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Click Photo to Hear Bertie
Higgins Sing!! |
Like his great great grandfather, Johann
Wolfgang von Goethe, the German poet who penned
"Faust", Bertie Higgins is a storyteller. He was
born Elbert Joseph Higgins of Portuguese, Irish
and German descent and raised in the picturesque
Greek community of Tarpon Springs, Florida.
Bertie is an intellectual romantic who loves to
paint story songs about living and loving in a
tropical paradise.
His love songs explore the efforts of man trying
to fathom the mystery and allure of woman. His
fantasy songs deal with the beauty and
sensuality of the tropics and his story songs
combine past experiences and future hopes. The
resounding theme throughout Bertie's work: "Make
the best of today lest tomorrow never comes".
Bertie, who once supported himself as a sponge
diver, began his career in show business at the
age of twelve as a ventriloquist. He won top
prizes in local talent contests and became a
favorite at school assemblies and clubs around
Tampa Bay. Two years later, a battered set of
drums forced a career change and Bertie set off
to follow the back beat heard around the world
-- Rock and Roll.
His first band played proms, homecoming dances
and sock hops. After graduating Tarpon Springs
High School, Bertie enrolled in St. Petersburg
Junior College to study journalism and fine art,
but the music continued to sing in his heart. He
eventually left college and became drummer for
the Tommy Roe band (Sheila, Dizzy), The Roemans,
During this period, the band toured the world,
opening shows for the likes of the Rolling
Stones, The Beach Boys, Tom Jones, Roy Orbison,
Manfred Mann, Peter and Gordon, The Dave Clark
Five and many more. At the height of Beatlemania,
Bertie was playing with and learning from the
best.
Tiring of the rigors of the road and yearning to
make his own musical statement, Bertie left The
Roemans and returned home to Florida. He put
down his drumsticks, picked up a guitar and
began crafting music and lyrics. It was a time
of great satisfaction and personal release.
Producers such as Bob Crewe (The Four Seasons),
Phil Gernhard (Lobo), and Felton Jarvis (Elvis)
took an interest and contributed to the growth
of the young songwriter. Bertie's talent
flourished and he was in demand to play venues
throughout the state.
Gordon Lightfoot, Cat Stevens and Jimmy Buffet
were Bertie's primary sources of inspiration and
he remains friends with Gordon and Jimmy today.
During this period, he also met and became a
protege of the late actor/director, Richard
Boone, who saw Bertie's writing potential and
tutored him in screen writing.
In 1980, Bertie moved to Atlanta and met record
producer, Sonny Limbo. Sonny had played a role
in developing the group Alabama and had been
isntrumental in the careers of several others.
He arranged that fateful meeting between Bertie
and music publisher, Bill Lowery, whom Bertie
had known through Tommy Roe. The meeting of
these three was destiny waiting to happen.
Bertie had been working on a song about a
personal failed romance. He presented the rough
cut to Bill and Sonny. They helped him perfect
the lyrics of the song that became Key Largo.
Bertie recorded the master and presented it to
Kat Family records, a newly formed CBS
distributing company. At first they rejected it.
After persistent badgering by Bertie, Bill and
Sonny, Kat Family finally agreed to release the
single in 1981 and pop music history was made.
Key Largo blew a hole in the U.S. charts. When
it reached number one in the nation, the world
took notice and it went on to become an
international hit. Other hit singles followed
like Just Another Day in Paradise, Casablanca
and Pirates and Poets. Casablanca became Song Of
The Year in all of the pacific rim and the album
hit double platinum. Bertie Higgins became an
international recording star literally
overnight.
For the past several years, Bertie and his
excellent group, "The Band of Pirates" have
toured extensively around the globe. He has
received rave reviews and accolades from the
music industry and his fans alike. He is named
in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland
and displayed in the Georgia Music Hall of Fame
in Macon. Besides being the consummate stage
performer, songwriter and vocalist, he is an
accomplished screenwriter/novelist and actor.
Bertie has owned a successful restaurant in the
Florida Keys, written music for David Letterman,
Burt Reynolds and many others. He has made
numerous TV talk show and music variety show
appearances around the world and continues to be
invited back again and again. Besides
maintaining a rigorous schedule of one-nighters,
he also makes regular appearances on the
fabulous Las Vegas strip.
Bertie seriously supports several national
charity organizations. Hospice, The American
Cancer Society, The Boys and Girls Clubs of
America are just a few. He regularly makes
appearances and participates in several
charitable national golf tournaments and donates
his time and talent. He lives by the credo "you
must give some back", and takes the commitment
very seriously.
An ongoing project in his home state of Florida
is the preservation of fragile endangered
wildlife, particularly the brown pelican and
other sea birds. He works closely with
zoologist, Ralph Heath of the Suncoast Seabird
Sanctuary in Redington Shores, FL, and has
organized and performed at several fund raisers
to benefit that great organization. He has also
been actively involved in preserving Florida's
rapidly deteriorating lighthouses and was
instrumental in helping restore the one on
Anclote Key near his hometown of Tarpon Springs.
Bertie is the father of three boys and one girl,
and lives with two of his sons, Julian and Aaron
in Burbank, CA. His eldest son, Damian, a
graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, is a
world renowned recording artist in his own
right. He has attained a great deal of success
under the pseudonym, "Diesel Boy" and is
currently working on his ninth CD release. One
of the top junglist D.J.'s on the globe, he
performs regularly from London, Cape Town,
Budaphest, Hong Kong, New York and all points in
between. He has graced the cover of several
national magazine publications and Bertie
couldn't be a prouder Dad. Julian is a college
sophomore attending film school in Hollywood
learning to direct movies; Aaron is a senior at
Burbank High and Kimberly holds a position with
Southwest Air, the greatest airline in the
world. Bertie is also the proud grandfather of
Eli William Dauser, Kimberly's young son.
Bertie personally manages his international fan
club, "The Boneheads" and he is endeared to each
and every member. He truly believes that they
are just the greatest group of people in the
world and hovers over them with a watchful,
caring eye. Once annually they fly into Florida
from around the world to participate in their
"Pirates of the Caribbean" cruise. Always a
seven day adventure with a major cruise line,
they hang out, party, explore the Caribbean and
meet 'n' greet each other. 'Tis always a pillage
and plunder and the next one is soon
forthcoming.
To be certain, it will always be just another
day in paradise for Bertie Higgins and he'll be
waiting for you under the next palm tree for
years to come. This pirate and poet continues to
write and sing about turquoise lagoons, golden
sands and islands in the sun in a style he
affectionately refers to as Trop Rock.
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P.J. Leary &
Associates Talent Agency
Percell (P.J.) Leary,
Talent Agent
FL Talent License
TA0000687
Professional, high
quality entertainment for any event.
An Agency you can
count on.
"Sound,Lighting & Production Services"
Contact
P.J. Leary
352-343-1942 or
352-874-6550
Fax: 352-343-0516
West Coast
Associate:
Ricardi Talent Agency
Fl.Lic.0000783
727-848-5859 or
727-858-8385
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