The Florida Highwaymen Art Movement: The Florida Highwaymen are a group of well-known African-American landscape artists of the 1950s and 60s.  The contributions of the young men and one woman led to one of the most significant art movements in Florida and America's history. 

The most famous leaders and legends are co-founders Alfred Hair and Harold Newton, Roy McLendon, Livingston Roberts, James Gibson, Sam Newton, Mary Ann Carroll, Willie, Johnny Daniels, and Al Black, historians and scholars of their time.  The young men pioneered the early art movement amid systemic racism.  The Jim Crow era of segregation made life difficult for the legends in the Deep South.

Twenty-six innovators evolved out of necessity; all were searching for a better life than picking oranges that could not keep food on kitchen tables. Their origins were mainly in Fort Pierce, Florida, in the historic Lincoln Park neighborhood. However, some resided in Vero Beach and Florida's Treasure Coast areas. With no formal training, the self-taught group created makeshift materials and taught one another to paint Florida's serene landscapes.

During the racial tones of the Jim Crow South, museums and galleries would not showcase the work of these black artists.  Instead, Florida's highways of A1A and byways of US 1 were the old stomping grounds, where twenty-six painters of equal importance to the movement made ends meet.  As tourists visited the Sunshine State and the locals lived, vacationers encountered the future legends of the road along the side.  The trunks of their cars revealed a majestic, timeless Florida.  Oil paintings sold for $25 or 35 dollars are now among the most well-received nostalgic national treasures.

The men traded goods for services, such as a motel room to rest for the night or gas to get home at night. Doctors, lawyers, banks, politicians, and folks near and far purchased and collected their work. During their heyday, the 1950s-1980s, the group captured the state of Florida and, it is said, documented over 200,000 vivid, colorful landscapes, which they are still painting today.

The Florida Highwaymen earned their title in 1994 under one name for how the young entrepreneurs sold their paintings, door to

door, along the highways and byways of Olde, Florida.  The Highwaymen movement was initiated predominantly by friends and three sets of brothers, the Newtons, Buckners, and Daniels.  

In 1973, the Original Highwaymen established the Second Generation.  The Original Highwaymen earned legendary fame over decades. The original scholars were instrumental in forming the "Second Generation Movement." The iconic Florida landscape painters mentored close friends and family and handed down their name, history, and heritage to a selectively handpicked 2nd Generation.  The Original Highwaymen has sustained for well over sixty years.  The impact of the prominent 2nd Generation has significantly impacted the sustainability of the original art movement.

Like the Originals, blood and non-blood, the "Historic 2nd Generation Movement" initiated and helped create 200,000 landscapes.  Over time, painting Florida and performing art shows together became and continues to be a tradition for both generations.  A few members of the 2nd Generation or the Generation after, typically twenty years younger, grew up during the exact segregated times and are part of a movement to keep history alive as they continue to paint the 1950s and the '60s state of Florida's Civil Rights Era.

Highwaymen Handpicked the 1990s: The 40-year veteran Highwaymen Johnny Lee Daniels had no heirs that painted.  For over a decade, during the 1990s, the art educator became well-known for teaching his craft to four men and one woman, AJ Brown.  The legendary Johnny Daniels bestowed his heritage and established five prominent members as Highwaymen artists.  Daniels advanced 2nd Generation Johnny Stovall, Kelvin Hair, and AJ Brown as his business partners in his Highwaymen Art Galleries in Fort Pierce, Florida.  Jimmy Stovall learned by watching Daniels paint and pursued his art career as an original Highwayman.  Richard Edwards was the last member to receive the teachings of Johnny Daniels.

Johnny Daniels followed in the footsteps of his colleagues, the Original Highwaymen, in their respective 1950s traditions. A.E. Backus taught Alfred Hair, and Alfred Hair and Harold Newton led friends and family.  Not all twenty-six Original Highwaymen were blood-related, but together, under one name and one accomplishment, all are written in history as the Florida Highwaymen.

Early Original Florida Hall of Fame Highwaymen James Gibson, a 50-year veteran, has a legacy. In 2005, Gibson was the first to teach AJ Brown the history of the Highwaymen and the painting techniques of the famous signature Red Royal Poinciana trees. After two years and a demanding schedule, Gibson suggested she continue to paint with Johnny Daniels, and so she did.

The icons revealed stories of Highwaymen's history, shared memories and myths, and told tales of their past to AJ Brown! Early in her career, four iconic early Originals—James Gibson, Johnny, Willie Daniels, and Al Black—mentored, endorsed, and supported her career. The historians named and publicly labeled her the 2nd Generation.       

Over the years, legends have witnessed AJ Brown being endorsed as a "Highwaymen" member and historically became the only female friend among the "2nd Generation" group.  What was once a familiar dynamic among the Original group, "friends" are an old 1950s tradition, and a female friend is a rare find among both generations."

Twenty years later, Brown earns her living by selling her productions.  A "2nd Generation member, handed down by four early originals, is a status she highly respects."  She also refers to herself as a "Florida Highwaymen Historic Artist."  AJ Brown's journey is unique; she is an untold story.  HONORED TO BE PART OF AMERICA'S HISTORY!

AL BLACK DIED:  The Artist, The Road Warrior, The Soul of the Original Florida Highwaymen

"The legend would always say there's enough to go around for everyone."  Confident in your craft, you welcomed me into your family.  You handed down your name Florida Highwaymen. You endorsed me as 2nd generation, as you taught me to sell on the side of the road.  In 2005, my beginning era, I was mentored by the early original scholars, Gibson, Johnny and Willie Daniels.  In our time, you also mentored, scholar-ed, and supported me as we Highwaymen-ed the Florida coast.  Thank you, for sharing your culture, your history, your stories!  Thank you for making me a part of your life, and your legacy!

Forever Grateful,

Florida Highwaymen Historic Artist

AJ Brown 2nd Generation