Tropical rock (also known as trop rock or Gulf and Western) is a genre of popular music that incorporates elements and influences of

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

, calypso,

zydeco Zydeco ( ; ) is a music genre that was created in rural Southwest Louisiana by French speaking, Afro-Americans of Creole heritage. It blends African and Caribbean rhythms, blues and rhythm and blues with music indigenous to the Louisiana ...

, and

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Street, eds, ''iarchive:cambridgecompani00frit, The Cambridge Companion to Pop ...

, with themes and musical compositions inspired by an island style. Although today tropical rock is usually associated with southern

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

and the Gulf Coast of the United States, tropical rock has its roots in calypso, rock, and country by artists such as

Jerry Jeff Walker Jerry Jeff Walker (born Ronald Clyde Crosby; March 16, 1942 – October 23, 2020) was an American country and folk singer-songwriter. He was a leading figure in the progressive country and outlaw country music movement. He also wrote t ...

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter, author, and businessman. He was known for his tropical rock sound and persona, which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapis ...

and his

Coral Reefer Band The Coral Reefer Band is the touring and recording band of American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett (until Buffett's death in September 2023). The band's name alludes to both coral reefs (in line with Buffett's tropical-themed music) and "reefe ...

helped create a tropical sub-culture beginning in the early to mid-1980s, along with other artists including Bertie Higgins.

Description

Instrumentation is usually based around an acoustic guitar (as well as electric instrumentation), and often includes

steel drums The steelpan (also known as a pan or steel drum) is a musical instrument originating in Trinidad and Tobago from Afro-Trinidadians. Steelpan musicians are called pannists. In 1992, the steelpan was declared Trinidad and Tobago’s national in ...

congas The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are stave (wood), staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (drum), quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), an ...

marimba The marimba ( ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the mari ...

vibraphone The vibraphone (also called the vibraharp) is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using Percussion mallet, mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone ...

steel guitar A steel guitar () is any guitar played while moving a steel bar or similar hard object against plucked strings. The bar itself is called a "steel" and is the source of the name "steel guitar". The instrument differs from a conventional guitar i ...

s, or other percussion instruments to create an "island sound". While country and other musical styles focus on falling in love/falling out of love themes, Trop Rock's main focus is on "escapism"—a laid back lifestyle, tropical places, boating, simplifying and having fun. Buffett is often referred to as the "Pop of Trop Rock" alongside his

and other artists like Higgins helped create a tropical sub-culture beginning in the early to mid-1980s. Mainstream artists Jack Johnson,

Zac Brown Band Zac Brown Band is an American country music band based in Atlanta, Georgia. The lineup consists of Zac Brown (lead vocals, guitar), Jimmy De Martini (fiddle, vocals), John Driskell Hopkins (bass guitar, guitar, baritone guitar, banjo, ukulele, ...

Alan Jackson Alan Eugene Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is an American country music singer-songwriter. He is known for performing a style widely regarded as "neotraditional country", as well as writing many of his own songs. Jackson has recorded 21 studi ...

, and

Kenny Chesney Kenneth Arnold Chesney (born March 26, 1968) is an American country singer. With 30 million albums sold worldwide, he released his debut, '' In My Wildest Dreams'', in 1994, and has since released 19 follow-ups. His albums spawned 27 singles tha ...

also have songs in the genre as well.

Trop Rock Radio

In 2000,

WBWC WBWC (88.3 FM) – branded 88.3 FM The Sting – is a non-commercial educational college/alternative rock radio station licensed to Berea, Ohio, serving western parts of Greater Cleveland. Owned by Baldwin Wallace University, the sta ...

, Dennis King of Island Time Radio began programming this format on the air in Cleveland, Ohio and streaming worldwide on Monday nights. Dennis King died in 2024 with his last show Tropical Play with DK airing on Radio Trop Rock.

Radio Margaritaville ''Radio Margaritaville'' is a worldwide Internet radio station and SiriusXM Satellite Radio station (Ch. 24) owned by the estate of Jimmy Buffett. It features 24-hour music and broadcasts of Jimmy Buffett's concerts. History Buffett was inspired ...

, available on

Sirius XM Radio Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting corporation headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. The company was formed by the 2008 merger ...

, also plays many of the genre's hits. As the genre flourished with the guidance of the Trop Rock Music Association, independently owned internet radio stations began to rise to popularity within the "trop rock" genre to includ
Radio Trop RockBeach RadioBeachfront RadioPalapa Mac Radio

Shore Life RadioSongwriter's Island RadioTiki Pod Radio
Permanent Vacation Radio, Beach Bar Radio, and Oyster Radio.

External links

Trop Rock Music Association homepageRadio stationsEvents

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tropical Rock Rock music genres Country music genres Pop music genres American styles of music 1980s in music

Description

Trop Rock Radio

See also

External links

References