Flora-Bama co-owner Joe Gilchrist has died, venue announces

Joe Gilchrist, longtime co-owner of the Flora-Bama and the man whose love of music is credited as the driving force behind the legendary venue’s annual songwriters festival, died Wednesday, Flora-Bama operators have announced.

A statement posted Wednesday evening by the venue read, in full:

The Flora-Bama’s founding father, Joe Gilchrist, has gone home to be with his Creator. Joe was born on April 17, 1942 and went home on May 25, 2022 at the age of 80. Joe built a legacy and culture around treating others with kindness and respect, asking only for the same in return. Given the opportunity to take over the Flora-Bama by the Tampary family in 1978, Joe’s love for other human beings started, and he built a party and celebration of life that will go on forever. Joe was a philanthropist, a community leader, and an unwavering and untiring supporter of the U.S. Military and his country. He would be proud to remind everyone that Memorial Day is a time dedicated to remembering and honoring those that have fought and died for our country. Joe created the Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival which brought together artists of all kinds and funded musical programs for local youth. His love of songwriters and music would earn him the title “Patron Saint of Songwriters”. We love you Joe and thank you for making all of our lives better, and for the selfless way you lived your life.

Out of respect for the family and to give us time to plan what will surely be a special celebration of life, please give us time to put out further details at a later date.

The Flora-Bama and Gilchrist Family

Gilchrist co-owned the Flora-Bama Lounge, Package & Oyster bar, a legendary beachfront roadhouse on the Alabama-Florida line, with three partners -- Pat McClellan, Cameron Price and John McInnis. It wasn’t unusual to see him on hand for major annual events such as the Mullet Toss, but it was clear that the Frank Brown fest held a special place in his heart.

It was the subject of a documentary released in 2019 by Filmmaker Lynn Rabren, “Stories in Rhyme: The Songwriters of the Flora-Bama.”

“I just think what Joe’s created down there with the Songwriters’ Festival is just like, church,” Rabren said at an early screening of the film. “It’s our Mecca.”

Gilchrist shared many tales of his career in “Bushwacked at the Flora-Bama,” a book published in 2012 by author Chris Warner.

Just as the Flora-Bama became more than a bar, Gilchrist became more than a bar owner to many. When it came to finding the joy in life, he set an example.

As he put it when he addressed the crowd at the 2019 Mullet Toss: “If you’re out here and you’re not having fun, you better go and see your psychiatrist on Monday.”

In an AL.com interview during the 2019 Frank Brown Fest, Gilchrist mused about the festival’s roots. When he bought the Flora-Bama in 1978, one of the first things he did was bring in live music. In those days, the club wasn’t surrounded by shopping centers and high-rise condos. It was out in the middle of nowhere, so his performers needed accommodations.

Gilchrist started putting them up in local beach houses. That fueled the growth of a community of songwriters who got comfortable performing and writing with each other. “I ended up bringing the whole crew on the Alabama side … together with some of the people on the Florida side,” he said.

It snowballed: The festival now brings in scores of writers, many who’ve written major hits, and spreads performances across dozens of venues.

“I was really young and had a lot of energy,” Gilchrist said of the effort to build it. “And I love people and characters.”