Bertie Higgins
Encyclopedia
Elbert Joseph "Bertie" Higgins (born December 8, 1944, Tarpon Springs
, Florida
) is an American
singer-songwriter
. In 1982, he had his only Top 40 album
with Just Another Day in Paradise
. It spawned the Top 10 romantic ballad
"Key Largo
", which referenced the Humphrey Bogart
movie of the same name
and reached #8 in the U.S.
Billboard Hot 100
record chart
, number one in the adult contemporary charts, and a country hit as well. In 2009, his song was #75 on VH1's Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80's. He also became a multi-platinum recording artist in the Pacific Rim countries including Japan and China due to the mega-hit, "Casablanca".
, German, and Portuguese
descent; he is a direct descendant of the German author Johann Wolfgang Goethe.
Higgins' musical career began with a teenage band, "The Romans" (later changed to "The Roemans"), which signed to ABC-Paramount Records
in the early 1960s, and was temporarily backing singer Tommy Roe
, hence the change of spelling from Romans. The band
released three singles
between 1964 and 1966. These achieved some radio airplay but did not reach any national charts
.
His eldest son, Damian Higgins, is a drum and bass
DJ
, producer and label head (Human Imprint), who goes by the moniker Dieselboy
.
In recent years, Higgins has moved into film
production
with another son, Julian Higgins, producing The Wrath (distributed by Lions Gate) and a biker film, Poker Run, which was released in 2009. Higgins also co-wrote the screenplays, supervised the music and acted in major roles in both films.
Tarpon Springs, Florida
Tarpon Springs is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The population was 21,003 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2004 estimates, the city had a population of 22,554....
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
. In 1982, he had his only Top 40 album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
with Just Another Day in Paradise
Just Another Day in Paradise
Just Another Day in Paradise is a 1982 album by American singer-songwriter Bertie Higgins.The album spawned the Top 10 single "Key Largo" as well as the title track which was released as a follow up...
. It spawned the Top 10 romantic ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
"Key Largo
Key Largo (song)
"Key Largo" is a popular song recorded by Bertie Higgins in 1981. Released as a single in September 1981, the song became Higgins' only Top 40 hit in the United States in early 1982, when it peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song spent 17 weeks in the Top 40 and was certified Gold by...
", which referenced the Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
movie of the same name
Key Largo (film)
Key Largo is a 1948 film noir directed by John Huston and starring Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, Lauren Bacall, Lionel Barrymore, and Claire Trevor...
and reached #8 in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
record chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
, number one in the adult contemporary charts, and a country hit as well. In 2009, his song was #75 on VH1's Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80's. He also became a multi-platinum recording artist in the Pacific Rim countries including Japan and China due to the mega-hit, "Casablanca".
Career
Higgins is of IrishIrish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
, German, and Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
descent; he is a direct descendant of the German author Johann Wolfgang Goethe.
Higgins' musical career began with a teenage band, "The Romans" (later changed to "The Roemans"), which signed to ABC-Paramount Records
ABC Records
ABC Records was an American record label, founded in New York City in 1955 as ABC-Paramount Records. It originated as the main popular music label operated the Am-Par Record Corporation, the music subsidiary of the American Broadcasting Company . ABC-Paramount Records' first president was Samuel H....
in the early 1960s, and was temporarily backing singer Tommy Roe
Tommy Roe
Tommy Roe is an American pop music singer-songwriter.Best-remembered for his hits "Sheila" and "Dizzy" , critic Bill Dahl wrote that Roe was "widely perceived as one of the archetypal bubblegum artists of the late 1960s, but Roe cut some pretty decent rockers along the way, especially early in his...
, hence the change of spelling from Romans. The band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
released three singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
between 1964 and 1966. These achieved some radio airplay but did not reach any national charts
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
.
His eldest son, Damian Higgins, is a drum and bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
, producer and label head (Human Imprint), who goes by the moniker Dieselboy
Dieselboy
Dieselboy is the stage name of Damian Higgins, an American drum and bass DJ, producer, remixer, founder of the Human Imprint music label, and co-founder of its sublabel SubHuman : Human Imprint which launched in September 2010...
.
In recent years, Higgins has moved into film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
production
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
with another son, Julian Higgins, producing The Wrath (distributed by Lions Gate) and a biker film, Poker Run, which was released in 2009. Higgins also co-wrote the screenplays, supervised the music and acted in major roles in both films.
Albums
| Year | Album | US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Just Another Day in Paradise Just Another Day in Paradise Just Another Day in Paradise is a 1982 album by American singer-songwriter Bertie Higgins.The album spawned the Top 10 single "Key Largo" as well as the title track which was released as a follow up... |
38 | Epic |
| 1983 | Pirates & Poets Pirates & Poets Pirates & Poets is a 1983 album released by American singer-songwriter Bertie Higgins.-Track listing:# "As Time Goes By" # "Pirates And Poets" # "When You Fall In Love" # "Leah" # "Under a Blue Moon"... |
— | Key Largo |
| 1994 | Back to the Island | — | Southern Tracks |
| 2003 | Island Bound | — | Sony |
| 2007 | The Ultimate Collection | — | Madacy |
| 2009 | Captiva | — | Toucan Cove |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | RIAA Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... |
Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US AC Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
CAN AC | CAN Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
CAN Country | ||||
| 1981 | "Key Largo Key Largo (song) "Key Largo" is a popular song recorded by Bertie Higgins in 1981. Released as a single in September 1981, the song became Higgins' only Top 40 hit in the United States in early 1982, when it peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song spent 17 weeks in the Top 40 and was certified Gold by... " |
1 | 8 | 50 | 1 | 3 | 34 | Gold | Just Another Day in Paradise |
| 1982 | "Just Another Day in Paradise" | 10 | 46 | 90 | 12 | — | — | — | |
| 1988 | "You Blossom Me" | — | — | 72 | — | — | — | — | singles only |
| 1989 | "Homeless People" | — | — | 75 | — | — | — | — |