Local Legend,
Mickey Fingers
By Stacey Gregory
In the dusty heart of Tombstone, Arizona, where legends of the Old West still echo through saloon doors and gunfi ght reenactments, one man has been tickling the ivories and charming crowds for over 25 years. Mickey Fingers, the stage name of a long-time pianist and performer at Big Nose Kate’s Saloon, isn’t just part of the show—he’s become a fi xture of the Tombstone experience.
Originally from Pittsburgh, Mickey’s path to Tombstone winds through decades of music, chance encounters, and a deep love for performance. He spent his early years immersed in music, playing in bands that dabbled in everything from rock to new wave to country. His Tombstone story started with a serendipitous Saturday gig.
“I was in a band that came to town once a month. We’d get a complimentary meal and play a few songs. One weekend, the usual guy didn’t show,” he said. “I told them I played in a band and could fi ll in with my keyboard for a couple hours. Next thing I know, I’m back the following weekend, and then the next,” he says.
In the early days, Mickey juggled the Tombstone gig with a day job at Home Depot, commuting from Tucson. Today, he lives here and performs four days a week at Big Nose Kate’s Saloon. He does take vacation gigs every summer, heading east to play in Pittsburgh, Texas, and New York, but he always returns to Tombstone.
TOMBSTONE TIPS FROM A LOCAL LEGEND
When asked what visitors absolutely must do, Mickey doesn’t hesitate.“Ride the stagecoaches. Take the trolleys. Do the mine tours. Walk the streets and feel the Old West,” he said. “There are gunfights right out on the street and historical reenactments inside. And don’t skip the Oriental— it’s where Wyatt Earp set up Faro. It’s got real history.”
As a lover of stories and legends, Mickey encourages visitors to embrace the living history found all over Tombstone. “These stories you hear? Some are exaggerated. But most of them really happened here. The OK Corral, Virgil Earp getting wounded, all of it—it’s not just Hollywood,” he said. “You can rent Wyatt Earp’s house and hang out for a few days. They’ll take care of you.”
And if you’re up for a true underground adventure, the mine tours are a must.
“Tombstone lived because of silver and copper. That’s what kept this place alive,” he said. “When you’re on a mining tour, you go deeper and deeper, and suddenly the world’s on top of you.”
For those venturing beyond Tombstone, Mickey suggests the quirky mining town of Bisbee and the surrounding Arizona high desert.
No visit is complete without stopping in Big Nose Kate’s to see Mickey perform while enjoying lunch or dinner and drinks. You’ll feel like you’ve stepped into an old west saloon complete with saloon girls and cowboys. For steak or fish dinners, he recommends The Longhorn
Restaurant, the oldest continually operated restaurant in Tombstone.“There are a lot of hidden gems. Little places that still feel untouched. You just gotta be open to finding them,” he said. “Watch all those old John Wayne movies, watch the movie Tombstone, then come here and walk the same streets. You’ll feel it. It’s something special.”
