International Battle of the Bands Official Certificate

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Dublin Core

Title

International Battle of the Bands Official Certificate

Alternative Title

Battle of the Bands Certificate

Subject

Tropics (Musical group)
Chicago (Ill.)
Tampa (Fla.)
Music--Florida
Rock bands--Florida
Rock music--United States
Rhythm and blues music--United States
R&B (Music)
Musicians--Southern States

Description

International Battle of the Bands Official Certificate for The Tropics, a Tampa-based band. The certificate proclaims, "Be it known that the bearer of this certificate has actively participated in the 1966 International Battle of the Bands at McCormick Place, Chicago, Illinois." McCormick Place is located at 2301 South Martin Luther King Drive.

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 American Bandstand, and topped the local charts. Pendergrass and Shea would later form the glam rock band, White Witch, in 1971.

Source

Original certificate, 1966: Profiles: Bands & Artists, Tampa Bay Music Scene Historical Society.

Date Created

1966-07-30

Is Format Of

Is Part Of

Profiles: Bands & Artists, Tampa Bay Music Scene Historical Society.
Rock Collection, Central Florida Music History Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.

Format

image/jpg

Extent

87.4 KB

Medium

1 certificate

Language

eng

Type

Text

Coverage

Tampa, Florida
McCormick Place, Chicago, Illinois

Accrual Method

Donation

Mediator

History Teacher
Humanities Teacher
Music Teacher

Provenance

Rights Holder

Copyright to this resource is held by Tampa Bay Music Scene Historical Society and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.

Curator

Cravero, Geoffrey

External Reference

"The Tropics." TampaBayMusicHistory.com. http://www.tampabaymusichistory.com/the-tropics.php.

Document Item Type Metadata

Original Format

1 newspaper article

Collection

Citation

“International Battle of the Bands Official Certificate,” RICHES, accessed December 22, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/5457.

Locations

Categories