The Royal Minstrel Of The Conch Republic

 

By Ralph Depalma

 

CW has been in Key West so long that when he is asked where he’s from, he quickly says “here.” Born to a military family, by the time he was sixteen he had been around the world several times.  Music had deep roots in his family. His grandfather had an orchestra in Indiana.

 

 

CW began singing young in school choirs and church choirs. CW played in his first band in 1963, when he was twelve.  Van Morrison influenced his early music.   In 1968, his father was stationed in Viet Nam during the Tet Offensive.  His dad vividly remembers the sights, sounds, and smells of war and he came back with undiagnosed post traumatic stress syndrome.

 

 

CW signed with an agency in San Francisco in the late 1970’s and his career took off.  That same year he was diagnosed with cancer. He had a tumor near his vocal chords.  After numerous treatments, CW didn’t know if he was going to live, let alone sing again.  He saw a Chinese doctor in San Francisco who had him drink a special tea for two months. CW credits this with his remission.  The removal of the tumor affected his vocals for the next fifteen years.  

 

 

After his near-death experience he moved to the Upper Keys in the mid 1980’s to be near his parents.  In 1989, the CW Colt Band became the house band at Holiday Isle in Islamorada, opening for Bernie Higgins.  Some days CW would play a gig in Marathon, a later one in Big Pine, and would finish the evening playing in Key West.

 

 

One of CW’s signature songs, Mi Amigo Mosquito, was written while playing at Gilbert’s Marina on Jewfish Creek near Key Largo.  Every night like clockwork as the sun went down the wind would blow the mosquitoes in from the Everglades.  They would swarm while he was trying to play and to this day he doesn’t know how he got through the gigs.  He wrote that song in about twenty minutes during a break and played it a few days later for the Gilbert’s Marina patrons. It was an instant hit.

 

 

CW writes songs about real life and living in the Keys. When playing a gig, CW Colt takes great pride playing his original music.  One favorite is “Best Love.” It’s about the special love of his daughter.  It’s a song that every dad can relate to. In recent years, CW has brought some special stars to perform with him in Key West: Jody Payne, long-time guitarist for Willie Nelson; Bo Roberts,  lead guitar and bandleader for Hank Williams, Jr.; and Freebo, longtime bass player for Bonnie Raitt. All three headed several shows with CW, with Richard Crooks on drums.

 

 

Captain Tony and Mel Fisher had a special relationship with CW and both grace the cover of one of his albums.  In fact Captain Tony said he remembered holding CW in his arms in 1954 when CW was only six months old.  CW wrote a song for Mel Fisher “Say No to NOAA,” about how NOAA was threatening his treasure hunting.  He also wrote a song with Michael McCloud about Mel’s treasure ship called “The Ballad of the Atocha.”

 

 

CW has a regular gig at the Sunset Pier on Mondays and Thursday, the Hogfish Bar and Grille, and a very special concert dinner series at his studio. His just latest CD released at his birthday party on the Sunset Pier, “Just Me and My Guitar” is an amazing compilation of music and CW’s voice sounds better than ever.

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