Canaveral Pier Postcard
Cocoa Beach (Fla.)
Beaches--Florida
A postcard depicting the Canaveral Pier in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Now called the Cocoa Beach Pier, planning for the pier began in 1925, following the began election of Gus C. Edwards as mayor, although pier was not constructed until 1962. The Canaveral Pier offered a "grandstand seat" for spacecraft launches from Cape Canaveral, then called Cape Kennedy, during Project Mercury, Project Apollo, and the Space Shuttle program. The pier was also the hub for surfing in Cocoa Beach, which was known as the Surfing Capital of the East Coast. In 1983, the Canaveral Pier underwent modeling and expansion, and its name was changed to the Cocoa Beach Pier the following year. This photographic postcard likely shows the pier in the 1960s.
Original 9 x 14 centimeter color photographic postcard: Private Collection of Bob Van Horn.
Central Florida Distributors
Van Horn, Bob
application/pdf
eng
Still Image
Canaveral Pier, Cocoa Beach, Florida
The Tropics in Red Costumes
Tropics (Musical group)
Tampa (Fla.)
Cocoa Beach (Fla.)
Music--Florida
Rock bands--Florida
Rock music--United States
Rhythm and blues music--United States
R&B (Music)
Musicians--Southern States
The Tropics, a Tampa-based band, wearing red and white costumes. From left to right is Bobby Shea, Mel Dryer, Buddy Pendergrass, Eric Turner, and Charlie Souza. The Tropics, also known as "The Bitchin' Red Band" when performing on the Pier in Cocoa Beach, were founded in 1964 in Tampa, Florida, consisting of Buddy Pendergrass on guitar and keyboard, Eric Turner on guitar and vocals, Mel Dryer on lead vocals, Bobby Shea on drums, and Charlie Souza on bass guitar and vocals. They were performing around the state and the Southeastern United States by the summer of 1965, opening for popular acts such as The Who, The Young Rascals, and Herman's Hermits. The band won the 1966 International Battle of the Bands at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois, taking first place over 441 bands, including future successful acts like Tommy James and the Shondells and Chicago. This won the group a recording contract with Columbia Records, where they recorded the single, "Take the Time," which was played on Dick Clark's <em>American Bandstand</em>, and topped the local charts. Pendergrass and Shea would later form the glam rock band, White Witch, in 1971.
Original color photograph: <a href="http://www.tampabaymusichistory.com/bands-artists.php" target="_blank">Profiles: Bands & Artists</a>, Tampa Bay Music Scene Historical Society.
<a href="http://www.tampabaymusichistory.com/" target="_blank">Tampa Bay Music Scene Historical Society</a>
image/jpg
eng
Still Image
Tampa, Florida
Cocoa Beach Pier, Cocoa Beach, Florida