Here we go again with that song!!!***Part II
Dave VanCamp
By Paul Lomartire
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
TAMPA - Bertie Higgins almost had it all. Just like Bogey and Bacall.
Starring in his own late, late show, sailing away to Key Largo.
Straddling a meteor and whooping all the way, the Tarpon Springs singer rode
his song, Key Largo, to the top of the charts 16 years ago. Radio worldwide
has played the infectious pop hit 4 million times, or 300,000 hours.
When the meteor petered, it dropped him back in Tarpon Springs, the Greek
sponge-diver tourist town where he grew up, about 75 miles northwest of
Tampa. With no new hits and no record deal, he found himself playing the
same beach joints where he started.
And then it all got worse.
In 1995, after 13 years of marriage, his wife left him with their two sons.
In 1996, he was arrested for DUI, hit and run, fleeing deputies.
In 1997, he served 80 days in jail for the DUI and was ordered to pay
restitution.
But as December drains the last of '98, Bertie's absolutely joyous. He's
crammed against a tiny table at Newk's Cafe across from Tampa's Ice Palace
arena. It's an hour before a Jimmy Buffett concert, a solid 20,000 sellout.
Foam sharks and fins on their heads, Buffett's middle-age Topsider/Dockers
crowd is ready to get rowdy.
Bertie, in a gray sport coat, plain black T-shirt and gray slacks, is
ecstatic and drinking ice water while those packed around him slosh rum
drinks on each other like a B-movie frat party.
Buffett's Margaritaville rocks the room.
"I don't care what anybody says," Bertie shouts as he fishes for a Marlboro
Light in his black leather fanny pack. "I wouldn't trade show business for
anything. This is great!"
You may not have hummed the last hit from Portuguese-Irish-German
singer-songwriter Elbert J. Higgins.
Bertie has a new 19-song CD - and a new shot at the big time.
A second chance came when a friend introduced him to Sal Diaz-Verson.
Diaz-Verson, a former president of AFLAC Inc. life insurance, owns a
Columbus, Ga., investment business. Seven years ago, the Miami native opened
Diaz-Verson Capital Investments, which manages more than $200 million, a
combination of pension money and cash for "high net-worth" people including
entertainers.
Just over a year ago, he started Key Largo Productions to promote concerts
as well as revive and manage Bertie's career. Verson's vision is pure
business.
"He's a great asset ..." says Diaz-Verson. "He has a real niche in the
(U.S.) market. He's got a great following. Bertie did very well in the Far
East. He's well-liked in Japan and the Philippines."
Diaz-Verson has no fears launching Bertie into the tropical music market
ruled by Buffett.
"If Bertie was an unknown who never created anything then I'd worry about
that," he says. "Bertie has created his own songs and earned gold and
platinum. He's a writer, composer, singer in his own right."
The first thing Diaz-Verson did was finance the new 19-song Trop Rock CD
that includes a few new songs from Bertie such as In Christiansted and The
Breath of God plus his signature Key Largo and his international hits Just
Another Day in Paradise and Jamaica Me Crazy. There's also Buffett's
Margaritaville, the Beach Boys' Kokomo, Harry Belafonte's Jamaica Farewell,
Bobby Bloom's Montego Bay and Leah, a duet with Roy Orbison recorded just
before the legend died in 1988.
Bertie's team is testing sales on radio and cable TV. By spring, the CD/tape
($18.95/$15.95 plus shipping) will be sold through ads on VH-1 and other
cable channels. Diaz-Verson says if sales hit 225,000 copies, he'll shop it
to a label. Down the road, Diaz-Verson is considering opening a big-band
theater in Branson, Mo., called Bertie Higgins' Club Key Largo.
Eleven of the Trop Rock songs were produced by Jeff Cook, whose band,
Alabama, has notched 42 No. 1 country hits. The way he sees it, Bertie
doesn't need a No. 1 hit to climb back.
"I'm not going to dare imply he won't have one," begins Cook, "but if he
never has another No. 1, he has the material and ability to make a really
good living. Especially with that little (Trop Rock) niche there, he could
play the Florida coasts, the Carolina coasts and Virginia coast all he wants
to."
Lining up dates is Jesse Garon's new job. He owns American Concerts in
Nashville. Garon's a laid-back, homespun, how's-the-wife-and-kids?
have-you-lost-weight? kinda' guy. He books Johnny Rivers and had past
success with Mickey Gilley and Dan Seals.
"The job before us," begins Garon, "is to have Bertie be the hit artist as
opposed to the artist who puts out hits."
Longevity in the adult contemporary market is the goal.
"You'll find that the artist people want to take home is vulnerable,
sensitive and emotional," says Garon. "Bertie is touchable. He's friendly.
If some of the things Bertie has had to live through comes out in his music,
I predict he'll have his resurrection in his back pocket."
Garon is sending a Bertie video, CD and press kit to 3,000 prospective
buyers: casinos, corporate conventions, fairs and festivals. Bertie's New
Year's Eve gig at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia earned him nearly
$20,000.
"All success," concludes Garon, "comes down to heart and preparation. If
you're not a prima donna who thinks the world owes you a living, with heart
and drive you'll do fine."
Bertie, says Garon, has heart and drive.
And this time, after those previous falls fueled by alcohol, Bertie's armed
with a self-effacing nature.
"At one time I took myself very seriously," he says, "as you grow older, you
realize a sense of humor is as critical as water, food and air when it comes
to facing the day."
Bertie was in Atlanta, cold, broke and lonely when he wrote his biggest hit.
