TROP ROCKER of the MONTH Lone Star Luau Author Chip Bell Southern Drawl Band ...And Much More!

Home , A Pirate Looks at Forty, Come Monday, Jamaica Mistaica, Radio Margaritaville, Riddles in the Sand, Songs You Know by Heart

March 2017 Lone Star Luau Author Chip Bell Southern Drawl Band ...and much more!

TROP ROCKER OF THE MONTH

1 Katy Waugh, Publisher Frank Bridges, Computer Guru Writers: Linda Hebert, “Diamond Dave” Bevens, Todd Alexander and Eric “EB” Babin. [email protected] PO Box 754, Gautier, MS 39553

Our Amazing Sponsors Articles & Such

Donny Brewer 3 PHiP News 4 Sail Windjammer 6 Calendar of Events 8 The Jake Sullivan Stories 7 SW FL PHC Party’s With A Purpose 10 Another Voyage to Paradise 9 PHlocker of the Month, Chip Bell 16 Tiki Man Radio 14 Quilt Auction for Cystic Fibrosis 26 The Buck Reilly Series 15 COPA Fins & Pins 28 Leaning On The Lyrics 24 A Listeners Take –Southern Drawl Band 32 KW Time Songwriters & Storytellers 25 Trop Rock Top 40 for February 2017 36 Move Coastal/ReMax 27 Musician of the Month, Randy C. Moore 46 Riddles In The Sand 30 Lonestar Luau 58 Reggie Starrett 31 Trop Rock Music On The Radio 66 Trop Rock The Boat/Radio A1A 37 In Memorium: Bud Byrum 68 Stars Fell On Alabama 38 Lloyd “Hurricane” Munn 39 RadioTropRock.com 40 More Amazing Sponsors Dani Hoy 41 Meet Me In The Keys 45 Laid Back Attack 42 Radio A1A 56 Rob Hill and Exit 104 Records 43 Panama City Beach Rendezvous 57 Keyboard Advertising 44 Pit Stop Party Too! 67

PUBLISHERS NOTE: Every advertiser has a link to their website and/or Facebook page. Just hover over their website and click. Please take time to visit them and let them know you found them in PHlockers Magazine! A special “Thank You” to everyone who sent in photos and articles too! Keep sending in your stories to share.

All submissions must be received by the 15th of each month by 5:00 p.m. Central time. Editing may be required and by submitting to this publication, you are implying express permission to do so. Email all advertising requests to the above email address. All rights reserved. The terms Jimmy Buffett, Margaritaville, Parrot Heads, Parrotheads, Parrot Head Club, Parrothead Club and PHC are registered trademarks of Margaritaville, Inc. This site is not directly affiliated PHlockers Magazine December 2015 Page 2 2 with Jimmy Buffett, Margaritaville.com or Radio Margaritaville. All photos have been submitted and used with permission of their respective submitters. 3 It's that time of year again for the PHiP Scholarship Essay Contest!

We are proud to announce that the PHiP Scholarship Essay Contest for 2017 is NOW OPEN!!!!!!

Summary of the PHiP Scholarship:

The PHiP Scholarship is for current Parrot Head Club Members of an officially Chartered Chapter or their children or wards of Parrot Head Club Members, for post-secondary education.

This program was established in 2008. Three scholarships will be awarded in 2017. The funds may be used for tuition, books or living expenses, at an accredited four- year university or college of the student’s choice. The award will be paid to the winners’ school account, when a student account is established.

PHiP awards 3 awards in the amounts of:

First Place: $5,000 Second Place: $3,000 Third Place: $2,000

Eligibility: Parrot Head Club Members and members children (Sorry nieces, nephews or other extended family members beyond those mentioned are not considered eligible)

The Scholarship instructions and application can be found on the PHiP Website at: http://www.phip.com/club-scholarship

It is VERY important the applicant follow ALL of the rules and instructions. Only typed, electronic submissions will be accepted. Incomplete applications will not be considered eligible.

4 David Cohen, PHiP, Inc. Secretary, Scholarship Chair

Make no references to your identity, your local parrot head club or your location in your essay entry OR your question and statement responses.

All applications must be signed at the appropriate place. We accept electronic signa- tures.

To Apply: Complete the Parrot Head Scholarship Application found on the PHiP website at www.phip.com. Please email your completed application and essay to:

David Cohen PHiP Secretary [email protected]

DEADLINE FOR APPLICANTS is MARCH 31st, 2017, for enrollment for fall term (summer terms not applicable). Students may apply yearly; the awards will be given annually, based on a new application process.

Good Luck to all applicants!

David

David Cohen, Secretary - Parrot Heads in Paradise, Inc. 2012-2017 Scholarship Chair

5 6 7 Calendar of Upcoming Events

Music on the Bay, Tampa, FL, March 2-5, 2017 musiconthebay.org Christmas In The Caribbean, NE Parrot Head Convention, March 9-12, 2017 www.newenglandphc.com Stars Fell On Alabama, Mobile, AL, March 16-19, 2017 starsfellonalabama.org Quad City Havana Daydreaming, Davenport, IA, April 1, 2017 www.qcph.com Panama City Parrot Head Rendezvous, Panama City, FL, April 20-23, 2017 [email protected] PHINS Golf Tournament, Jacksonville, FL, April 29, 2017 www.phinsjax.org/golf-tournament One Particular Phlocking, Princeton, NJ, May 5-7, 2017 www.oneparticularphlocking.com Meet Me In The Keys, Key West and FL Keys, June 6-11, 2017 http://www.southernmostcoconutcastaways.com/MMITK Riddles In The Sand, Galveston, TX, July 27-30, 2017 gbphc-riddlesinthesand.com Meeting of the Minds, November 1-5, 2017, Key West, FL www.phip.com/meeting Please send in your events, complete with dates, locations and website to: [email protected] to be included each month.

To Advertise Your Business Contact Katy Waugh at [email protected] For Rates and Details!

