Tropical Rock (or Trop-Rock) is a genre of popular music that incorporates elements and influences of rock and roll, reggae, country music, Caribbean and zydeco, with themes and musical compositions inspired by an island style that represent a way of life that is relaxing and exotic. Trop-Rock should not be confused with the format of Radio Tropical, which is a generic term for Latin and Caribbean music formats, usually in Spanish.
Although today tropical rock is usually associated with southern Florida and the Gulf Coast of the United States, the roots of tropical rock are in the Southern California beach music of the 1960s with artists like Jan and Dean and The Beach Boys.
No one knows where the term Trop Rock originated, many relate it to the musical sound of Jimmy Buffett. In the early to mid-80’s, Jimmy Buffett, Bertie Higgins, the original Key Lime Pie Band out of Big Pine Key, and E. C. Davis out of Islamorada, were instrumental in the development of Trop Rock Music. They were all recording artists of this type of music. Also, at that time was the Barefoot Man in the Cayman Islands. It is also called California Beach Sound. There are now many singers and composers within the genre of Trop-Rock throughout the United States.
In the year 2000, Cleveland, Ohio DJ Dennis King started Island Time Radio, featuring island style music. In 2006, Lewis University’s radio station, WLRA-FM, began programming this format on the air in Chicago and streaming it world-wide. All day Saturday Conch Republic Radio streams Trop Rock music from The Florida Keys and Key West. Radio Margaritaville, available on Sirius XM Radio, also plays much of the genre, with a particular focus on Buffett. The Trop Rock Music Association gives out the Trop Rock Music Awards at the annual Meeting of the Minds Parrot Head convention in Key West Florida every November.
Where exactly is the fictitious Margaritaville?
It’s in the tropics somewhere between the port of indecision and southwest of disorder, but no parallels of latitude or longitude mark the spot exactly. You don’t have to be a navigator to get there. Ocean breezes bring the seaplanes and sailboats, tourists and travelers. Palm trees provide the camouflage, passports are not required, and island music rules. There is a beach and thatched roof bar perched on the edge of the turquoise sea where you can always find a barstool.