Historic -- Educational -- Entertaining -- and Fun! Exciting New LIVE Show: Songs of the Sunshine State
There are Florida songs you've probably never heard of, like Irving Berlin's Florida By The Sea, from the Marx Brothers comedy, The Cocoanuts. (That's the sheet music pictured above.) The Cocoanuts, a 1929 movie based on The Marx Brothers' Bradway show of the same name, took place at the height of the Florida land boom, in a mythical Florida land development, Coconut Beach.	Gary Lawrence and company present Songs of the Sunshine State, a special tribute to nature's paradise on earth, featuring new and original songs, as well as standards about Florida, performed in the Dixieland and Swing style of The Sizzling Syncopators, along with an topical historical narration, relating the songs to Florida history and Florida today. Bandleader Gary Lawrence (Don't tell the kids, but it's actually educational!) Songs of the Sunshine State is an unforgettable musical treat for visitors and residents of Florida: the world's #1 Vacation Destination! Listen to demos from Songs of the Sunshine State!

Enjoy these demos from Songs of the Sunshine State!
Florida Shines	Florida Shines has recently been in consideration to become the official state welcome song. Its lively shuffle rhythm and bright outlook certainly reflect the up-beat vitality of modern Florida! This demo of Florida Shines features tenor Frank Scafuri.
Moon Over Miami	Hollywood helped to turn south Florida into a tourist destination The 1941 film Moon Over Miami, starring Don Ameche and Betty Grable, featured the lovely ballad bearing the film's name. Listen to this demo of Moon Over Miami by Gary Lawrence and his Sizzling Syncopators.
Old Folks at Home (a/k/a Way Down Upon the Swanee River)	Since 1935, Florida's state song has been Stephen Foster's Old Folks at Home (also known as Way Down Upon the Swanee River) which was composed a century and a half ago, back in 1851. (Did you know that the real name of that river is Suwanee, but it had too many syllables for the song?) Enjoy this demo, big band style, by the Sizzling Syncopators.
Tallahassee	In the 1947 Bing Crosby/Bob Hope film Variety Girl (illustrated at right), Bing paid tribute to Tallahassee, capital of the Sunshine State, with the song Tallahassee. This demo of Tallahassee features the Dixieland sounds of the Sizzling Syncopators.
Florida Among the Palms	Probably the earliest song to promote Florida tourism was Irving Berlin's 1912 composition, Florida Among the Palms.
Miami Beach Rumba	Composed in 1946 at the height of the Rumba craze, Miami Beach Rumba proudly celebrates the huge contribution the Cuban people have made to south Florida's culture and lifestyle. Enjoy this demo of Miami Beach Rumba.
Orange Blossom Special	The most well-known recording of The Orange Blossom Special may be Johnny Cash's country version. But this demo of The Orange Blossom Special is an example of the Dixieland sounds of the Sizzling Syncopators.
Orange Blossom Song	Sung in the Dade County Schools in the 1950s, The Orange Blossom Song was almost forgotten. But the Sizzling Syncopators have revived it.
Havin' a Great Time, Wish You Were Here	Havin' a Great Time, Wish You Were Here, a brand new song by Gary Lawrence, truly echoes the sentiments of all the millions of tourists who visit Florida, the Sunshine State, each year. This demo of Havin' a Great Time, Wish You Were Here features tenor Frank Scafuri.
Interested? Request a demo of the Songs of the Sunshine State program. (Please include information about your company or organization, audience, etc.)

The Sizzling Syncopators Story Back in the late 1970s and 1980s, Gary Lawrence and his Sizzling Syncopators were among the most sought-after musical attractions in south Florida. They did dozens of concerts for various municipalities (including Miami, Hollywood, Pompano Beach, West Palm Beach, Sunrise and Plantation), museums, colleges, libraries, and special events, including the PACE concerts. The Sizzling Syncopators were featured at The Sunrise Musical Theatre and The Theatre of Performing Arts (now Jackie Gleason Theatre). Gary Lawrence and his Sizzling Syncopators were also the subject of many feature articles in the Miami Herald, the Hollywood Sun-Tattler, the Sun-Sentinel, and Miami Magazine. In 1982, they even had their own feature program on Miami's PBS affiliate, WPBT (channel 2). They were also profiled on the nationally-syndicated PM Magazine. Their recordings received critical acclaim from prestigious publications such as Billboard, The New York Times, and Audio magazine, to name a few. However, shortly after the Channel 2 program, at the height of the group's popularity, Gary Lawrence retired from public performance to pursue other interests. Great news! The Syncopators are back! Last year, Gary Lawrence unveiled the new group at Miami Beach's historic Art Deco Weekend. The new Syncopators not only perform the great 1920s music featured on the group's three albums, but they also feature a musical look at Florida's tourism from the boom era to the present, Songs of the Sunshine State. They are currently available for cultural series, community oncerts, corporate events, festivals and private parties. One listen is worth a thousand words, so we invite you to audition The Sizzling Syncopators today. To celebrate the return of the Sizzling Syncopators, for a limited time -- save $100 on specially-selected performances. Just mention this Announcement! For more info, or to book the show for your organization, call Mrs. K at (954) 346-8863. That's FIN-TUNE!