All submissions must be received by the 15th of each month by 5:00 p.m. Central time. Editing may be required and by submitting to this publication, you are implying express permission to do so. Email all advertising requests to the above email address. All rights reserved. The terms Jimmy Buffett, Margaritaville, Parrot Heads, Parrotheads, Parrot Head Club, Parrothead Club and PHC are registered trademarks of Margaritaville, Inc. This site is not directly affiliated with Jimmy Buf- fett, Margaritaville.com or Radio Margaritaville. All photos have been submitted and used with permission of their respective submitters. 8 A PHUN MAGAZINE FOR PHRIENDS WHO PARTY WITH A PURPOSE! 9 Southwest Florida Parrot Head Club “Party’s With A Purpose!” By Joe “Coach” Carson

Whenever we encounter ‘newbies’ (those not so familiar with the Parrot Head way of life) along our many adventures, we generally describe what we do as ‘Party with a Purpose.’ From the many music venues we frequent to listen to our favorite local and national artists to the numerous charities and community functions we sponsor, this ‘Party with a Purpose’ slogan might be considered our standard line. But there is nothing ordinary to our Southwest Florida Parrot Head Club when we find a special cause to champion, and 2016 was exceptionally special as our focus was to raise as much money possi- ble for the Southwest Florida Alzheimer's Foundation. This disease has hit near and devastatingly hard to too many of our PHellow Parrot Heads, PHriends, and PHamily members, and it was time for us to strike back. From the Golisano Children’s Hospital, the American Cancer Society, the Ronald McDonald House, Big Hearts for Big Dogs, or the Cape Coral Caring Center (just to mention a few), our fund-raising efforts turn into a year-long quest that culminates at our annual Pit-Stop Party/club birthday bash held for the past three years at the Para 10 dise Tiki Hut at the Dolphin Key Resort, lo- cated in Cape Coral. Their cooperation and generosity has played a huge part in our event growing by leaps and bounds ena- bling us to help more and more charities. The Pit Stop Party is exactly as it sounds. The Sunday prior to the annual Parrot Head convention in Key West known as the ‘Meeting of the Minds’ (MOTM), both nation- ally known Trop-Rock artists and local SW Florida talent making the trek south, take a pit stop with the SWFL Parrot Heads and friends entertaining hundreds of local fans. Great prizes were taken home by many lucky winners, including our grand prize of a week’s stay in Mexico. Continued on page 12

11 Southwest Florida Parrot Head Club Continued from page 11

Months and months of planning and coordination by hard working local Parrot Heads all culminates with an all-day celebration of music beginning at breakfast and ending at midnight. Because of our cause that was near and dear to many of our hearts and the great talent of the musicians who took time to come and play, our October 30, 2016 bash sur- passed all previous events, raising $4500 for Alzheimer’s with our check presentation at one of our bi-monthly gatherings in February. National and area musicians who performed at the 2016 PSP and were broadcast over Radio A1A: Mike Miller of the Boat Drunks, Sunny Jim White, John Friday, Paul Larson, Rudy Cox, Thom and Coley Shepard, Brian and Michele Fields, Terri Hood, Scotty Bryan, Loren Davidson, Donny Brewer, Don Middlebrook, Joel Block, Tiki Tom Starkey, Rich McGuire, Dave Burks and Randy Knight We are already in the planning stages for the 6th Annual MOTM Pit Stop Party and the club’s 23rd birthday coming your way Sunday, October 29, 2017, back at the Paradise Tiki. This one promises to be bigger and better than ever. So, mark your calendars, get there early, and prepare to have a blast for a great cause. Once again, Alzheimer’s will be the beneficiary of our efforts, and ‘Party with a Purpose’ will have that special meaning that all Parrot Heads and their clubs know… that’s a lot more than just a slogan! PHINS UP…

12 13 14 15 16 PHLOCKER of the MONTH AUTHOR Chip Bell

By Linda Hebert

He’s a successful practicing attorney. He’s a college Business Law professor. He’s a respected published author. He’s a devoted grandpa. And He’s a Parrot Head. But what you may not know about Chip Bell is that he could be AKA Jake Sullivan...the dashing and daring alter ego character created for his novel adventure series by that title, inspired by Buffett tunes.

If you watch his short video clip https://www.facebook.com/chipbellauthor?ref=br, you’ll hear him describe where the similarities between his life and personality, and that of his leading protagonist, Jake Sullivan, begin and end. But just like these Buffett Old School lyrics, “The life and the tellin’ are both real to me and they all run together and turn out to be semi-true stories…” , we just may be left always wondering if these are all also semi-true stories? So the next time you see Chip, you just may want to ask! For now, we invite you to read on as he shares “A Window on His World.”

Q. Chip, can you share with us your writing process and how you came up with the brainchild to write a series of books based on Buffett song titles--

A.) “I sort of come up with an idea for a book and then I look through a list of song titles to see how I could figure out something that would somehow correspond. For example with ‘A Pirate Looks at Forty,’ which is my favorite song, when I did more research on the number forty, I found out that this number has a significance with water (the Hebrew word is ‘mem’ which in addition to water, also means commander), so I developed this whole plot around a group of insurgents that are trying to break up the Israeli- Palestine peace process. They get involved with this because there is an old relic that is found….And I’ll leave it there for now. I was a history major in college and I really enjoy this subject, so I try to find some esoteric bit of history to wrap the story around, and then see if it conforms to a title; and once I find one that does, I just go from there. And instead of narrating, I try to have these underlying meanings revealed through the characters, to keep the reader more connected. Again with ‘A Pirate Looks at Forty,’ the references to the number forty are explained during a conference between a Georgetown University Hebrew professor and the President of the United States, with his trusty advisor, Jake Sullivan and his best friend and confidant, Mike Lang, all in attendance of course!” Continued on page 18 17 Continued from page 17

