The Allman Brothers Band were an American blues-rock band that formed in Jacksonville, Fla., in 1969 around guitarist Duane Allman, singer-keyboardist Gregg Allman, guitarist Dickey Betts, bassist Berry Oakley, and drummers Butch Trucks and Jaimoe. Their recorded run began on Atco with The Allman Brothers Band and Idlewild South, then shifted to Capricorn for the […]
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American hard-rock boogie band from Jacksonville that released five albums and a live double-LP between 1972 and 1977 on MCA. Their 1973 debut, Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd, introduced their signature anthem “Free Bird” and established their national presence. Second Helping (1974) followed with the hit “Sweet Home Alabama” and cemented their popularity. […]
Cannonball Adderley (September 15, 1928 – August 8, 1975) was an American jazz alto saxophonist of the hard bop era whose playing combined blues phrasing with bebop agility. After early performances with his brother Nat Adderley in Florida, he led an Army dance band and moved to New York. He launched his bandleader career with […]
Tom Petty (1950–2017) was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He fronted the Heartbreakers, a classic rock quintet that released eight albums between 1976 and 1991. Their radio evergreens include “Breakdown,” “Refugee,” “The Waiting,” “A Woman In Love,” “You Got Lucky,” and the Stevie Nicks duet “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around.” In 1988, Petty appeared […]
KC and the Sunshine Band were an American group formed in Hialeah, Florida, by keyboardist and singer Harry Wayne Casey and bassist, percussionist, and engineer Richard Finch. The pair developed the group inside the TK Records studio operation and drew its personnel from the label’s Miami session pool. Casey and Finch directed the group through […]
Betty Wright (Dec. 21, 1953 – May 10, 2020) was an American soul singer from Miami. She cut her debut album, My First Time Around, at age 14 in 1968. Her 1972 Alston release I Love the Way You Love spawned the Billboard Top 10 hit “Clean Up Woman.” She issued six further Alston albums […]
Zulema Cusseaux (Jan. 3, 1947 — Sept. 30, 2013), known professionally as Zulema, was an American soul singer and songwriter who started in The Lovelles, a soul trio that morphed into Faith, Hope & Charity in 1970. After one album with FHC, she went solo with the 1972/73 Sussex Records albums Zulema and Ms. Z. […]
Doug Carn (born July 14, 1948) is an American jazz keyboardist who recorded four albums between 1971 and 1975 for the Black Jazz label, the first three with his then-wife, singer Jean Carn. Background Doug Carn was born July 14, 1948, in St. Augustine, Florida. His mother occasionally played church organ and his uncle was […]
Pearls Before Swine was an American folk-psych band from Melbourne, Fla., that released the 1967/68 albums One Nation Underground and Balaklava on the jazz label ESP, followed by the 1969–71 albums These Things Too, The Use of Ashes, and City of Gold on Reprise. Frontman Tom Rapp issued a solo album, Familiar Songs, then led […]
Bobby Caldwell (August 15, 1951 – March 14, 2023) was an American blue-eyed soul singer and songwriter known for the hits “What You Won’t Do for Love” and “Don’t Lead Me On.” Between 1978 and 2015, he released fifteen studio albums. His style evolved soft-rock and jazz-pop to retro R&B and big-band sounds. Background He […]
George McCrae is an American soul singer, best known for the pioneering 1974 dance single “Rock Your Baby,” recorded with KC & The Sunshine Band. He released seven studio albums through 1987 and scored R&B hits with “I Can’t Leave You Alone,” “I Get Lifted,” “Honey I,” and “Nice and Slow.” His 1975 single “It’s […]
Blackfoot was an American hard-rock/boogie band from Jacksonville that released the 1975 Island album No Reservations, followed by the 1976 Epic release Flyin’ High. Between 1979 and 1984, they released five Atco albums and scored FM hits with “Highway Song” and “Fly Away.” Members: Rickey Medlocke (vocals, guitar, Dobro, guitar synthesizer, percussion, drums, 1969-97), Charlie […]
