Secretary of State Ken Detzner and the Florida Department of State today announced the launch of Florida Rocks! on FloridaMusicTours.com. Florida Rocks! highlights the Sunshine State’s place in rock and roll history. Florida was an incubator of major rock and roll talent with many prominent and influential rock and roll musicians coming out of Florida including Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Don Felder (formerly of The Eagles), Lynyrd Skynyrd and Jim Morrison – all members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
“Rock and roll flourished in Florida beginning in the late 1960s and some of the genre’s greatest musicians and most famous recording studios have roots in our state,” said Secretary Detzner. “Through Florida Rocks! on Florida Music Tours, we are excited to share the rich history of rock and roll in the Sunshine State and places where the music is still thriving today.”
The Florida Department of State is partnering with Fifth and Thomas and the Melody Trucks Band to host a launch event for Florida Rocks! this Friday, December 14 at 9:30 p.m. at Fifth and Thomas in Tallahassee in conjunction with a concert by the Melody Trucks Band.
“To me, it’s important to remember that music provides a sense of community,” said Melody Trucks of the Melody Trucks Band. “Music has a way of bringing people together for no other reason but their love for music. The Melody Trucks Band, hailing from Jacksonville, is fortunate to be part of one of the richest, most diverse and most inclusive music communities around. Florida Music Tours seeks to provide a digital way to bring people together for their love of music and its rich history and heritage in Florida. I am honored help launch the Florida Rocks! music tour at our concert in Tallahassee.”
FloridaMusicTours.com is an educational, travel and media website that spotlights Florida’s important role in American musical history and promotes the state as a top destination for music enthusiasts. Each Florida Music Tour acts as an interactive guide to a musical genre or style that takes a visitor through Florida’s musical history and across the state to where that music originated and where it can be heard today.
Shannon Moore of Fifth and Thomas said, “Fifth and Thomas provides both food and music that feeds the soul. Music houses and venues have long been gathering places for artists and music lovers to connect and enjoy the sustenance that music provides. We strive to maintain that tradition here and are honored to be a part of the Florida Rocks!music tour.”
Launched in 2017, the debut Florida Music Tour Florida’s Got the Blues spotlights the history of blues music in Florida as well as related genres of gospel, jazz and rhythm and blues. In the coming months, additional Florida Music Tours will be added that feature Latin American and Caribbean music, as well as other genres.
Start your Florida Music Tour today by visiting FloridaMusicTours.com and following Florida Music Tours on Facebook and Twitter.
Office of Cultural, Historical and Information Programs
The Office of Cultural, Historical and Information Programs (OCHIP) encompasses the Secretary of State’s responsibilities as the state’s Chief Cultural Officer and as custodian of the state’s seal, laws and records, and includes programs and activities administered by the Division of Cultural Affairs, the Division of Historical Resources and the Division of Library and Information Services. The Office is responsible for promoting the historical, archaeological, museum, arts, folk culture, library, archives, records management, laws and administrative code programs of the Department.
