North Florida Music Hall of Fame

You are browsing the archives of 2008 August.

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Jazz trumpeter, born in Jacksonville; attended Howard University in Washington, D.C.; moved to NYC in early 1960s. Charles Tolliver ecorded with Jackie McLean, Max Roach, and Gerald Wilson; also led own bands for Impulse and Black Lion. Formed jazz label, Strata-East, in 1971.

Jacksonville country-pop teen idol discovered and developed by Mae Axton in the late 1950s (or so she claims in her autobiography, Country Singers as I Know ‘Em).  Johnny Tillotson, a semi-regular on Toby Dowdy’s McDuff Hayride TV show, won a Nashville talent contest that led to a deal with New York-based Cadence Records in 1958. [...]

Protégés of producers Johnny McGowan and Nathaniel Orange (Chill Deal Boys, 95 South, Quad City DJs), this Jacksonville bass-music trio signed to MCA in 1991, later switching to Ichyban’s Wrap subsidiary in 1992, where they had a huge club hit with “Daisy Dukes.”

Jacksonville modern rock band, formerly known as Audio Orange, developed by Orlando-based producers Pete Thornton and Tony Battaglia; signed to RCA Records in August, 2002.

A Jacksonville native, Pete Thornton graduated from Bishop Kenny High and earned an associate in science degree from Full Sail School of Recording in Orlando in 1994. While working as an engineer at Jasmine Recording in Jacksonville, pal Donnie Smith (former road manager for The Outlaws) brought Thornton an unknown band he was managing named [...]

Westside Jacksonville band formerly known as Sweet Rooster, later as Alice Marr. Led by Donnie Van Zant, younger sibling of Skynyrd vocalist, Ronnie. Signed to A&M, .38 had no less than 10 hits in the 1980s, including “Hold On Loosely” and “Second Chance,” and remains one of the area’s all-time biggest-selling acts. Replacement bassist Larry [...]

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Jacksonville gospel singer, winner of numerous awards. Debut album on Emtro Music, produced by Troy Sneed.

Nephew of Allman Brothers Band drummer Butch Trucks, slide guitarist since age 9. Started out performing with Jacksonville’s Greg Baril Band. Currently a full-time member of the Allman Brothers Band, plus has his own deal with Columbia. Also works with Butch Trucks’ side project, Frog Wings. Also see Allman Brothers Band; Trucks, Butch; Baril, Greg; [...]

Boston-born blues rocker, graduate of Berklee College of Music; Susan Tedeschi signed to Boston label Tone-Cool (distributed by Artemis/RED), her first nationwide release sold 600,000. Moved to Jacksonville in 1999 to live with her boyfriend (now hubby) Derek Trucks, whom she met while opening for the Allman Brothers Band. Her third album was recorded in [...]

Drummer, born 1928 in Calif., Bob Taylor became a key figure in the Western-swing scene with Bob Wills, Lefty Frizzell, and Merle Haggard. Worked with guitarist Duane Eddy (“Rebel Rouser”) in 1960s; later led own band, The Rogues, for many years. Taylor came to Jacksonville in 1994, worked locally with Larry Mangum’s Cowboy Orchestra. Died [...]