Valerie Carter (Feb. 5, 1953 — March 4, 2017) was an American pop singer active on the 1970s Laurel Canyon scene. She cut an album with the folk-trio Howdy Moon and made the 1977/78 Columbia solo albums Just a Stone’s Throw Away and Wild Child. Background Valerie Carter was born Valerie Gail Zakian Carter on […]
Terry Brooks & Strange were an American blues-psych/jam band from Orlando that released two albums as Strange on self-press Outer Galaxie between 1973 and 1976, followed by two albums apiece under their full name on Star People and Rock City between 1980 and 1984. Members: Terry R. Brooks (guitar, vocals), Bob Griffin (bass), Don Hastle […]
Raw Soul Express was an American soul-funk band from Miami that released a self-titled album on T.K.-subsidiary Cat Records in 1976. Members: Albie Manno (bass, backing vocals), Chris Perkins (organ, piano), Christopher Booker (trumpet, backing vocals), John McMinn (tenor saxophone), Martel Williams (trumpet), Rickey Washington (lead vocals, flute, baritone saxophone), Tommy Johnson (guitar) Inception Raw […]
Michael Farneti is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Palm Beach Shores who released the 1976 album Good Morning Kisses on self-press Full Moon. Subsequent 1980s demos surfaced on Looking for a Goddess. Background Michael Farneti was born on March 19, 1951, and grew up near the Atlantic coast in Palm Beach Shores, Florida. […]
Gwen McCrae (December 21, 1943 – February 21, 2025) was an American soul singer who first performed and recorded during the 1960s with then-husband George McCrae. As a solo singer, she cut multiple singles for Columbia and Cat during the 1970s. Her first album, Rockin’ Chair, spawned a charting hit with the moaning title-track. Background […]
Milton Wright is an American soul-funk musician, songwriter, and producer who made the 1975 Alston album Friends and Buddies, followed in 1977 with Spaced. He was the brother of soul singer Betty Wright. Background Milton Wright was born Milton L. Wright Jr. on January 28, 1944, in Miami, Florida. Wright grew up in a musical […]
Latimore is an American soul singer who released eleven albums between 1973 and 1987 and scored R&B hits with “Let’s Straighten It Out,” “Keep the Home Fire Burnin’,” “Somethin’ ‘Bout ‘Cha,” and “I Get Lifted.” Background Latimore was born Benjamin Latimore on September 7, 1939, in Charleston, Tennessee. His mother sang in the Baptist church […]
The Outlaws were an American hard-rock band from Tampa that formed during the late 1960s and reached their first peak with the Arista albums Outlaws, Lady in Waiting, Hurry Sundown, Playin’ to Win, In the Eye of the Storm, Ghost Riders, and Los Hombres Malo. That first run also produced the 1978 live double-LP Bring It […]
Galaxy was an American psychedelic space-rock band from Jacksonville, Florida, that released the 1976 album Day Without the Sun on their own private-press label, Sky Queen. Members: Mark ‘Frenzi’ Fabbri (guitar), Marilyn ‘Space Mama’ Geiger (keyboards), Pepper Leonardi (bass), Miss Gunner Powell (drums) Background Galaxy formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in early 1975 around guitarist Mark […]
Washington Jamb Band was an American soul-funk band that issued two 1976 singles and the 1977 album Gonna Get Your Cherry on Leo Records, the self-press of singer/producer Leo Washington. The band subsequently backed vocalist Virgie Williams on a pair of 1978/79 singles and released two further shortplayers between 1981 and 1983, the last on […]
Crane was an American hard-rock recording project built around singer and guitarist Chuck Kirkpatrick, a Criteria Studios engineer who used the Chuck Crane name for a Capitol contract. Capitol issued the 1977 advance single “Oh Dancer” and released the self-titled album Crane in January 1978 on Capitol Records. Members: Chuck Crane (guitar, lead vocals, backing […]
