Robert Bruce Baldwin, a former Key Biscayne resident, has done it all in his life -- photojournalism, filmmaking, piloting aircraft, skydiving and a powered-paragliding.
It is music, however, that has been his passion since growing up in southern Louisiana. That was where he and his high school bandmates were poised for stardom with a recording contract offer from Capitol Records.
But, strangely enough, they rejected the offer after talking with a family friend, who was also a lawyer and local judge.
"He said the downside to the contract is that for seven years they will pretty much own you," Baldwin recalled. "For seven years, we couldn't even spit on the street."
That decided, Baldwin went on to play all types of music – blues, jazz, soul, cajun, gospel, folk and rock and roll – as a solo singer-songwriter for over 50 years.
On Saturday, Feb. 11, Baldwin will return to the Key Biscayne church he once attended with his mother for a concert that will feature the 72-year-old playing guitar and piano and singing.
The 7 p.m. performance will be at St. Christopher's By-the-Sea – part of a concert series featuring musicians with connections to the Village.
"I felt very honored and very humble," said Baldwin, who lived in Key Biscayne for 20 years and now lives in Palm Beach. "I'm really looking forward to it. It's a great deal going home to see a lot of friends in Key Biscayne and Miami. I'm going back to my old stomping ground."
His daughter Fay was raised in Key Biscayne and attended St. Christopher’s Montessori School.
Learned music in Louisiana
Baldwin learned how to play the guitar and sing in Louisiana. There, he was also exposed to jazz, blues, cajun creole and other genres of music. He also got his first exposure to spiritual and gospel music when his nanny took him to a predominantly black church.
"The church rocked," he said.
After the brush with musical fame in high school, he pursued a career in photojournalism and filmmaking. Over the years, he has produced films for National Geographic, NBC and Paramount, and produced the popular 1990s TV series, “Strange Universe,” which featured unusual and unexplained events from around the world.
But music was always on his mind.
Between filmmaking projects, he would pick up his guitar and find a place to play. Baldwin even got the opportunity to play informally with the likes of Neil Young, Aaron Neville and Wille Nelson at his house and other’s homes in Louisiana.
"My profession was photojournalism and filmmaking, but I always kept my hand in music," he said. “A lot of years playing concerts… Musicians love to play whether they are popular or not.”
Pat Neal, a church member at St. Christopher's who assists with the concert series, said has known Baldwin for 21 years and invited him to perform.
She said they met while serving on a committee formed to bring a public access TV station to Key Biscayne. Neil worked for CNN as a domestic and foreign correspondent and bureau chief.
Neal was impressed by Baldwin's film career, but his music also got her attention.
"He's a wonderful singer and songwriter,” Neal said. “I knew he would be a good performer for the concert series, and he has connections to Key Biscayne and the church. A lot of people in Key Biscayne remember him for paragliding over the island."
St. Christopher's, which ran a concert series a few years ago, recently decided to do a monthly series to help bring the community together. "I'm inviting everyone to come," she said. "The concert is only for an hour and people can still have a beautiful Saturday night."
