A record warehouse in Hialeah put Florida on the soul and funk map. Henry Stone's TK Records, founded there in 1972, was home to KC and the Sunshine Band, and its writers handed George McCrae "Rock Your Baby," often called the first disco hit. Further back, Ray Charles grew up in Greenville in North Florida, studied music at the state school for the deaf and blind in St. Augustine, then moved to Jacksonville to start working as a musician.
Where the tours land
Big R&B tours play the arenas in Miami, Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville, and the casino resorts keep a steady run of soul and R&B in their theaters. Package tours with three or four slow jam favorites on one bill turn up often at the performing arts centers, a good fit for a crowd that would rather have a real seat than a spot on the floor.
Funk on the waterfront
Jacksonville's jazz festival, held downtown over Memorial Day weekend with much of it free, books plenty of funk and soul alongside the jazz. Check the festival's rules on chairs and bags, find some shade near the river and pace yourself, because the music runs late.
Local calendars for Miami and Jacksonville narrow the list. For the rest of the family tree, see hip hop and jazz and blues.
