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FOREWORD
by Chip Souza
The
music came alive in my dad's first musical adventure.
The Tropics were Florida's best illustration
of the beach garage pop music scene in the late
'60s. California had the bright sensibilities
of the Beach Boys in all of their five-part
harmony surf music glory, but Florida had a
scene that was unique and all its own. And the
greatest band to come out of that era was The
Fabulous Tropics. There are some books out already
with The Tropics story included, Florida's Famous
and Forgotten written by Kurt KOTO Curtis and
The Heey Baby Days by Greg Haynes.
Here
you'll see some of the pictures from the album
covers and newspaper articles. Really groovy,
man! I mean, did you see the stripes on those
pants? And those boots-the haircuts?
Ah,
the baby boomers-my favorite generation! Everyone
who is a baby boomer has watched the band grow
up in the spotlight. And grow up, indeed! Even
though it took a lot longer to do that than
some other generations, there isn't a group
more colorful and full of life. Music and love
was the glue that held them together. Rebellion
and revolution tore them apart. My dad was one
of those guys on stage playing his heart out.
My
father made a name for himself as a recording
artist, musician, vocalist, entertainer, band
leader, songwriter, and music producer. He has
performed in the music business for more than
forty years. The Tropics were quintessential
in that time, but so much happened up to now.
My dad's success came with playing music, recording,
performing live, singing, and playing several
instruments including bass guitar, piano, guitar,
and sax. He had songs released on Columbia Records,
Atlantic, Polydor, Fantasy Records, Capricorn,
Laurie Records in New York, Phoenix Records
in Europe and now as an independent publisher
with Souzaphone Records.
It
wasn't all glamorous like they say. I remember
watching my dad's band, Fortress, lay down tracks
for twelve hours in a Hollywood studio for an
album they were working on. Perfection?-No!
That's just the way the business goes. These
guys work hard at what they do. People see the
band up on stage, playing music, laughing, singing
and dancing around. Looks like a dream job but
it's not as easy as it looks. It takes talent,
skill, professionalism and intentionality-not
only to write the songs, but also to play them
on stage, create the choreography and stage
show around the music and make it entertaining
for the audience.
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Sure,
it's in the blood. I've been playing guitar all my life
and was in and out of bands in my teens and twenties
but every time I see my dad at a show, I always end
up going back to school. You should've seen The Tropics
do their thing! I was in awe at the reunion concert
in '99 at the St. Petersburg Coliseum.
Throughout
my dad's career, I remember many times helping him push
amps through the back halls of hotels and up the service
elevators, loading my dad's Datsun B210 station wagon
in North Hollywood at three in the morning. We would
drive home and be on the road for hours after packing
up sweaty shirts and guitar chords, looking for some
water in the dark of some cramped changing room backstage-coming
home exhausted.
My
dad has a passion for his music. He writes and records
on some eight-track system at home and then shows me
some cool things he did with the guitar on a song, the
layers of instruments and drum tracks. The finished
product is some melodic and rhythmic energy that comes
from the soul. It's solid, timeless-and very good.
But
who is the man behind the music? Every kid who was born
had a mom and dad, so we begin at the beginning. To
dig into my dad's life, we must start with his mom and
dad and talk about the music that carried him through
to now. He's had a wild ride! Get ready for a truly
creative journey!
Charles
Jesse "Chip" Souza, Jr.
"And
Please remember to put some songs in it, especially
from "Live Your Dream" and have my Dad talk
about the "inspiration" of the song, too.
It is his work that needs to be highlighted, because
it is his life that led to such great work. make sense?
Thanks again, and feel free to email me at
chip@roqnrol.com if you want to. ~ Chip ~ Take care,
and have a Groovy Christmas!"
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