April 26th, 2020 Pensacola experienced a great loss.  Local legend and musician, Kent Stanton passed away.  Kent was a dear friend to all who encountered him, whether it be a smile and a wave in passing or during a performance where you could hear original songs about his journey through life.  He was always eager to make new friends.

     Kent helped shape and mold Pensacola’s music scene through the 80’s, 90’s, and 2000’s, pioneering Pensacola punk rock music as the front man for The Unemployed (Kent’s guitar is on display in the T.T. Wentworth Museum).  Anyone who played a show at Sluggo’s, The Handlebar, End of the Line, or any of Pensacola’s staple venues, got there on a road that Kent helped pave.   When Def Leppard played the civic center in 2003, they made a special stop at End of the Line Cafe to jam with Kent before leaving town.  Kent is to Pensacola what B.B. King is to Memphis or Louie Armstrong is to New Orleans.  If you imagine all of the charming aspects of Pensacola wrapped up and personified, you are imagining Kent Stanton.

     Most recently he could be found performing on Palafox.  Every Saturday Kent could be found at the Palafox Market with a guitar, a harmonica, a foot tambourine, and occasionally a kick drum.  Kent passed in his sleep on Sunday, April 26th, but he will live on in the hearts of Pensacola locals forever.  A statue of Kent performing is the least his legend deserves and should be erected on a park bench near MLK Plaza where the Palafox Market takes place.