Emmy Winners Join Local Jazz Scene
Brad and Gaye Hatfield are the real McCoy when it comes to music
You never really know who’s sitting behind the microphone at a local jam session. That unassuming saxophonist blending into a Fort Pierce Jazz & Blues Society Tuesday night jam may have been a professor at Berklee College of Music. That pianist casually playing behind a vocalist may have written music for blockbuster films or composed Emmy-winning songs heard by millions. In Fort Pierce, legends don’t always announce themselves. They often just show up, unpack their instruments, and let the music speak.
Two of those quiet legends are Brad and Gaye Hatfield, a couple whose musical journey spans decades, continents, symphonies, studios and now, the Treasure Coast.
Their story begins nearly four decades ago with a young pianist named Brad who was leading a wedding band in search of a vocalist. When a talented young singer named Gaye auditioned, music wasn’t the only thing that clicked. They soon began dating, eventually married, raised two children, and spent their adult lives supporting not just their individual careers but the shared creative world they built together…