Will McLean (1919–1990) was a Florida
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
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singer-songwriter. He was inducted into the
Florida Artists Hall of Fame Florida Artists Hall of Fame recognizes artists who have made significant contributions to art in Florida. It was established by the Florida Legislature in 1986. There is a Florida Artists Hall of Fame Wall on the Plaza Level in the rotunda of the ...
in 1996.
McLean also wrote "Osceola's Last Words", a stirring tribute to the
Seminole
The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, an ...
chief.
Michael Peter Smith
Michael Peter Smith (September 7, 1941 – August 3, 2020) was an American, Chicago-based singer-songwriter. ''Rolling Stone'' once called him "The greatest songwriter in the English language". Mark Guarino of '' Chicago Reader'' wrote, "He ne ...
, with his wife Barbara Barrow, recorded the best-known version of this song.
Will McLean music festivals
A weekend music festival is held every March at the Sertoma Youth Camp in
Brooksville, Florida
Brooksville is a city in western Florida and the county seat of Hernando County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 7,719, up from 7,264 at the 2000 census. Brooksville is home to historic buildings and residence ...
. The original festival was held in White Springs. In 2007, Florida film producer
Elam Stoltzfus
Elam S. Stoltzfus (born 1957) is an American environmental documentary filmmaker.
Early life
Stoltzfus was born into an Amish family of nine in Pennsylvania in 1957. During his later teens Elam left the Amish community, purchased a car and a ca ...
, in conjunction with the Will McLean Foundation, created a short film; "Will McLean: Songs about Florida” for the festival. The College of Central Florida hosted “Hold Back the Waters: A Festival of Will McLean and Florida Folk” in September 2014.
McLean archives
Will McLean's song lyrics, correspondence, photographs, recordings, newspaper articles and personal artifacts such as his guitar, harmonica and black hat, Florida Artists Hall of Fame Award and more are preserved in the Special Collections Area of the University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries. A collection of photographs of Will McLean are maintained in an archive kept by the state of Florida, entitled, ''Florida Folklife Collection''.
Florida Folklife Collection, Florida Memory
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References
External links
Official website including music festival information
WIll McLean images and recordings are archived in the Florida Folklife Collection at the State Archives of Florida
Recording of Will McLean performing "Orange Blossom Special" with Gamble Rogers at the 1982 Florida Folk Festival; made available for public use by the State Archives of Florida
Dale Crider recorded and performed with Will McLean
Lyrics to the song Osceola's Last Words
{{DEFAULTSORT:McLean, Will
1919 births
1990 deaths
American folk singers
20th-century American singers