"I wrote Key Largo for my girlfriend (Beverly), who became my wife," he
recalls. "We had broken up. Growing up in Florida, I had spent a lot of time
in the Keys and I was a big black-and-white-movie Bogart fan. It just all
came together."
When his music publisher, Bill Lowery, heard the song, he danced around his
desk telling Bertie it'd be a hit. "Lad, you've finally written one!"
Bertie wasn't sure. "It was certainly huge in my heart but after writing 200
songs, you don't know if it's going to be huge."
But one huge song isn't earning autograph requests 16 years later.
Bertie squeezes through the Buffett crowd at Newk's to a quiet spot a
half-block away. Mr. Mom since his wife moved out, he's on his cell phone to
make sure his sons, Aaron, 11, "my skateboard guy" and Julian, 14, "my young
film director" have eaten and done homework. His "tiny Portuguese mother,"
Charlotte, 82, and his girlfriend, Rhonda, help with the boys when he's
away. Bertie's oldest son, Damian, 26, used his computer science degree from
Pitt to become Diesel Boy, a top techno DJ on the rave party circuit.
Four years ago, Beverly had enough Bertie. They remain separated. These days
they talk frequently. She lives in Tarpon Springs and sees the boys.
Many of his problems eased when he quit drinking after the '96 DUI arrest.
His Chrysler rear-ended a 17-year-old girl's Isuzu. She wasn't hurt but he
led deputies on a chase.
"Drinking and driving, zero tolerance, I agree with it," he says. "It was a
very difficult time."
If he was cold in the music biz before the arrest, he was freeze-dried after
the DUI. And he was nearly broke trying to fit lawyer fees and settlements
into his annual Key Largo royalties and residual checks of $30,000 to
$40,000.
With those checks comes a label: one-hit wonder.
"Of course, I don't like it." he says. "But what do you do about it? About
one percent of people in the music business have a No. 1 song. I'm in an
elite group of people. I'm blessed."
At the Buffett show, along with other fans, Bertie punches pre-concert beach
balls floating around the arena. He watches Buffett's elaborate Don't Stop
the Carnival opening and after eight songs he has gotten what he came for -
the rush of a big crowd at a big concert.
"I'm not as successful as Jimmy Buffett, and I don't compare myself to
Buffett," he says. "I respect him." He mentions in amazement all the work
singer-songwriter-author Buffett must turn down and laughs. "Hey, I'd settle
for being the Kmart version of Jimmy Buffett."
Bertie leaves the show and heads down a deserted arena concourse when a
woman jumps out from an arena portal, grabs him and squeals. Through the
grace of the gods, the singer isn't bald or fat and looks just like his
16-year-old album covers.
"You're Bertie Higgins!"
A bit stunned, he says, "Yes."
"I'm Ruth," she bubbles, hands on his shoulders as she bounces in front of
him.
"Well, hello, Ruth," he says.
He walks away beaming on his way to the big climb back.
Originally published in The Palm Beach Post on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 1999.
Drifty the Gypsy
--
Dave VanCamp <davev...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:76uh7g$bs0$1...@camel0.mindspring.com...
>Here's looking at you, Bertie
>
Damn and I thought it was that other song... you know the one that drives
certain people crazy...
Drifty the Gypsy
---------------------
Seen it all, done it all,
can't remember most of it.
Steph
the friends that I love even though they keep bringing up THAT SONG!!!!
Steph
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What the hell you got against fish?
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SKB632
south of Tarpon Springs and about 20 miles west of Tampa, so how can TS be 75
miles from Tampa?? Around here ol' Bertie is just another guy who can't make
a go of his bars and us TBPHiP's kinda put him in the category of Barry
Manilow. As for the elaborate DSTC opening???? The set at that show was one
of the simplest I've seen from JB in MANY years and the opening was just Tina
in costume leading more costumes in a conga line around the main floor and
Jimmy just walked out a door, no tricky stuff this time!
It was 31 degrees at
sunup, 35 at 8 and at noon some 75 boys in Tarpon Springs will dive into
Spring Bayou to retreive a cross that will be thrown in the water...a greek
Orthodox thing since TS is a Greek sponge diving village...and we thought we
were the people our parents warned us about???
Des KWFL
>
> Here's looking at you, Bertie
>
> By Paul Lomartire
> Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
> TAMPA - Bertie Higgins almost had it all. Just like Bogey and Bacall.
> Starring in his own late, late show, sailing away to Key Largo.
Was lucky enough to be living in the Upper Keys when he and his
entourage came to Tahiti Village in Key Largo (a beautiful place, since
burned down) and performed for mostly locals. It was a terrific show.
Sorry to hear he and his "Candle Dancer" didn't last.
Des
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Again, "countin' the hours 'til I get home!" JB
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The Peter Mayer Fan Club
http://petermayer.com
Des KWFL
>the opening was just Tina in costume leading more costumes in a conga >line around the main floor
Kinda hard for me to see the words "just Tina" cuz she's one lovely
lady, inside and out, from what I've been fortunate enough to
observe...a credit to my gender, doncha know! ;-D
SKB632
>Kinda hard for me to see the words "just Tina" cuz she's one lovely
>lady, inside and out, from what I've been fortunate enough to
>observe...a credit to my gender, doncha know! ;-D
Ah, you got me there!!! When I was younger I wanted to have that Stevie Nicks
look but since I've grown older (but not up) I would love to have that Tina
Gullickson look!!! I am tall with long blonde hair and I know all the words
to JB songs but that's about all I dare say can compare!!!
BananaLady
...laugh til you cry and cry til you smile ....with
a little love and luck we will get by!!