Q. So with all else you’ve got going on, why the desire to put writing a series of novels on your to-do list? A.) “You know I guess I’m one of those normal people. You know how we all can have dreams and how life can intervene. I’ve read a lot, mostly in the action adventure series genre (specifically: The Alex Cross series by James Patterson, The Sean Dillon series by Jack Higgins, The Jason Bourne books by Robert Ludlum and the Dirk Pitt series by Clive Cussler, along with the best writer I think I’ve ever read, James Lee Burke, who writes about a Louisiana sheriff named Dave Robicheaux) and I always thought, ‘you know I could do this.’ But I graduated from college, got drafted and was in the army, worked and went to law school at night, got married, had kids, dadadadada….So that goal was nice to say, but I never got time to do it. But now my law practice is not the size that it used to be. My business now mainly comes from referrals from other attorneys and even then, I don’t take nearly the number of cases that I used to. The story of “Come Monday,’ came about on one rainy day in October as I was sitting here in west- ern Pennsylvania and had just gotten off of the phone with my daughter, Jessica. Our song was always ‘Come Monday.’ And I was thinking, ‘You know what, I bet I could somehow write a story that happens on a weekend and come Monday, the thing gets resolved.’ So that’s essentially what I did. But once I realized how much I really enjoyed this, I started thinking, ‘I want to do this again and I want to do more than one book but I’d like to have some type of overall unifying theme.’ So I thought, ‘Write what you know, do what you like.’ (Isn’t that same thought quoted by Jim- my, ((from Mark Twain)) in the intro to ‘Tales from Margaritaville’?) So I put the setting in Key West and made the main character a lawyer and made his buddy my best friend. Then I styled it so that he wouldn’t be a lawyer tied to a courtroom but he could go to all of these tropical locations and do all of these things that have historical references through the Caribbean and elsewhere. Then when I looked for my unifying theme, I looked at the song title, ‘Come Monday,’ and thought, ‘Well there are a lot of Jimmy Buffett song titles,’ so that was it, that was my unifying theme.”

18 Q.) And how long did it take to write this complete series?

A.) “Well, I started in October of 2010 and I’m now on book ten, which comes out this spring. I do two a year. In addition to the books, I’ve written a feature film screenplay, titled, ‘Cuba Libra.’ It’s based on my second and third book wrapped together. I’ve also written a television pilot based on these books. This whole thing is sort of my homage to Jimmy Buffett. I started traveling and coming to Key West because of listening to his music. His lyrics have always fascinated me so this is sort of my tribute to him and his work. I put an excerpt from his songs in the front of each book and I cer- tainly credit him for it. As a matter of fact, the folks at Margaritaville were very kind to me and carried my first book at the Key West store. Jimmy Buffett with Chip Bell Continued on page 20

19 Continued from page 19

Q.) When/how did you become a Parrot Head?

A.) “For me, the 70’s were sort of a lost period. Two days after graduating college, I was drafted. I went into the service and was in the army for two years. I had met my wife in the interim so a couple months before I got out of the service in 1974, we got married. The following year, I started going to law school at night, while working sixty hours a week at a clothing store. After graduating in ‘79, I joined a law practice and then my first daughter was born in 1980. So I had listened to music, but just had way too much going on to really be into music. But one day, my best friend, Mike Langer, asked me to go to a Jimmy Buffett concert. At that point, I posed the question to him about how a whole concert could come from somebody I only knew as a one hit wonder, being that I was only familiar with the infamous song, ‘Margaritaville.’ So he gave me the ‘Songs You know by Heart’ CD and as they say, the rest is history. I fell in love with it and started going to concerts and became a Parrot Head. I had actually come to Key West about twenty years ago when the first MOTM was being held there. I don’t always make the annual pilgrimage now because I have two grandkids and this is their time.”

20 Q.) Tell us about your family and your phamily- A.) ‘Well my wife, Linda and I will be celebrating our 43rd wedding anniversary this June. Our daughters are Jennifer, who is the mother of our grandchildren (Charlotte, who is one year old and Danny who is five), and Jessica, who is getting married in June of this year. I get to spend Pop-Pop time with the kids every weekday afternoon, after I put in a half day at my law of- fice. I get home in time to relieve Nunny, Linda, who has them all morning and then she (a retired school teacher turned real estate agent) conducts her business with Collodi Real Estate in the afternoon. (As an aside, Jake Sullivan’s wife is Linda and his daughters are Jennifer and Jessica!) As far as other Parrot Head friends, I have met a good friend from Key West named Steve, who along with his wife, Cindy very graciously showed me around that town when I first started going down there. I’ve also met various people through book signings and different Parrot Head related events. I met a really good friend named Larry who began reading my books and I made a point of meeting him when I visited my youngest daughter in Texas and I just met a gentleman who is a retired New York City police officer named Richie and his wife at this past MOTM where I was a vendor and now we converse all of the time. Linda and I plan to meet with him and his wife the next time we go down there. And of course there’s my friend, Mike, who is the one who introduced me to all of this. We originally met one day at a community pool in our area. Our wives had gone there with the kids and when we both showed up toward the end of their swimming play-date, he and I just hit it off and have been best friends ever since. You may catch uncanny similarities between Jake Sulli- van’s best friend, Mike Lang and my Mike, especially with the constant back-and-forth banter that is exhibited between them!” Continued on page 22

21 Continued from page 21

Q.) Ever met JB? A.) “Yes, I have! I took my friend Mike on a sailing trip to the Virgin Islands for his fiftieth birthday. We were in White Bay on Jost Van Dyke and we were sitting on the beach drinking a beer and I looked to my right and I saw this guy standing there and I turned to Mike and said, ‘You’re going to think I’m crazy but that’s Jimmy Buffett’ and he said, ‘Yeah you are crazy, that’s not Jimmy Buffett.’ So I said, ‘okay’ but I kept looking and then I said, ‘Yeah it is, let’s go!’ And as we walked up, the funny thing is that the guy turned around and looked straight at Mike and stuck out his hand and said, ‘Hi I’m Jim- my.’ And Mike said, ‘Yeah I know who you are!’ And I said, ‘Well you didn’t five minutes ago!’ But he was standing there talking to some people and he was very nice but I think that we sort of blew his cover because as he swam out to a nearby boat, a girl screamed out, ‘Hey, that’s Jimmy Buffett!’ But he was quickly whisked away and off the island. We learned that he was there to play for a wedding on Richard Branson’s island. This was Saint Patrick’s day, 2009. We went to Foxy’s that night and the rumor was that he was going to show up and play but we never saw him there. I also met him in passing once in Key West. I was fortunate enough to once again be in the right place at the time, one night twenty-some years ago, when he showed up for a surprise set on Greene Street outside of Sloppy Joe’s. I happened to be right outside the side door on Green street, and out he came, almost bumping into me!”

