Beaux Arts exists to foster an inclusive art culture that incorporates a cross-pollination of art, music, film, writing, sound and performance. In providing a platform for these different media to co-exist in dialogue and without hierarchy, Beaux Arts encourages experimentation and risk taking in the pursuit of excellence in contemporary art practice

Artists, photographers, film makers, musician and performers of any and all art forms are encouraged to contact us with examples of their work for inclusion in future events to be hosted at our exciting new contemporary exhibition space and cultural events center in Clearwater Florida

Jay Loiselle: 813.251.6444 | Chris Skillman: 727.520.4102

http://www.beauxartsnow.com

There are two local music outlets that Beaux Arts people might check out.
www.mellowmelodies.com lists local venues and concerts, house parties, etc. where some Beaux Arts people are playing at. There is a lot of local info at this site.
www.musictampabay.com is a local internet radio show which plays local musicians on a rotating basis. They utilize ‘Shoutcast’ or ‘Windows Media’. This writers computer system is so bad that I cannot get either, so I have not specifically heard the music.
The musictampabay.com radio music library includes former Beaux Arts people (the number after the name is how many songs the artist has in the library); Carl Wade and Barbara Schaeffer-1, Donna Klein-2, Jak Kelly-3-, Jeff O’Kelly-3, Joy Katzen-Guthrie-1, Jules-2, Paul J. Watkins-2, Ronnie Elliot-1, Sheila Kirsten-Hughes-4.
Jak Kelly’s song ‘Winter Moon’ was number 20 of 100 top songs of 2008 as compiled by the internet radio station that plays only Tampa Bay musicians.
This writer had to go directly to www.musictampabay.com because the connection from mellowmelodies did not work on my anemic computer.
I hope this encourages more Beaux Arts people to get out and play their music.
Cordially,
Malcolm Johnson

Due to a new interest in the film history of Beaux Arts we may open a new blog soon with that in mind. Stay Tuned.

Thanks for all your comments and stories. I’m having trouble keeping up with them. I’ve decided to post them on the guest page for people who haven’t figured out how to do that. None of the stories are edited. I am posting them as they come in with appropriate credits. If you are just sending a story for background information and do not want me to post it here, please indicate that in the email. You wishes will be honored.

Some questions arose recently regarding Wade Van Dorn’s Tombstone. I called on the one person I knew who I thought would know the answer – Malcolm Johnson. He got back to me with the following:

Wade Van Dore’s cremains burial spot near Tom’s has a small granite marker engraved with his name and dates. I think you may be talking about the large tablet that Tom had in the garden in Pinellas Park and St. Petersburg (It had been broken in half but was patched back together again). This was a copy of the original which I have no idea of where that is. I had heard that everything in that outside storage area had been picked up and junked. There is a possibility that someone locally saved that, but I have not heard anything as to who and where.

So, now we know. There may be more than one Van Dorn tombstone. Let us know if you know of any more where they are. More on Van Dorn and his friendship with Tom: http://www.beauxartsbook.com/Writers/Wade.html

Looking up some Yevtushenko/Ferlinghetti photos, I ran across some some references to the Beauxtisans blog. John Balcomb and The Kids . Then I came to the living legends of Chelsea Hotel, which has a lot in common with Beaux Arts. Both enjoyed a glorious past, filled with trendy musicians and artists, who took it all for granted at the time, never thinking that the hey days would pass by so quickly. It’s very hard to know when you are at your hit your peak. You could always surpass yourself tomorrow.

http://www.chelseahotelblog.com/living_with_legends_the_h/2007/09/holy-moses-john.html

Outlaws 2008

I started a conversation with Henry Paul with a little phone conversation around Labor Day 2008. Here is the interview that preceded the phone call.

Henry called me around 3 PM from the road. He lives in Nashville, but spends a lot of time touring with his two bands, the Outlaws and Blackhawk.

The Florida Years: Henry lived in Temple Terrace, went to King High. He knew he wanted to be an artist and had settled on music by the time he left high school in 1967. He had the goal, and nothing else mattered once he locked onto music.

Someone turned him onto Beaux Arts, and he performed there from 1966 to 1969. He remembers Danny Finley, Stanley Powell, a dark-haired guy with glasses who tended a dam. Eric Van Schmidt was a big star at Beaux Arts who lived in the Sarasota area.

Henry kind of started out with the Buddy Klein, Richard and Michael group, which turned into Baldwin and Leps. We talked about Dewey Gatos and I told him about the Baldwin photos I shot in Dewey’s teepee, which are posted on the Beaux Arts site.

Rick Norcross had the 18th String in North Tampa, which he promoted quite heavily through connections at the Tampa Tribune. Rick pushed himself to national prominence and was responsible for bringing the national stars into the Tampa Bay Area with his self-promotions. Rick now lives in Vermont has a band called Rolling Thunder which opens for Henry sometimes.

