Musicians
The Inkspots
Many of our oral histories mention going out to clubs and dancing. West Augustinians would likely have been listening to local African American musicians such as this group, The Four Inkspots. Though not residents of St. Augustine, this group came from La Villa, a predominantly African American neighborhood in Jacksonville that boasted “The Great Black Way.” “The Great Black Way" ran down Forsyth Street giving African American artists a place to show off their talents and entertain. The Four Inkspots were one group of such entertainers. The group was also known as: The (Famous) Ink Spots and Charlie Fuqua’s Ink Spots. Their hit song “If I Didn’t Care” earned them honors in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
The Belton’s Society Syncopators
With its title shortened to “The Syncopators,” this jazz band from Palatka, Florida is another example of the live music that would have been available to the community of West Augustine during the early 20th century. The Syncopators grew to be a popular group across the nation. They went on tours and introduced a wide variety of audiences to their music, and are sometimes compared with Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. In Palatka, this mural has been put up in dedication to the African American musicians who changed history during their respective eras. The Syncopators brought in communities from the surrounding areas, so it is quite feasible that residents of West Augustine might have seen this band, or others like it perform.
Ray Charles
Ray Charles, an African American national icon of his time, the proclaimed “father of soul,” helped transform American music culture as he produced unrivaled new sounds, broke barriers in the music industry, and supported both African American and disability rights movements. Before any of that however, the legend was making his mark in St. Augustine.
Ray Charles, born in 1930 to an exceptionally poor family, moved to St. Augustine at age 7 after losing his sight, in order to attend the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind (FSDB). While attending the school Charles not only learned communicative braille and sign language, but also how to read and compose braille music. He also received his first musical education at the FSDB breaking into the world of entertainment as he was trained to play piano, saxophone, trumpet, organ, and clarinet. Charles later recalled that his time at the FSDB was an essential experience that guided his journey through music. It taught him how to play and introduced him to the challenging practice of memorizing pages of sheet music at a time, that would later become essential when he composed his own pieces.
During his time in St. Augustine, when he wasn’t at FSDB, Charles was doing what most of the African American youths in town were--going to black lounges and clubs in West Augustine. The Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center even houses a piano said to have been played by Charles in a local club.
Little Richard
Crowned Elvis Presley’s African American keyboard slamming counterpart, Little Richard turned the musical world upside down with his flamboyant style and wild electrifying tunes, earning the title of the “true king of rock and roll”.
Richard Wayne Pennima (Little Richard), one of 12 children, was born in 1932 to a poor religious family struggling through the depression. Like many others living in poor southern black communities Richard found community and comfort in the emerging jazz and soul scene. He learned to play piano and began performing early, developing his unique style as he traveled. Little Richard began recording in 1950, releasing dozens of hits like “Tutti Frutti,” “Long Tall Sally,” and “Good Golly, Miss Molly,” over the next decade that influenced and shaped Rock and Roll, lending it the gospel, blues, and soul sounds traced back to his roots.
Little Richard's music was popular all across the country, selling millions of copies to both blacks and whites, and filling dance clubs and Lounges in cities everywhere, West Augustine included.
Not only is Richard’s music representative of the songs and type of music that would have been played in West Augustine’s hang out spots, like the Peppermint Lounge or Odd Fellows Hall, it was also reported that Little Richard played live in West Augustine’s own Odd Fellows Hall in the mid-1950s. By this time Richard would have been close to the height of his musical career, dropping gold singles and booking large venues, though it was common of African American blues and rock performers to still make room to play less capitalized gigs in small black neighborhoods, in part as a tribute the communities their music took root in.