Don Cohen, 55, music promoter, creator of blues festival in Fort Lauderdale

Blues festival debuted at his club in '87

By Sean Piccoli
Pop Music Writer
Copyright © 2007, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

October 6, 2007

Mr. Cohen, who came to South Florida from upstate New York, began his musical life here as a drummer in big bands that played clubs and private events such as bar mitzvahs and New Year's Eve parties.

He went on to found the Musicians Exchange nightclub, and he would remain active in local music circles for more than 30 years as a talent coordinator, retailer, promoter, booker and artist manager.

At its peak in the mid-1990s, the Riverwalk Blues & Music Festival occupied both sides of the New River in downtown Fort Lauderdale for up to three days of live music on multiple stages. Top names in blues, jazz, roots music and R&B played the festival, which attracted several thousand spectators and became a draw for locals and vacationers alike.

Mr. Cohen had rocky relationships with both of his major enterprises. He moved the Exchange several times to different locations — some owned, some leased, some borrowed — around Broward and Palm Beach counties. Its most recent home was at the Hollywood Playhouse. In 1996 he lost control of his festival to the city of Fort Lauderdale, which ran it without him for eight years, before he reclaimed it in 2004.

The most recent edition was held in March at Revolution nightclub in Fort Lauderdale. Judy Blem, a South Florida music booking agent and longtime associate of Mr. Cohen, said it is unclear whether the festival will return.

Mr. Cohen opened Musicians Exchange in June 1976 in one room of a commercial building on Sunrise Boulevard, first as a referral service connecting players with gigs. In the next few years, Mr. Cohen and a business partner, Sheldon Voss, would grow the Exchange into an equipment store, rehearsal space, recording studio and, in the early 1980s, a nightclub.

"I remember our first major booking. We were shaking in our boots [over] whether or not we were going to make any money on this: Dr. John and Maria Muldaur on a Wednesday night," said Voss. "I thought, 'Has either one of them had a hit in 15 years? Does anybody want to see this?' Well, we sold out two shows. And the club only seated 70 people, so that was 140 tickets. And we both said, 'Maybe this could work.'"

The festival debuted in 1987 as the South Florida Blues Festival in the Exchange parking lot with Buddy Guy headlining. Voss said the event was largely Mr. Cohen's idea.

Voss, a guitarist in bands with Mr. Cohen, stayed on as his partner in the Exchange until 1993, when he asked for and accepted a buyout.

"When I think of the talent that came through there, some of the greatest people in my life who were never on American Idol, I saw at that club," said Voss.

Mr. Cohen at one point bought and owned the building on Sunrise, but he defaulted on his loan and the bank that took over the property leveled it. The Exchange had subsequent homes elsewhere in Broward County and as far north as Delray Beach.

Mr. Cohen also managed several local musicians.

"He believed in our band, and I believe we got a lot further than we would have ever gotten if he wasn't running the show," said Sean Gerovitz, bass player for the Hep Cat Boo Daddies, a blues-rock trio that signed on with Mr. Cohen four years ago.

Carl "Kilmo" Pacillo, a bass player and owner of Alligator Alley nightclub in Fort Lauderdale, said he patterned a lot of his ideas on club ownership after Mr. Cohen.

"Don was the pioneer," said Pacillo. "He definitely forged that path before anybody else had thought of it. I followed in his footsteps with the idea of presenting music on a local level in a cool, relaxed place for locals to hang."

Mr. Cohen, a Fort Lauderdale resident, is survived by his father, Milton Cohen, and his brother, Barry Cohen. A funeral will be private. Blem said a public memorial service, with live music, is planned for Wednesday at Hollywood Playhouse.

Donald W. Cohen, our dear friend, lost his battle with cancer this morning, on his 55th birthday. He will be missed. 

Don was the founder of The Musicians Exchange which began June 1, 1976 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as a complete complex of musical services and products. Outdoor concerts in the back parking lot were some of the first in the SE US to give original music indie bands a stage. It also was a welcome venue for national touring recording artists. From inception to 1996, The Musicians Exchange played host to over 1500 musical acts.