22 Q.) And since Buffett’s Parrot Heads and Pirates seem to go hand in hand, which books in “The Jake Sullivan Series” reference pirate themes? A.) “In ‘Jamaica Mistaica,’ the plot line centers around the treasure that the pirate captain, Henry Morgan, took from Panama and allegedly has never been found. And then there is a pirate episode with the Spanish galleons and the treasure fleet moving up the Florida Coast in, ‘A Pirate Looks at Forty.’ And then the new one coming out in the fall to be titled ‘Fins,’ has the Aztec Montezuma's gold traveling north to the United States and it involves the death of Meriwether Lewis, who was killed or committed suicide (historians don’t agree) because he had an important document to give to Thom- as Jefferson which was never found. Q.) What other Trop Rock artists are your favorites? A.) “Actually there is a local band in our area, John McDonald and the Mango Men, whom I ironically originally first saw in Key West. Then I really like listening to Howard Livingston.” Q.) What advice might you have for anybody out there who would like to try their hand at writing? A.) “Instead of sitting around saying, ‘I think I can,’ sit down with pen and paper in hand and do it! Now of course, I do have the advantage of being able to dictate my writings to my secretary, Eve. That’s the way I’ve always run my law practice and that’s the way I write my books. And coinci- dentally, Jake Sullivan’s secretary is similarly named Eva! But however you do it, at least start jour- naling and see where it goes.” Q.) And how did you choose the name Jake Sullivan for your main character? A.) “I was checking on something and googling names and I got a strange reference which lead me to finding out that there is a real team of people that the President of the United States goes to when he has a problem. Then I found out that there is a real Jake Sullivan who, during the Obama admin- istration, was Vice President Biden's security advisor. He also became one of the campaign manag- ers of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and had she won, he would have been the National Security Advisor!! I sent him my book and I told him, ‘I’m sure that your parents put a lot of thought into your name and it’s a very fine one, but I have to tell you that I got the name Jake from my dog and the name Sullivan just seemed to go with it!” Q.) Anything else you want to say to mutual Parrot Heads and your book phans out there? A.) “Well, I know that my books aren’t ‘War and Peace’ and they’re not intended to be. I just hope that people who read them get away for a little while from their everyday problems and can feel that palm tree swaying and can smell the ocean and feel a little sense of adventure and get that adrena- line rushing and maybe reach for a margarita and have a good time-and if they do that, I’m satis- fied.” Sounds like a plan to me! I know I’ll be contacting Chip at: [email protected] to get a few personalized signed copies of these books for myself and phriends before more of life intervenes… For those of you who may prefer, all of these books can also be ordered directly through Amazon too-what better road trip companion for your commute to MOTM could there be? 23 “Great Read!” Katy Waugh , Publisher PHlockers Magazine

24 25 Quilt Auction Benefitting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation By Jane Alexander

The custom-made quilt using vintage Jimmy Buffett concert tour shirts from 1990 thru 2015, was raffled off in November and the winner was Jan Hornenberger of Missouri! She bought her ticket at a Route 66 PHC event. Congratulations to Jan! The donation of $2,022 was made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and now we’re going to do it again. Starting my quest for the cure for Cystic Fibrosis has begun with my 4th quilt featuring Trop Rock Artists tee shirts. You can get your raffle tickets for this year’s quilt by contacting me at: [email protected]. Purchase tickets safely through PayPal at: Paypal.Me/LindaLowery49. To order tickets, send payment (WITH YOUR NAME AND PHONE NUMBER) to: Linda Lowery, 976 Long Branch Rd, Troy, IL 62294, or pay by PayPal at Paypal.Me/LindaLowery49 . Linda will write your name and phone number on the tickets and drop them into the drawing for you. This year we have a Square card reader so I can also accept credit cards at events.

Tickets are $1 each, 6 for $5, 15 for $10, or 40 for $20. You do NOT have to be present to win!!

The date for the drawing is Saturday, November 18, 2017.

Thanks to all of you who supported this raffle and this worthy cause. Jane

27 COPA Fins & Pins!

By David Biard, Co-Chairman of Fins & Pins

28 The COPA Fins and Pins Committee distributed the funds raised from the 2017 Fins and Pins Pool and Bowling Tournaments to the Faith 7 Activity Center and The Work Activity Center. A grand total of $22,000 was raised during this year's event. The 2 recipient charities work with developmentally disabled adults. This year marks the 8th year Fins and Pins has occurred. A pool tournament was added last year and this year a second charity was identified as a beneficiary so we are continuing to grow the event and im- prove it every year. Approximately 400 volunteer hours were necessary to support this event.

During the 8 years of Fins and Pins COPA has raised and distributed over $134,000 to these worthy organizations

29 30  Booking NOW for 2017

 Download the Brand NEW Song with Donny Brewer “Rum and Somethin”

