Perdido Key, Fla. - (OBA) - The man who fostered the iconic music scene at the Flora-Bama Lounge and Oyster Bar, Joe Gilchrist, has passed away at age 80.

Gilchrist first bought the Flora-Bama from the Tampary family in 1978 and created an environment where musicians could thrive doing their own thing. There were no house rules – and still aren’t – on what and how musicians present their music at the Flora-Bama.

“You play the music, I’ll pour the whiskey,” was Joe’s mantra for all those years.

Not long ago, Joe and co-owner Pat McClellan chose John McInnis and Cameron Price to carry the Flora-Bama to the future.

"Ultimately, God used Joe to change the course of my life by entrusting the Flora-Bama to me," McInnis said. "Cameron and Pat can say the same thing and so can all of the employees, guests, and musicians that can testify this place changed their life for the better.

“In 1978 Joe bought the Flora-Bama from the Tampary family and he took what he learned and observed from how the Tampary family treated people and instilled a culture of tolerance, acceptance, and mutual respect to all those who came into the Flora-Bama,” McInnis said. “The culture Joe built is what everyone since then has carried on and why it is a special place. Without the culture, it would be a condo site today.”

His love of music and appreciation of the songwriters’ talent led to one of the largest and most popular festivals for the people who write the songs, the Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival. The festival spans 12 days and multiple venues from Pensacola to the east, Fort Morgan to the west and up to the Eastern Shore. The event draws hundreds of songwriters from around the world to the Gulf Coast each November.

Joe was many things besides the owner of one of the last remaining American roadhouses. An Auburn graduate, he even taught school for a while before buying the little hole-in-the-wall and becoming a legend.

“The small little shack on the state line now employs over 400 people in the community, employs thousands of musicians from around the world and has donated millions to local charities since its doors were opened,” McInnis said.

So, wherever you are today, go catch some live, local music, tap your toes or cut a rug. And, raise a glass to the one and only Joe Gilchrist. He’s not pouring the whiskey anymore but his spirit will always permeate the musical legacy and welcoming atmosphere he ‘Built at the Bama’.

Cheers, Joe.

Joe Gilchrist Photos

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