In 1964 in Tampa, Florida, the band, The Tropics, emerged by Buddy Pendergrass along with Wayne Guida, Ronnie Ferer, and Spencer Hinkle. Not long after, the Tropics began to perform all over Florida and the Southeastern US where they toured alongside

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

The Young Rascals ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

Herman's Hermits Herman's Hermits are an English beat, rock and pop group formed in 1964 in Manchester, originally called Herman and His Hermits and featuring lead singer Peter Noone. Produced by Mickie Most, the Hermits charted with number ones in the UK a ...

, and Heinz Heinz & Dad. In 1966 they won the International Battle of the Bands, signed a recording contract with

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

, and quickly became the top

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

-band in the Southeastern.

Career

The group's founder, Buddy Pendergrass put together a seven-piece horn band in 1964 with Wayne Guida on trumpet, Ronnie Ferrer on tenor sax and Spencer Hinkle on drums, playing at all the local Tampa area recreation venues. Beginning in the summer of '65, the Tropics toured the state of Florida and the Southeastern United States as a five-piece combo, opening shows for

in Miami,

in Tampa and

in Jacksonville, and at the Diplomat Hotel in Miami, opening the show for Heinz Heinz & Dad for a

Showcase. In 1966 The Tropics won The International Battle of the Bands at McCormick Place in Chicago. Competing against performers such as

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

and

Tommy James and the Shondells Tommy James and the Shondells are an American pop rock/psychedelic rock band, formed in Niles, Michigan, in 1964. They had two No. 1 singles in the U.S. – " Hanky Panky" (July 1966, their only RIAA Certified Gold record) and "Crimson and Clov ...

, The Tropics took first place over more than 1000 bands. Out of that came a recording contract with Columbia Records and the single "Take the Time," produced by Teo Macero, which made it to the top of the local charts and was awarded a "85" on

Dick Clark Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American radio and television personality, television producer and film actor, as well as a cultural icon who remains best known for hosting ''American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 198 ...

's ''

American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pro ...

''. The group was also on the American Bandstand tour opening for

. The Tropics became one of the most-popular Pop Rock-Showbands in the Southeastern United States between 1965 and 1969 with band members Buddy Pendergrass, Mel Dryer,

Charlie Souza Charlie Souza is a bass player, vocalist, musician, writer and producer. He is best known for playing bass in Mudcrutch. He is married to Barbara Benischek Souza. Career Souza toured with The New Rascals, featuring Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ...

, Bobby Shea and Eric Turner. (photo) The Tropics recorded their first 45 RPM records in

Tampa Bay Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater in ...

area recording studios and later at Malaco Recording Studios in Jackson, Mississippi. In 1968 a recording session at Columbia Records Studios in New York produced their first hit, "Time". Sunn Sound Equipment based in Tualatin, Oregon, sponsored the band in the late 1960s by furnishing all sound equipment.

Ludwig Drums Ludwig Drums is a United States musical instrument manufacturer, focused on percussion. The brand achieved significant popularity in the 1960s due to the endorsement of the Beatles drummer Ringo Starr. It is a subsidiary of Conn-Selmer. Products ...

in New York City, also sponsored the band and furnished Ludwig Premier Drums. In 1971, Pendergrass formed the Capricorn Records glam rock/psychedelic/hard rock group,

White Witch Jadis is the main antagonist of '' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' (1950) and ''The Magician's Nephew'' (1955) in C. S. Lewis's series, ''The Chronicles of Narnia''. She is commonly referred to as the White Witch in ''The Lion, the Witch an ...

References

External links

* http://southerngaragebands.com/Tropics.html * http://www.teddwebb.com/garage_bands/the_tropics.html * http://www.myfirstband.com/firstbandtropics.html * http://www.dizzyrambler.com/features/GarageBands/Tropics/TheTropics.html * http://www.crazedfanboy.com/nolansnewsstand02/laflapcr123.html
Pendergrass obit
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tropics American pop music groups Musical groups established in 1964 Musical groups from Tampa, Florida 1964 establishments in Florida