“The story of a state long denied its place in soul capitals. Capouya tells quite a tale, taking us from the legends RC to KC; from Jackie Moore to Sam Moore; to many more.”—Jeffrey M. Lemlich, author of Savage Lost: Florida Garage Bands, the ‘60s and Beyond
“Capouya reaches back over eighty years to tell the often overlooked history of Florida’s vibrant soul music scene, painting the music and its makers with sympathetic insight and an eye for detail.”—Michael Lydon, author of Ray Charles: Man and Music
“Engaging and comprehensive. Spotlighting the rich and underappreciated histories of R&B, soul, funk, and disco in Florida, Capouya contributes greatly to our understanding of the music and its contexts.”—Charles L. Hughes, author of Country Soul: Making Music and Making Race in the American South
“Shows us the great artists who changed the nation’s music and culture. A superb read.”—William McKeen, author of Everybody Had an Ocean: Music and Mayhem in 1960s Los Angeles
“Capouya smoothly weaves together the diverse sounds of one of the key regions in American music history. He discusses Florida history, soul knowledge, and the arc of uneven racial progress and does it as gracefully as a Timmy Thomas wail.”—RJ Smith, author of The One: The Life and Music of James Brown
“Compelling. . . .Given how much great regional American soul music remains to be rediscovered, analyzed and archived, Mr. Capouya is to be commended. The casual fan will enjoy dipping in and out of these stand-alone stories; the hard-core fanatic will relish wading deep into the musical waters.”—Wall Street Journal
“Entertaining and colorful . . . Assures that the Sunshine State gets its due alongside the musical hubs of Detroit, Memphis, and New Orleans.”—Publishers Weekly
“Capouya adds a significant entry to the scholarship on soul music. . . . Throughout these profiles, a portrait of how racial segregation and post–Civil Rights Act integration in Florida affected both black and white musicians emerges. . . . Essential.”—Library Journal
“[Capouya] looks at the music not only as entertainment but as an expression of the culture and history that surrounded it.”—Tampa Bay Times
“As Mr. Capouya brings the epoch, the genre and its creative music-makers to life, he shapes eloquent personality portraits that bring us inside the lives and minds of dozens of individuals we would not otherwise get to know.”—Florida Weekly
“Prove[s] that Florida does—and always did—have a whole lot of soul.”—Creative Loafing Tampa
“An engaging and informative read. . . . An important resource on a music scene that’s never been fully documented within a single volume, adding greatly to our understanding of American music.”—Black Grooves
“Capouya allows the singers, producers, and musicians to tell their stories in their own words and to reveal the many hours they put into practicing and rehearsing their songs to tighten their harmonies and the challenges they often faced in a racially segregated society.”—No Depression