Mighty Ryeders were an American soul-funk band from Florida that released the 1978 album Help Us Spread the Message on Sun Glo Records Inc. Members: Rodney Mathews (lead vocals), Carl Crowder, Lionel H. Harrison Inception Mighty Ryeders formed in Miami in April 1977 around lead singer Rodney Mathews and partners Carl Crowder and Lionel H. […]
Babylon was an American symphonic-rock band from Florida that released an eponymous album on self-press Mehum in 1978. The band morphed into Helicopter for a further self-issued title, Insect Perfect, in 1981. Members: Rick Leonard (bass, vocals, bass pedals), Doroccus (lead vocals, synthesizer, electric piano), Rodney Best (drums, percussion), David Boyko (guitar), Gary Chambers (synthesizer, […]
Doug Hammond (born Dec. 26, 1942) is an American jazz-funk drummer, percussionist, vocalist, and composer from Tampa, Fla. He worked with Earl Hooker, Sonny Rollins, Charles Mingus, Donald Byrd, and Lonnie Liston Smith, then established a bandleader catalog with Reflections in the Sea of Nurnen, Folks, Spaces, and We People. Hammond later worked with Ornette […]
Savatage are an American metal band from Tampa, initially known as Avatar, that emerged with the 1983 Par Records titles City Beneath the Surface (EP) and Sirens. Between 1985 and 1995, the band released eight albums on Atlantic. Members: Steve Wacholz (drums, 1983-94), Criss Oliva (lead guitar, vocals, 1983-93), Jon Oliva (lead vocals, keyboards, guitar, […]
Blues Image was an American post-psychedelic rock band from Tampa that scored a 1970 hit with “Ride Captain Ride” and released three albums on Atco. Members: Malcolm Jones (bass), Joe Lala (drums, percussion), Manuel Bertematti (drums), Mike Pinera (guitar, vocals, 1966-70), Skip Konte (keyboards, 1968-71), Kent Henry (guitar, 1970-71), Denny Correll (vocals, 1970-71) Background Blues […]
Seven Seas were an American jazz-funk ensemble that released one album, The Miami Sound, in 1976 on Glades. Background Seven Seas emerged from the T.K. Productions studio operation in Hialeah, Florida, in 1975 as a group assembled from company musicians. House producer Willie Clarke worked with permanent T.K. rhythm sections whose players backed multiple artists […]
Antique was an American Latin-rock band from Miami behind the 1968 album Va Cayendo una Lagrima on Audio Latino, followed by the 1973/74 Funny Records albums Sincerely Antique and Antique Sorcery and the 1976 Teca title The Antiques Experience. Each album featured a modified nameplate: Antique Formula, Sincerely Antique, Antique Sorcery, The Antiques. Members: Alberto […]
Glenn Jones is an American soul singer who released ten albums between 1983 and 2006 and landed R&B hits with “Show Me,” “Bring Back Your Love,” “Giving Myself to You,” “We’ve Only Just Begun (The Romance Is Not Over),” “Stay,” “Here I Go Again,” and “I’ve Been Searchin’ (Nobody Like You).” Background Glenn Jones was […]
Paul Kelly (born June 19, 1940) is an American soul singer from Miami, best known for the 1970 hit “Stealing in the Name of the Lord” and the later singles “Don’t Burn Me” and “Hooked, Hogtied & Collared.” He made five albums through 1977 on Warner Bros. Background Paul Kelly was born Paul Laurence Dunbar […]
Bobby Williams is an American keyboardist, singer, songwriter, and producer, active for three decades in Florida. He debuted with a 1958 R&B single and led the Mar-Kings through 1973 as a song-and-dance troupe. As a solo artist, Williams made the 1974–76 solo albums Funky Superfly and Anybody Can Be a Nobody. Background Bobby Williams was […]
Nat Adderley (November 25, 1931 — January 2, 2000) was an American jazz trumpeter and composer who spent much of his career performing with his brother, alto saxophonist Cannonball Adderley. He first recorded as a leader on That’s Nat (Savoy, 1955) after a notable appearance at New York’s Café Bohemia. The brothers formed the Cannonball […]
Mike Longo (March 19, 1937 — March 22, 2020) was an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader from Cincinnati. He served as pianist and musical director for Dizzy Gillespie from 1966 through 1975, with appearances on Swing Low, Sweet Cadillac, The Dizzy Gillespie Reunion Big Band, The Real Thing, and Portrait of Jenny. Longo […]
