News, island living tips, interviews with Trop Rock artists, and travel notes from the Caribbean & Gulf Coast.
Welcome back. This is Trop Rock Thom, and I wanted to turn this week’s episode into a quick blog post so you can catch the highlights even if you missed the audio.
First things first — my heart and prayers are with everyone along the northern Gulf Coast as this storm pushes through Pensacola, Destin, and up into Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas. Check on your neighbors, stay safe, and let’s hope it fizzles out into something we can laugh about later.
There’s still plenty of live music happening across Florida and Alabama. One act worth catching is the Trop Rock Junkies. They’ve got some great Key West dates later this month — Sunset Pier, Schooner Wharf Bar, and Rams Head. Perfect excuse to soak up that October sunshine.
Speaking of big adventures, Sonny Jim White is putting together a group cruise next summer called Lands of the Midnight Sun. It sails June 28 through July 8, 2027, following the old Viking routes through Denmark, Norway, Scotland, and Iceland. Only a few cabins left, and booking through his site saves you a serious chunk of change. A tropical troubadour heading for the Arctic Circle — you’ve got to love this genre.
A quick note on the podcast itself: I’m tweaking the format. You’ll start seeing more artist spotlights mid-week and a weekly roundup. Shorter segments, maybe one longer one when the schedule allows. Your feedback helped shape this, and I’m grateful the show keeps growing.
Two weeks from now, Key West hosts Trop Rockin’ Duval. We’ll be talking all week about who’s playing, including a couple of special solo shows and a tribute set.
That brings me to today’s artist spotlight — James “Sunny Jim” White. This guy was living the island life long before Trop Rock had a name. He spent twelve years as the artist-in-residence at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cayman, soaking up the sun, sea, and local vibe and pouring it all into his songs. Around 2000 he settled on Florida’s Suncoast near Sarasota, where he still lives.
He’s released ten albums of original music — beach songs, romantic ballads, upbeat reggae, the whole mix. Recent records include Changing Tides and It’s Still Summer Somewhere. Tracks like “King of the Beach,” “Last Call at the Big Bamboo Lounge,” “Southwest Florida Pearl,” “Tropicool,” and “Where’s My Mojo” get steady spins on Trop Rock radio. He sells the CDs the old-fashioned way at his shows and is a fixture on the house-concert circuit through Texas, Florida, Alabama, and everywhere in between.
Here’s what tells you how he’s wired: earlier this year he and his band got T-boned at a red light in South Texas. Van totaled, everyone banged up. Most folks would have parked it for a while. Sonny Jim got back on the road. That’s a Trop Rock troubadour.
You can catch him at Trop Rockin’ Duval with two solo shows at the Backstage Listening Room at the Key West Theater on Eaton Street. Thursday, October 29 from 4–6 is “The Cayman Years.” Friday, October 30 from 1–3 is “The Florida Years.” Then on Saturday the 31st he joins the Jim Morris tribute on the main stage. After that it’s a run of Texas house concerts in November and Trop Rockin’ New Year’s Eve.
For the song feature I stayed with the spotlight artist. “King of the Beach” from Changing Tides is pure feel-good island groove with a melody that’ll ring a bell for any Roger Miller fan. It’s not about escaping to the beach for a week — it’s about the people who built a whole life around it. Crowds start singing before the chorus even hits. Look it up, give it a spin, and maybe grab a copy. Sonny Jim wouldn’t mind.
With the storm rolling through, a lot of our island family is doing what we always do: boarding windows, packing coolers, charging phones, and turning the prep into a gathering. Someone fires up the grill, someone else shows up with a hurricane playlist of island songs. After the storm, this community shines even brighter with benefit shows, potlucks, and musicians showing up to help. We saw it at Parrot Fest last week. Let’s hope we don’t need it again this weekend.
Big welcome to all the new listeners finding Trop Rock Talk this week. Thanks to everyone sharing the episodes with your Parrothead clubs and tiki-bar crews — you’re the reason this little show keeps growing. And a huge thank-you to Sonny Jim White for being our very first artist spotlight. Follow him on Instagram, and if you catch a show, tell him Trop Rock Talk has him in our sights.
That’s it for now. Be careful out there, take care of each other, and keep trop rocking.
— Trop Rock Thom