 Catch Reggie at Summer Solstice, June 22-25

706-713-1985 [email protected] www.reverbnation/reggiestarrett.com

31 A Listener’s Take Southern Drawl Band Elixir & Totally Beachin’ By Todd Alexander

Warning: No Trop Rock will be found on the Elixir CD. Ok, the Southern Drawl Band has become very popular in Trop Rock circles with their rather unique blend of Southern Rock and Trop Rock. The Southern Drawl Band consists of Mike Nash, JD Edge, Paul Wray, Larry Dunsmore, and the late David Crow. For Elixir, they decided to do a CD of all Southern Rock format. As Mike Nash explained, “To save confusion, we released two new CD's. One Southern Rock (Elixir) and one Trop Rock (Totally Beachin’). We wanted to put all of our beach stuff together on one compilation CD”. The closest thing to Trop Rock on Elixir is probably their version of Ghosts of New Orleans- the Thom Shepherd song about one of those places dear to the hearts of Parrotheads. But fear not Trop Rock fans, the second CD- Totally Beachin’, contains remastered versions of your favorite Southern Drawl Band Trop Rock songs plus two new Trop Rock songs. Island Time and My Favorite Spot are worth the price of admission by themselves and may end up on your favorites list. With these new CDs, there is something for everyone. If you want some hard core classic Southern Rock, Elixir is just the medicine you need. If you want a more tropical sound to help you escape to the beach- Totally Beachin’ is just the ticket to take you there. The Songs ELIXIR Damn Sure Coming From Dixie- a Mike Nash/ JD Edge- A hard-driving tribute to old style southern rock/country with an occasional swipe at the slick packaged pop/country of today; This song sets the tone for Elixir right from the start Ghosts of New Orleans- an excellent version of Thom Shepherd’s song about the magic of New Orleans and the mysteries of love that isn’t exactly happily ever after, JD Edge’s fiddle really helps this song move along Mississippi Kid- Another classic Southern rocker originally recorded by Lynyrd Skynyrd

32 One Hell Of A Ride- Nash/ Robinson- A song that is both smooth and powerful at the same time; a tribute to life on the road as well as the trials and tribulations of that life Rocky Top-Not your father’s Rocky Top- this cover rocks! A staple of their concerts captured in the studio She’s My Angel- co-written by Chris Robinson and Mike Nash- A power ballad/love song with a twist of southern Somewhere Down The Road- written by Mike Nash- an up-tempo love song that captures the feeling of most who have to travel and be away from the one they love Tattoo- Written by JD Edge/ Mike Kuhl- an unusual, con- fident look at love that is “permeant and beautiful” Tennessee Line- a Mike Nash song looking the joy of being home with the person and at the place you love; another look at the love but loneliness of life on the road When Did I Stop Growing Up- a classic southern rock song by JD Edge and Mike Kuhl; a song that far too many of us relate as grow older but not up You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive- a moving cover of Darrell Scott’s song that has been recorded by the likes of Patti Loveless and Brad Paisley; a song about heritage and where you come from- it may not have been perfect or even good but it is a part of you . Continued on page 34

33 Southern Drawl Band Continued from page 33

TOTALLY BEACHIN’ Island Time- with special guest John Patti on the steel pans- a high energy song about our favorite kind of time; again the SDB blend of southern rock and calypso that is conga line worthy Floriday- A smooth tribute to life in the tropics, especially when it’s cold back home; Tall Paul adds vocals and smooth guitar work to make it complete Gone With The Wind- Another song about running away to the beach- one of these days I need to take their advice and move to the beach Landlocked- A great song about the perils of living too far away from the ocean My Favorite Spot- A great song about being content with what you have-with a beach twist of course; for most of us life is good if you really think about it Flip Floppin’- a smooth, whimsical song about the joy of living life in flip flops Another Day In Paradise- A classic about life in paradise and enjoying the beauty around you.

34 27 Feet of Love- Ah, for the love of a boat- and cue up the double entendres All Day Long- There is nothing better than easy paced beach vacation! We all need to take some time to have days with nothing to do and nowhere to go Rocketship- A somewhat bleak, funny look at all the challenges our society is facing and Mike’s plan to get away from it all Whether you’re looking for some hard driving southern rock or some Trop Rock with a tropical twist, Southern Drawl Band has you covered. You can pick up their music at the usual music outlets or http:// artistecard.com/southerndrawlband . Or better yet, catch one of their shows (Music on the Bay, The New England Parrothead Convention, Stars Fell On Alabama, Bike Week in Daytona, the South Of the Border Festival in Mexico, and coming soon to a town near you) as they crisscross the country and pick up some CD’s and mer- chandise. SDB is one band that definitely puts their all into their live shows. The have even opened for Charlie Daniels and some Buffett guy at MOTM. If you’d rather, you can sail away with the boys on their “Another Cruise To Paradise” cruise in February, 2018.

35 36 37 NEWNEW LOCATION!!!LOCATION!!!

MarchMarch 1616 -- 19,19, 20172017 Mobile,Mobile, AlabamaAlabama RENAISSANCE Southern Drawl Band RIVERVIEW PLAZA Donny Brewer & HOTEL The Dock Rockers 64 S. Water Street Phin Addicts Mobile, AL 36602 PHINS Reunion Look for the link in your email with Paul Roush Don Middlebrook Trop-Rock Music with Sunny Jim trop-rock bands… Matt Hoggatt Saturday at Lulu’s & Late Night Jams… Rhythm & Rain Steve Hopper Four days of PHUN John Friday with no worries on & John Reno Island Time in Mobile, Alabama! www.StarsFellOnAlabama.orgwww.StarsFellOnAlabama.org [email protected]@gmail.com 38 39 40 41 42 43 Serving Key West and the World For Over 25 Years!

Contact Marc Hollander for ALL your promotional needs! [email protected] 305.619.4414 "Promotional Products and Apparel" KeyboardAdvertising.com. 44 45 46 TROP ROCKER of the MONTH RANDY C. MOORE By Linda Hebert

“Have a good reason for doing what you do because your reasons usually mean a lot more than any material gain. I’ve been fortunate enough to spend my life playing music and have been able to pay my bills, but I’m not under the preconceived notion that the music industry is a money maker. I tell people all of the time whenever I’m working on something, that I know this looks like a long shot, but the fact of being able to get up and do something with our lives everyday, is a long shot.

And if you’re gonna sell me something, make sure that the price is right and make sure that it is the real thing because anybody can sell something that’s made of plastic but looks like the real thing! ”

That was his response when asked if he had any advice for aspiring songwriters. With wisdom like that, yes, Randy C. Moore, phans do want to see more from you!

So Trop Rock phans, please enjoy this “Moore” in depth look into what this musician and his current Trop Rock chart toppers are all about.

