Like his great great grandfather, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the German poet who penned “Faust”, Bertie Higgins is a storyteller. He was born Elbert Joseph Higgins of Portuguese, Irish and German descent and raised in the picturesque Greek community of Tarpon Springs, Florida. Bertie is an intellectual romantic who loves to paint story songs about living and loving in a tropical paradise.
His love songs explore the efforts of man trying to fathom the mystery and allure of woman. His fantasy songs deal with the beauty and sensuality of the tropics and his story songs combine past experiences and future hopes. The resounding theme throughout Bertie’s work: “Make the best of today lest tomorrow never comes”. An ongoing project in his homestate of Florida is the preservation of fragile endangered wildlife, particularily the brown pelican and other sea birds. He works closely with zoologist, Ralph Heath of the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary in Redington Shores, FL, and has organized and performed at several fund raisers to benefit that great organization. He has also been actively involved in preserving Florida’s rapidly deteriorating lighthouses and was instrumental in helping restore the one on Anclote Key near his hometown of Tarpon Springs.
Band Members
Mark Halisky, Paul Buzine, Kathy Mcabee, JD Earley, Ralph Anzavino, Ron Russell, Tim Conway.