The National scene: Like many Beaux artists, Henry was feeling the urge to move and he left Tampa in 1969 to tour the country with the Outlaws. In 1974 the band was lucky to be the first rock band signed by Clive Davis on his new Arista Records label after he left Columbia Records. “His ego was riding on their success so they were going to succeed.” Henry sold several million Blackhawk records based on the corporate strength of the labels.

The first week of the Outlaws success in 1975, Henry was in Denver staying at the Oxford Hotel. Jack Elliot was living there, sleeping on a bedroll in one of the rooms. Paul Rothchild was handling A&R for Jack.

“Arista records president Clive davis signs the band in Spring of 1975 – one of the new label’s first signings and their very first Rock group. Eric Kronfeld represents The outlaws, and Paul Rothchild (who’d produced The Doors and Janis Joplin) is selected as producer of the band’s self-titled debut album. Recording in Los Angeles that May, the group lives at the infamous Tropicana Motel. The album is released in late August and just four months later, peaks at #13 on the Billboard Album chart. Soon after, the album is certified Gold. The band embarks on a coast-to-coast tour with The Doobie Bros., and The Outlaws’ national reputation as a great live band is quickly established. ” - About the outlaws

Song-writing is Henry’s crowning achievement. What matters most. He gets up every morning and does it, whatever needs to be done to keep it going. He is working on an adult/chhildren’s book which is being illustrated now, and is also writing a holiday play for production next year. This is an American spiritual play about giving back to find a pathway to your own beliefs.

“Leadership is everything.” Henry learned to give in to let go of his ego and go where the truth lies. “If you are willing to relinquish credit, there is no end to how far you can go… to put the Outlaws back together, (after the death of Frank O’Keefe, Billy Jones, and most recently signature singer/songwriter/guitarist Hughie Thomasson) …to go out on tour with Blackhawk and the Outlaws this year…

“Keeping a band together is a success story. He keeps the Outlaws and Blackhawk together at once, not many bands do that. A few bands do spinoffs. Some of the Allman Brothers put together Government Mule, a jam band that took on a life of its own.

“Christianity is for people who are afraid”, spirituality is for people who are beyond fear.” Taking the metaphysical view, belief in the moment, allows one to look forward to the future with hope, by absolving you from fears and guilt about the past. The past happened and the future will take care of itself.

Henry took some advantage of his “rock star” status until he had a life-altering,  out-of-body experience that woke him up. He realized he is not in control. His song “Forgiveness” is about wiping the slate clean. Henry realized that through confession and forgiveness, he could become a better person, free and exonerated. Througout his career Henry has always figured out how to create his own opportunities to reach his goals. And he’s still going strong:  Henry Paul in concert

Goodbye Odetta

One of the worlds’ great voices graced the halls of Beaux Arts in the early years. Unfortunately, I missed her performance on Banjo Stage at the San Francisco Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2008 Festival. To many Odetta was the voice of the Civil Rights movement. Her songs inspired a generation of young progressives that ended segregation and stopped an unjust war. She was a fighter, who never quit. She made us proud. She will be missed.

George and Llyn Johnson, in front of the fountain in the garden at one of Tom's folk song festivals, June 1966.

“Another man done gone…” George Meyer Johnson was born in Onawa, Iowa, on May 28, 1945. His family moved to St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1954. He graduated from Northeast High School in 1964 and from St. Petersburg Junior College in 1967, in which year he was co-recipient of SPJC’s Carolyn Parker Award for Creative Writing. He was a regular guitarist at the Beaux Arts Coffeehouse during 1964-1967 and served as its manager for a time. In Sept. 1967, he moved to Tallahassee, Florida, to attend Florida State University, where he majored in philosophy. He resided in Tallahassee thereafter.

George’s interests comprised four main areas: music, motorcycles, computers, and animals. He played lead guitar with many bands as well as being occasional backup guitarist for Rita Coolidge while she attended FSU. He owned and operated a stringed instrument sales and repair shop, Guitar Enterprise, Ltd., on North Monroe Street, Tallahassee. His clients included B. B. King, John Lee Hooker, Dickie Betts, Duane Allman, and Joan Jett. His shop was a hub of lunch-hour discussion groups. His passion for riding and repairing motorcycles led to his building a racing bike that was successful in the southeastern track circuit. He became expert in computer systems configuration. He was renowned for rescuing and adopting numerous cats and dogs.

He died of a heart attack at his home on Nov. 16, 2008. He was preceded in death by his parents, the Rev. Earl G. Johnson of St. Peter’s Episcopal Cathedral and Ruth M. Johnson of St. Anthony’s Hospital (St. Petersburg). He is survived by his daughter, Caitlin H. Johnson, and her mother, Llyn C. French, both of St. Petersburg; and by his former long-time companion, Linnie J. Osborn of Tallahassee. They request that contributions in remembrance be made to the Leon County Humane Society, 413 Timberlane Road, Tallahassee, FL 32312.

- Llyn French