Q. In addition to songwriting and vocals, which instruments do you play?

“I use a multiple of instruments in the studio to create those sounds for recordings but on stage, I play guitar, five string banjo and the mandolin.”

Q. How did you get started playing music?

“When I was in middle school, my friends and I had a lot of fun playing mostly ‘The Jackson Five’ type of songs. One day I came home and told my mother, ‘Hey, me and the guys are going to get instruments and be in a band.’ And she said, ‘Oh really, what instrument are you going to play?’ And I told her that I’d like to play the drums but she said, ‘Oh no you’re not! You’re going to play the guitar like Elvis Presley!’ So my guitar playing was mom’s selection!

Continued on page 48

47 RANDY C. MOORE Continued from page 47

Q. And since then, did you ever go back and pursue the drums?

“No, but I do envy the drummers in the bands that I go to see, at least while I’m watching them play. However I do not envy watching them having to unpack and re-pack all of that stuff for each gig!”

Q. Can you tell us more about your mom--

“Yes, her name was Evelyn and she was my biggest fan. She used to be a fashion model so she thought that I got my stage presence characteristics from her. I really was a ham from the get-go and she really encouraged that. It was such fun having such a supportive mom. She never discour- aged me pursuing a future in music. She used to say, ‘Oh well, if this is what you enjoy doing, then you should do it.’ My mom and dad were the ones that took me to places to sing around Houston, where I grew up. They arranged for me to be able to go sit-in with bands in nightclubs even when I was under age.

My dad’s name was Buzz and he was an airline pilot from Memphis. He grew up around the time that Elvis Presley and Carl Perkins and those guys were starting to make music in Memphis. My early musical influences came from his (consisting mostly of Elvis and Johnny Cash and Charlie Rich) and my brother’s ( who played The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Paul Revere and the Raiders, along with Jerry Jeff Walker and Waylon Jennings) record collections. It was a little weird when people who were my age would say ‘Well don’t you know this by the ‘Bay City Rollers?’ And I’d say, ‘I don’t like ‘The Bay City Rollers’ but I can do this Don Williams song!’ When I was a Freshman and Sopho- more in high school ‘the outlaw movement’ was in complete full swing. Willie Nelson’s picnics were going strong if you know what I mean! So the mindset of that movement might have come through in my music. Continued on page 50

48 49 RANDY C. MOORE Continued from page 49

I am sorry to say that I lost my mom and dad in the last few years and I miss them dearly. You know, when you’re growing up, you really want your parents’ approval; and when they approve of something that you like to do, it’s even more fun.”

Q. Which of your songs was your mom’s favorite?

“It’s actually one that isn’t on a CD yet but I’ll play it over the phone for you now. It was inspired by a time when my mother was praying for my brother who was fighting a life threatening condi- tion. One night she had a very vivid dream about praying for him and then waking up to find him totally fine. Years later after he recovered, she shared that story with a preacher; and he said that this all made perfect sense because in the spiritual world, a mother’s prayers for her children are given the highest priority in the kingdom of Heaven. The song is called, ‘A Mother’s Prayer.’ Q. Well now please tell us about your recently released album that has been dominating the top of the Trop Rock charts, “HWY 59”-

50 “Well regardless of previous musical endeavors, I’d say that this album is my ‘Born to Run!’ In my opinion, if Bruce Springsteen had to pin his entire career on the moment where he said, ‘Guess what-I’m Bruce Springsteen,’ it would have been the ‘Born to Run’ album. This is kind of my, ‘Okay, this is who I am,’ very personal record. All of the songs are very personal.

To tell you the truth, when I was making it, first of all, I hadn’t even planned on making a full- blown album. Second of all, I didn’t plan on necessarily putting it out there. I really made this one just for me. I’ve played music all of my life with different people and done just about every- thing in the music industry that I ever wanted to do, without the pressure of having to be a fa- mous person. But to have the opportunity to work on a project without the agenda of wanting to make people like it or like me or care what everybody thinks, can be very liberating. During the process I was thinking, ‘That’s off the table.’ This came after a couple of years of just looking inside and getting to know myself better. I think that everybody kinda has that part of life when they get to a certain point when they’ve done a lot of living on the outside but they’ve kinda ig- nored their inside. And if they do start to look inside, they might find out like I did, that ‘Wow, I never really knew that I felt that way.’ It’s like they say, ‘Why are we even going to outer space when we still have so many mysteries here on Earth?’ It was that kind of concept. I was definitely looking inward during this time. And over the course of six to eight months, it all kind of happened naturally. For instance, with the song, ‘Sunshine State of Mind,’ I started with the idea of the title line but I had no clue what it was going to mean. I was living in a little cabin in the woods out here in Tennessee and it was pretty cold (in the 20’s that night). So I had long underwear, two sweaters, house shoes and pants on, and I was sitting there with a blanket that I had heat- ed up in the dryer and a sock cap on my head and I had my guitar. As I started singing (and could actually see the breath coming out of my mouth!), the first words that came out were, ‘Mercury is falling, snowflakes are falling, roads are getting icy and slick.’ And it was off to the races after that. So I thought, ‘Okay, we’ll see where this leads to.’ Continued on page 52

51 RANDY C. MOORE Continued from page 51

And so it was with every one of the songs. It started with the beginning of the song. They never started with a catchy chorus that I was trying to write something around. It’s been very much like when I paint a picture. I imagine the picture, seeing it in my mind. And then I start at one place and I end at another. I can tell you exactly where the first and last strokes were but when I end, what’s on the canvas is not exactly what I planned on. For me, being creative like that is not necessarily religious but it’s very personal. And afterwards, if nobody really likes it, I’m still good with it because it’s something I like and have enjoyed doing. The last song, ‘Highway 59 Revisited,’ is about reminiscing, you know things I did growing up, going fishing with my dad, going swimming, those type of things. A lot of internet radio stations are giving the song, ‘Refuge’ a lot of play throughout the world. This one started out a while back with a songwriter named, Stephanie Brown, who has written some pretty big Garth Brooks songs. I met her years ago when I was selling perfume in a depart- ment store. She was a cashier there. She came up to me and said, ‘Are you a musician?’ Of course, my hair was crazy looking and I didn't look like I belonged there! So I said, ‘Well yes, I am.’ Then she said, ‘Do you write songs?’ And I said, ‘Yes, I do.’ Then she said, ‘My name’s Stephanie Brown and I write songs.’ She kept pushing me to get together to co-write with her. She is very crafty and has a lot of feeling in her lyrics. One day she handed me a piece of paper that said, ‘Refuge in the Storm’ and that was it. I said, ‘What’s this?’ and she said, ‘It’s an idea but I don’t have anything on it.’ So we messed around with it and it came out good but I just wasn’t feeling it and never did anything with it. It’s a lot like painting a house that you don’t want to live in. It looks really good but once you get inside, you’re not as at home as you thought you’d be.

