Jim Stafford was born in Winter Haven in 1944. As a teenager, he played in a band with future legendary musicians Bobby Braddock, Kent LaVoie, and Gram Parsons. Stafford wrote and recorded his first chart-making song, The Swamp…
Posts tagged as “Artist Hall of Fame”
Dr. Jessie Owens is a Winter Haven native and life-long music educator. She received her music education degree from Florida A&M University, her master’s degree from NYU, and her doctorate in organizational leadership from NOVA Southeastern University. She…
Frank Howes grew up in Live Oak, FL and became the Band Director at Southwest Jr. High in Lakeland, Florida in 1971 after graduating from the University of Florida. During Howes’ tenure, the Southwest band performed at clinics…
Canter Brown Jr. is an historian, professor and author. He was born in Fort Meade, Florida, and earned his degrees at Florida State University. He taught at Florida A&M University and has worked at Fort Valley State University…
Bobby Braddock, who left Auburndale for Nashville as a young adult, gained notoriety for writing such country music classics as “D-I-V-O-R-C-E,” performed by Tammy Wynette and the song, “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” popularized by George Jones. Additionally,…
Rick Olivo, who moved to Polk County from New York and passed away in 2022, has long been recognized as one of Lakeland’s art icons. He founded Pied Pipers Children’s Theater (Lakeland Community Theatre) and was also one…
Harriet Rust, a Polk County native, founded the Davenport Historical Society with then-Mayor Peter Rust (her late husband). The DHS founded the Quilts and Tea Festival that brought together the Davenport School of the Arts, many sewing organizations,…
Milford Myhre, a long-time Lake Wales resident, was the carillonneur of Bok Tower Gardens for 36 years, until his retirement in 2004. During that time, he played daily concerts at the tower, greeted thousands of visitors to the…
Jazz icon, Nat Adderley made Lakeland his home in the eighties and is credited with being a founding member of Florida Southern College’s Child of the Sun Jazz Festival, eventually serving as Artist-In-Residence for the school. Adderley, who…
Polk Arts Alliance executive director Meri Mass retired on January 31, 2022, closing out a 12-year tenure as the organization’s leader. Meri was a fervent advocate for the arts and played an instrumental role in the establishment of…