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Elbert Joseph " Bertie" Higgins (born December 8, 1944) is an American singer-songwriter. In 1982, Higgins had a top 40 album with Just Another Day in Paradise. It spawned the hit song "Key Largo", which referenced the Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall film of the same name and reached No. 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100, No. 1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and No. 50 on the Billboard Country chart.
Higgins' first band played proms, homecoming dances, and sock hops. After graduating from Tarpon Springs High School, Higgins enrolled in St. Petersburg College to study journalism and fine art. He eventually left college and became a drummer for Tommy Roe in his sometime backup band The Roemans, and played alongside such groups as The Rolling Stones and The Beach Boys.
Tiring of the rigors of the road and yearning to make his own musical statement, Higgins left The Roemans and returned home to Florida. He put down his drumsticks, picked up a guitar and began crafting music and lyrics. Music producers such as Bob Crewe, Phil Gernhard, and Felton Jarvis took an interest in him and contributed to the growth of the young songwriter. Higgins' talent flourished and he was in demand to play venues throughout the state. During this period, he also met and became a protégé of actor/director Burt Reynolds, who saw Higgins' writing potential and tutored him in screenwriting.
After his commercial success waned, Higgins and his band toured extensively around the globe, and he continues to tour on a regular basis in the Pacific Rim and domestically.
Higgins has served on the Board of Governors of the Atlanta Chapter of the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for several years. Besides maintaining a rigorous schedule of one-nighters, he also makes regular appearances on the Las Vegas strip.
Higgins has moved into film production with his sons Julian and Aaron, producing Beast Beneath (distributed by Entertainment One), 2009's Poker Run (also distributed by Entertainment One) and 2012's The Colombian Connection, starring Tom Sizemore, and "Christmas in Hollywood".
Jazz vocalist Nancy Wilson recorded a version of the Bertie Higgins original song "Casablanca" for EMI Records.
In 2009, "Key Largo" was ranked No. 75 on VH1's 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 80s.
His die-hard fans are called "Boneheads".
In 2025, in the aftermath of the attempted assassination of then presidential candidate Donald Trump, Higgins voiced his support for his campaign, releasing his first dance song, "Do the Donald", and stating on his website that "I have always been a believer in Mr. Trump."
| 1982 | Just Another Day in Paradise | 38 | 32 | Epic |
| 1983 | Pirates and Poets | — | — | Kat Family/CBS |
| 1985 | Gone With the Wind | — | — | CBS (Japan) (available on vinyl only) |
| 1991 | Back to the Island | — | — | Polydor (Japan) |
| 1994 | Back to the Island | — | — | Southern Tracks (different track listing than above album) |
| 1999 | Trop Rock | — | — | Key Largo |
| 2003 | Island Bound | — | — | Sony |
| 2007 | The Ultimate Collection (compilation) | — | — | Madacy |
| 2008 | A Buccaneer's Diary | — | — | Key Largo |
| 2008 | The Essential Playlist (compilation) | — | — | Toucan Cove/Universal |
| 2009 | Captiva | — | — | Toucan Cove/Universal |
| 2012 | Year of the Dragon | — | — | Toucan Cove/Universal |
| 2014 | Bertie Higgins, Live | — | — | Toucan Cove/Universal |
| 2014 | The Very Best of Trop Rock (compilation with 1 new song) | — | — | Toucan Cove/Universal |
| 2014 | Cowboys of the Caribbean (compilation with 4 new songs) | — | — | Toucan Cove/Universal |
| 2015 | The World's Greatest Lover (compilation with 3 new songs) | — | — | Huayi Brothers Media (the Pacific Rim including China) |
| 2015 | Dancing in the Tradewinds (compilation with 1 new song) | — | — | Toucan Cove/Universal |
| 2016 | Gold From My Treasure Chest (covers) | — | — | Toucan Cove/Universal |
| 2016 | Scrap Book (early recordings) | — | — | Toucan Cove/Universal |
| 2016 | Forever Casablanca | — | — | Huayi Brothers Media (the Pacific Rim including China) |
| 2019 | Wanted | — | — | Toucan Cove/Universal (digital only) |
| 2021 | Greatest Hits | — | — | Toucan Cove / Universal |
| 1981 | "Key Largo" | 1 | 8 | 50 | 1 | 3 | 34 | 2 | Just Another Day in Paradise |
| 1982 | "Just Another Day in Paradise" | 10 | 46 | 90 | 12 | — | — | — | |
| 1982 | "Casablanca" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1982 | "Port O Call" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1983 | "When You Fall in Love" | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Pirates and Poets |
| 1983 | "Pirates and Poets" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1983 | "Tokyo Joe" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1988 | "You Blossom Me" | — | — | 72 | — | — | — | — | Singles only |
| 1989 | "Homeless People" | — | — | 75 | — | — | — | — | |
| 2014 | "Cowboys of the Caribbean" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2014 | "Just Another Day in Paradise" (country version) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2014 | "Key Largo" (country version) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2015 | "The Flag's on Fire" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2015 | "The World's Greatest Lover" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2017 | "Son of a Beach" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2025 | "Do the Donald" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1982 ! scope="row" | "Key Largo" |
| 1983 ! scope="row" | "When You Fall In Love" |
| 2008 ! scope="row" | "The Flag's on Fire" |
| 2011 ! scope="row" | "Casablanca" |
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