52 And Iater, once I had been doing all of this looking inward stuff, I gave it another look and it pretty much rewrote itself. Then Stephanie even said, ‘That’s really not what we did but I love it!’ And I said, ‘Good, I’m glad you like it because I’m not going to change it!”

Q. So for PHlockers who may not yet know, how would you describe one of your shows?

“My show is an extension of my parents’ living room. When I was growing up, dad would hook up a PA system and mom would serve some cocktails and make a little finger food; and they and their friends would sit around and ask me to play them some stuff. You know I’ve gone on to play a number of coastal destinations over the years (Clearwater and Panama City, Florida as well as South Padre Island in Texas, for example). So having these beach locations sort of in my bag, had me realizing that it seems like when you play at the beach, everybody’s in a good mood. They walk in, in a good mood! But if they showed up somewhere else in a bad mood, and they don’t know who you are, then as a musician, you can just wind up being part of the bad wallpa- per! But with anything I ever do, I’m trying to get that feeling of that living room. When I’m playing, whatever is going on around me, whether people are dancing or eating or drinking, it’s an extension of my parents’ living room.” Continued on page 54

53 RANDY C. MOORE Continued from page 53

Q. Who in addition to your parents, has been an important part of your personal support system throughout this journey?

“Well just like most other people, I suppose there are quite a few of my friends I can depend on for support. However just like anyone else, there are a select few ( and they know who they are) who support me and love me unconditionally and for that I am blessed.”

54 When both of my parents had passed away in recent years, it kind of made me want to look inside for some strength on those things that I could no longer rely on their support for. It was time for me to have to learn how to help myself. Here’s the thing...I’ve always believed that you have to make up your mind to be happy. You can have a sense of joy and goodness about you but you still really have to make up your mind to be happy. It’s not up to the rest of the world or anybody else. But once you do that, it’s a little like dropping a pebble in a pond. When it makes little waves go out, they can reach other people around you or maybe some people you don’t even know, and maybe make them a little happier too.

And speaking of spreading joy, I really appreciate you letting me be a part of this. This means a whole lot to me. With all sincerity, it’s very flattering that somebody would want to talk to me about this stuff, especially somebody who is so respected and who reaches as many people as you guys do. So thanks a whole lot PHlockers, for making this old fella feel really good about what he’s doing.”

Well Randy, just as when we listen to your songs, the pleasure has been all ours! You, my phriend, are the real deal! So thank you for sharing your time and talent with us! We’ll keep looking for you at the top of the charts! ;)

For more about Randy, his colorful background and ordering his music, visit: http://www.highway59records.com.

55 56 57 Lone Star Luau By Eric Babin

Thom Shepherd had always dreamt of holding his own music festival after attending and performing at many of the Larry Joe Taylor Texas Music Festivals held each year in Stephenville Texas. He had watched them grow, and with each year, become larger and more successful. He discussed this with his wife, and fellow musician Coley McCabe, and they decided they could work as a team and make his dream a reality. Thom and Coley were in the Marble Falls area with Mike Nash of the Southern Drawl Band and together they discussed what it may take to pull off such an event in the Texas hill country. Together they visited a few venues to determine where the first Lone Star Luau may take place. When it came time to begin booking the artists for the lineup Thom knew he’d have himself, Coley and the Southern Drawl Band and add to the list from there. Thom had always thought if he did such an event he would make it a priority to have one of the Coral Reefers perform. He reached out to Peter Mayer who agreed to be part of the event along with his son Brendan. Thom believes the fact they had Peter on the schedule contributed to the successful ticket sales. They then added John Patti, Ben Hammond, The Detentions, Matt Hoggatt, Brittany Kingery, Rob Hill, Donny Brewer and Jesse Rice. To assist with promotion, Thom and Coley brought in Radio Trop Rock to broadcast the entire event live on the air. Thom and Coley’s original goal was to sell one hundred tickets for their first Lone Star Luau. That was the number they thought would allow them to break even on the event. Once registration opened tickets sold at such a rapid rate they realized they would need a larger venue, or as Coley put it, “we’re going to need a bigger boat”. They moved the event to Brass Hall which had a capacity of 250. They reached that number far in advance of the event date. There is no doubt in my mind they could have easily sold another one hundred tickets if the fire code allowed more folks to squeeze into the venue. 58 Conveniently, there was an empty lot across from Brass Hall. This lot began to transform into an RV park as the first day of the event approached. Eric Babin By the time the event started there were no less than fourteen RVs parked in the lot. This made the locals very curious as to what this “Lone Star Luau” thing was about. Fre- quently they’d drive through slowly to take it all in and try to figure out what was about to be going on in their small town. Some were brave enough to stop and ask questions to which Thom was more than happy for the opportunity to promote he and Coley’s event. The Detentions, 2016 Trop Rock Music Association’s Duo of the Year, opened up the weekend’s festivities with their signature style of music “Rockamole” much to the approval of the packed house. Dan Sullivan and Chris Hillier pleased the crowd with their one of a kind harmonies and hu- morous stories. Following The Detentions, Thom and Coley performed an acoustic set on stage which was followed by Donny Brewer, winner of no less than three 2016 Trop Rock Music Associa- tion awards. This first night of the first Lone Star Luau went off without a hitch. The venue was wall-to-wall smiles. This evening was very relaxed and seemed a combination “listening room” environment with small house party. All three acts performed with each other at some point which made the transition from one set to the next almost seamless. Day two began early in the afternoon with a performance by John Patti, three time TRMA Musician of the Year, and Ben Hammond, a guitar looping beat boxing singer. Following them was Matt Hoggatt, a full time police detective that has become a favorite of Parrotheads around the country. Next up was Jesse Rice, co-writer of the largest selling single in country music history, Cruise. He performed songs from his newly release Pirate Sessions III. Jesse’s performance completed the first half of the day’s events as it was time for the dinner break before part two. Continued on page 60

