This book celebrates Florida’s overlooked contribution to soul music

From Ray Charles to T.K. Records…

America’s Sunshine State isn’t always the first (or fifth) place people think of as a capital of soul, but a new book is hoping to change that.

Read more: Vice and Virtue: 10 super rare Miami soul 45s

Florida Soul: From Ray Charles to KC and the Sunshine Band tells the story of Florida’s rich music background and influence, centred around Henry Stone’s iconic Miami label T.K. Records.

Author John Capouya weaves this history largely using interviews with musicians from the scene who are still alive today, like Sam Moore of Sam and Dave, and Timmy Thomas, who showed Capouya how he created the chord changes and bass line for ‘Why Can’t We Live Together’ on his home keyboard.

“Cities like Detroit (Motown) and Memphis (Stax and Hi Records) each have one or at most two recognisable soul sounds. But Florida is so big and the styles so diverse that most soul fans—even diehards—haven’t put the whole musical mosaic together,” said Capouya to University Press of Florida.

Head here to order a copy.