Biechricher and an owner of Beachbilly Lifestyle with Josh and Jessika Brown, among other businesses. It was the perfect mix of music, songwriting, living a great beach lifestyle, and enjoying good times! I turned the Playa del Rio into a music beach vacation destination and incorporated the FBISF as part of the annual events at the PDR. Every year I did a mid-year Songwriters Appreciation Cookout for all the local songwriters and musicians and created a special weekend for musicians to jam at the beautiful riverside setting of the RV park that many will tell you is a magical place for songwriter and music events -- as my way to say thank you to the local music talent that we are so blessed to have along the Alabama Florida Gulf Coast at the beach. My involvement with FBISF and the local music community became a very important part of the Playa del Rio and my life; and now being semi-retired, I plan to devote my time to many great music, art, lifestyle, community and charity causes.