59 Continued from page 59

Thom and Coley kicked off the evening performing with a full band to include Johnny Do playing a Texas flag painted stand-up bass. This set resulted in the first standing ovation of the event at the completion of Coley singing the heartfelt song I Am Woman. Thom and Coley always seem to be having a great time performing together, however, you could tell this time they were enjoying themselves a little bit more knowing their first attempt at hosting a music festival was going so well. If you can’t get Jimmy Buffett to perform at your event you hire the next best thing, a Coral Reefer. Peter Mayer, and his son Brendan, dazzled the crowd with their original songs, and of course some Buffett favorites, but the highlight of this set may have been the impromptu sing alongs as they played through some classic Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel songs. This could be the most quiet I’ve ever witnessed 250 people collectively be. Peter and Brendan ended their performance by going “unplugged” as they stepped down from the stage and performed “Faith In Angels” in the audience. The Detentions, Dan Sullivan and Chris Hillier

60 Southern Drawl Band , TRMA’s Band Of The Year, closed out the evening with a high energy performance belting out their “southern rock country” and beachin’ tunes. Southern Drawl Band has a unique ability to adapt to the setting, from stadiums, to bars, and sometimes even on back porch- es, they always adjust to the perfect style for the setting. This time was no different as they had the audience dancing and singing along with each tune. Mike Nash mentioned about the Lonestar Luau that “it was better than Debbie doin’ Dallas”. Rob Hill and Brittany Kingery, the final act for the weekend, played for Sunday’s “Bloody Mary Brunch”. This was Brittany’s first stateside performance in almost six months. The “brunch” consist- ed of Texas style breakfast tacos and of course, Bloody Mary's. Rob and Brittany began their performance at eleven with Brittany having to use a borrowed ukulele since hers was destroyed during the flight in from Mexico. Rob and Brittany took a break just after noon to allow the audience to hit the bar for their first Bloody Mary’s since Texas law does not allow alcohol sales prior to noon. Continued on page 62 Left: John Patti. Right: Brittany Kingery

61 Continued from page 61

The first Lone Star Luau was a smashing success. As I would scan the crowd during each of the shows it seemed everyone was having the time of their lives. It was not uncommon for artists to join each other on stage as it seems each set included some sort of “all-star jam”. It’s a rare combination to have such an event that results in the artists being just as happy as the audience. The entire weekend seemed like a family reunion in which you shared great times with distant cousins you haven’t seen in a while as you also bond with cousins you may have never met until then.

When asked about how they felt the event went Thom and Coley shared this:

Donny Brewer

62 “For a first year event, the Lone Star Luau went off without a hitch. We were extremely happy with how the event was received, almost everyone we talked to said the same thing, “how did you pull this off???” We are really proud of the lineup we put together and we plan on another great line up next year. Our goal was to have a real “Wow” factor to the event, and we think we achieved that. So many people we talked to were really thrilled with how it turned out, how many magic moments there were throughout the weekend, and some even suggested it might even be the Event of the Year. That makes us proud. “

“If we had to change anything, it would be having a bigger venue, which we are definitely doing next year. We liked the intimacy of Brass Hall but wish that more people could have seen the shows. We want to continue to grow our event each year, and next year’s venue is twice as large. We’d also like to get the city of Marble Falls more involved next year. We want to make the Lone Star Luau the “must see” event of the year and we feel like we are off to an incredible start. Thanks to everyone who came and all our sponsors for supporting our vision and making our dream a reality.” Continued on page 64

John Patti performs with Southern Drawl Band

63 Continued from page 63

Lone Star Luau 2 is already scheduled. It will take place at the 6,200 square foot Lakeside Pavilion February 2-4, 2018. The host hotel will be the Hampton Inn and reservations may be made by calling 830-798-1895. Be sure to mention the special rate code “LS2”. There will also be RV park- ing nearby. For more information keep an eye on Thom and Coley’s website, ThomAndColey.com.

I’d like to send a special thank you to Thom and Coley for allowing us to broadcast the entire event live on RadioTropRock.com and also for inviting us back next year to do the same. They’ve also allowed me to use recordings of the shows for our Trop Rockin’ The USA Radio Show.

Stoney Gabel

64 A very special “thank you” is owed to Jeff Cohen of Moonshine Images for providing all the pictures used in this article.

Top Left: Matt Hoggatt. Top Right: Ben Hammond. Bottom: Brendan Mayer and Peter Mayer.

65 Where to Find “Trop Rock” On The Radio -Satellite Radio- Radio A1A Sirius Satellite Radio/Radio Margaritaville *Big Burrito Radio: Mad Marty and Dan *Island Time Radio Show: DK the DJ *Live from the Red Neck Riviera- Thom Shepherd *Radio A1A * Beachbar Radio * Beachlife Radio *Beachfront Radio Last.fm * Radio Trop Rock via Tunein.com * Permanent Vacation Radio * Radio Trop Rock * Songwriters-Island Summer Wind Radio Songwriters Island Radio * Southernmost Radio  The Shore

 The Tiki Man Radio

 The Tiki Pod Tiki Island Radio * Party In Paradise * Tropic Wall Radio

66 67 IN MEMORIUM GEORGE DAN “BUD” BYRUM

Great friend, great man… Bud was the percussionist with Jerry Diaz and Hanna’s Reef, from Port Arthur, Texas. Bud, you are loved and will be missed by so many. Here’s to you, here’s to me! 68