Pat Dailey dies at the age of 83; familiar name on South Bass, Key West

Great Lakes troubadour Pat Dailey, who made an indelible mark on the Ohio music and tourist scene, died Wednesday, July 3, in his Bay Village home, surrounded by his family. He was 83 years old.

Dailey, who had many monikers bestowed on him by his loyal fans (the Legend of the Lake, the Coolest S.O.B. in the World, etc.), had become one of the most successful, long running one-man bar-room entertainers in the nation. But, “barroom” may be a deceiving word, because some of the venues he regularly packed held over 3,000 people.

He was most popular with audiences at Put-in-Bay and Key West, Florida — although he also sold out theaters throughout the Midwest. He had songwriting credits and album releases too many to mention that included collaborations with Shel Silverstein, Waylon Jennings and others. He was a regular guest on radio programs, such as Bob and Tom and others.

Put-in-Bay would change his life

After touring around the country and a period of success in the club scene in Cleveland in the 1970s, where he was a main attraction at the Harry Buffalo and Bobby McGees, friends told Dailey about a summer resort on South Bass Island in Lake Erie, a tourist village named Put-in-Bay. Although he had never heard of the place, it would change his life dramatically.

Dailey first played the popular Beer Barrel Saloon in the summer of 1978 and shortly became the hottest act in the biggest showroom on the island. The Beer Barrel burned to the ground in 1988 and was rebuilt in 1989. It went into the Guinness Book of Records as "The World's Longest Bar." Now with crowd capacity at 3,500 people, Pat was still filling the place and continued to do so until the 2007 season, when he decided to move his show to a more fan-friendly venue, intimate club The Boathouse Bar and Grill.

Also, in the winter of 1984, Dailey began to appear at the famed old Hemingway hangout, Sloppy Joe's Bar in Key West, Florida. The enormous nightly crowds of college students and tourists from the world overtook to him immediately. He continued to pack the place until his retirement in 2018.

In Key West he met Shel Silverstein

It was in the first season in Key West that Dailey met the world-famous poet, songwriter and playwright Shel Silverstein. Shel, a Key West winter resident, caught Dailey's act, introducing himself and suggested a song writing collaboration that continued for 15 years until Silverstein's death in May 1999.

The body of work resulting from Dailey's collaboration with Silverstein, as well as compositions written on his own…from humorous songs, to love songs, to songs about the Lakes, to outright anthems…is simply nothing less than astonishing. Dailey was one of the most significant folk songwriters from the Great Lakes region. Even though he retired in 2018, his songs continue to be performed throughout the world by other artists.

Dailey’s long time tour manager, Tony Bocho said, “While his family is his greatest achievement, and the musical legacy he left to Lake Erie and Key West regions goes without saying, to me his greatest legacy will always be the friendships that occurred due to him. We were all strangers walking into the show and came out with some of the closest friendships. …”

North Coast folk legend Alex Beavan, who produced some of Dailey’s albums, said, "Back in the day, there was a vibrant and creative groundswell of songwriting performers who made their bones in the bars and solo act concerts of what would be known as Americana. Into this mix an amazing talent made his mark in this region of Northern Ohio …. He created a template for many to follow by singing melodies carefully crafted in local lore and then delivered with the strong punch of a world class boxer.

"This was Pat Dailey. Pat Dailey not only opened up Put-in-Bay as a destination for music, but also defined a kind of songwriting that wove all the best traditions of folk music with the visceral popular anthems of the times. Each performance from Key West to the shores of Lake Erie wove an inclusive tapestry that wrapped around the audience and made them feel that special love that only a master communicator can weave. Every performance…. Every time!”

The News-Messenger/News Herald

This article originally appeared on Port Clinton News Herald: Singer Pat Dailey, popular in Put-in-Bay, Key West, dies at home