Key West musician Nick Brownell was recently named Entertainer of the Year at the inaugural Key West Music Awards.
“I’m so honored to have received the Iggy Award for Entertainer of the Year,” Brownell says. “I’m still riding high from the awards show.”
Born in Kansas, Nick’s family moved to Sandusky, Ohio. where he completed grade school and high school. Brownell picked up the guitar at 17, playing high school house parties while hanging out with friends. An older friend arranged his first paying gig at a local place called Daily’s Pub every Wednesday night.
“I got paid $125 plus tips for the gig,” Nick recalls. “I remember thinking that I was making more money doing this than I was working construction for my dad. I had to tell my dad I was quitting to pursue more music gigs. Fortunately, he was incredibly supportive and encouraged me to follow my dreams.”
In 2003, Brownell moved to the larger city of Columbus, Ohio, where he made connections in the city’s thriving music scene and began to find success as a paid performer. One such connection led to Brownell auditioning for a TV show called “The One: Making of a Music Star.”
“My audition went well, and I made it into the TV contest show. However, it only ran for a few weeks and was canceled,” he said.
Nick decided to take the next step and move out to Los Angeles, California, where he and Jeremiah Ritchey formed a duo called “Heavy Sole” and decided to audition for a TV show in Nashville called “Can You Duet?” The show featured some notable judges and coaches, including Naomi Judd, Amy Mayo and Brett Manning. Heavy Sole took second place in the contest and was offered a record contract with a Nashville-based label.
“The contract didn’t really work out for us. The label wanted us to play a different style of music from what we wanted. We decided to forego the contract and do our own thing.”
Heavy Sole, a rock duo, influenced by other popular rock duos such as the White Stripes and Black Keys, took their act on the road and successfully toured for about 10 years.
When the pair eventually went their separate ways, Brownell continued to perform as a solo act and found himself back in the music mecca of Nashville, making a solid living and playing a regular gig at a place called Tin Roof.
“I remember watching guys like Chris Weaver play at Tin Roof and there were these two gals who would basically crash the stage to sing and play percussion. They had developed a reputation and nickname of Hurricane and Tornado,” recalls Brownell. “I finally got a gig there and who shows up but Hurricane and Tornado. Hurricane, whose name is Kara, actually has a wonderful singing voice. I had fun when she would crash my shows. Eventually, I fell in love with Ol’ Hurricane.” Nick married Kara in 2018.
Having visited Key West many years prior as part of a touring band with current Durtbags leader Ron Gregorcic, Brownell was interested in playing music here. He knew there were plenty of gigs and a lot of opportunities to make a living in Key West.
After some debate, the Brownells decided to move to Key West in 2019. Nick took the job as head of entertainment at the (former) Green Room.
“I’m very grateful for that opportunity at the Green Room because it got my foot in the door of the music scene here in Key West,” says Brownell. “The job didn’t last long as I decided to test the waters as a solo artist around town, but it certainly got me started.”
Nick’s talent is obvious to anyone who has heard him and he started to play all over town.
The Brownells also began to build a family. Nick has a 15-year-old son from a previous relationship who lives in the Greater Cincinnati area. Kara gave birth to their daughter, Billie, a year and a half ago. Their second child together is due in April.
Nick plays solo and as a member of a couple bands in Key West. He fronts a full honkytonk band consisting of Nick on guitar/vocals, Myles Mancuso on guitar, Drake Lenard on bass, David Warren on drums and Steve Molnar on pedal steel. He can also be seen playing on occasion with his popular hard driving rock duo Raw Dawggs along with talented drummer David Warren.
Catch your entertainer of the year at 9 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at Hank’s Hair of the Dog. He’s at Willie T’s at 9:30 p.m. Sundays and he plays with his whole band at 9 p.m. Tuesdays at Smokin Tuna Saloon.
Ben’s List of 5 Great Duos
1. Hall and Oates
2. Simon and Garfunkel
3. Black Keys
4. The White Stripes
5. Tears for Fears
