Florida

There is no official state waltz for Florida although from 1913 to 1935, the state song, Florida, My Florida, was in waltz form - 3/4 time.  The words were by Rev. C.V. Waugh put to the tune of O Tannenbaum so the tune did not invite dancing. In 1935, Florida, My Florida was replaced by Swanee River. But, if the state should choose to return the state song to a waltz, there are at least fifteen versions of a Florida Waltz that the state could consider.

The most listened to Florida waltz on YouTube is Vassar Clements' Florida Waltz recorded in the album Southern Country Waltzes in 1970. From a contact with Patricia Sharman through the excellent Take's Blugrass Album Channel, I learned that the information on the Southern Country Waltzes album indicates that Clements' band is playing the Florida Waltz composed by J. Winter in 1844. You can hear Clements' Florida Waltz below and find a simplified transcription score at the bottom of this blog.

Interestingly, the sheet music for that 1844,  Florida Waltz by J. Winter being played by Vassar Clements can be found on the Library of Congress website. A MIDI performance of the piece can be found in the video below. Careful listeners may find it difficult to find the same song in the two versions.  Perhaps this is the folk process in action, or perhaps it just a mistake somewhere in the chain of information since 1844.

There are two other songs titled Florida Waltz in the Library of Congress collection:

• an 1872 version by A.E. Polack published by John Church and Company, Cincinnati.  The piano score may be viewed here.  This is a parlor waltz, not meant for dancing or singing but rather to show off piano skills.

• an 1876 version by Louis Wallach published by Charles W. Harris, New York. The piano score may be viewed here.  It is an elegant waltz, no doubt dance-able in its era.

As the 19th century turned to the 20th, Newport, R.I. was America's first real resort.  A major entertainment attraction in Newport was the daily concert at the Casino by Henry Conrad's Orchestra.  Admission was fifty cents - not cheap in those days.  Conrad later moved his orchestra to New York City and became a popular society band. He also began to record for Edison records. In 1921, he recorded Waltz Florida which was available on both Edison cylinders and disk. The composer of Waltz Florida is unknown but you can still hear the music just as Edison recorded it in the video below.

While there are no video or mp3 versions of them to share there followed several other Florida waltzes.

• In 1920, Joseph Anthus composed a Florida Waltz which was available in sheet music.
• In 1924, The Florida Waltz by E.S. Fairchild was published in Perry's Musical Magazine.
• The date is unknown but sheet music exists for a Florida Waltz by Joseph A. Anthus
• Sometime in the 1960's there were three 45 rpm records released with Florida waltzes: Bruce Eller composed and performed The Florida Waltz on a 45 rpm on the Tropical label; Donald Johns recorded a vocal Florida Waltz on the NSD label; and Roger Smith recorded Florida Sunshine Waltz composed by Frank Patterson on the Abalone label.

There are five more recent Florida waltzes.  Perhaps the most unusual one is The Florida Waltz by Frank Loconto, a member of a 50's trio known as the Lane Brothers whose big hit was a ladies fashion protest song, Boppin' in a Sack. For many years you could hear Loconto singing with his friends every Sunday at Mango's Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale. He is well connected musically and politically and counts Bob Graham, former Presidential candidate, Senator and Governor of Florida among his friends.  In 1978, then Governor Graham helped officially open Loconto's FXL Sound Studios in Florida.  At some date between 1978 and  2010, Graham recorded a recitation of When I Think of Florida, perhaps written by Loconto, over a symphonic version (perhaps played by the Sunrise Pops) of The Florida Waltz probably composed by Loconto.  It was apparently never released as a recording but is available on YouTube:

Second on the unusual scale is a protest song lamenting the despoiling of Florida, written in 2008 by singer/song writer Scotty Lee Rexroad - The Last Florida Waltz.  It was written to bring attention to the Florida Hometown Democracy Amendment 4 and was first introduced at the Sweet Water Sunday Market and Music Series. Sadly, amendment 4 did not pass but the The Last Florida Waltz survives:

Number one on the feel-good scale is Florida Waltz (One, Two, Three, Florida) written by Larry Whitler, a singer/song writer from Ocala, Florida.  Whitler is also a radio personality and artist.  In 2014, it was recorded on an album of the same name by My Uncle's Friends with Whitler on vocal and accordion. You can enjoy it here:

Our Florida Waltz by Malcolm McKenney was released 2009 on McKenney's album My Home Florida. McKinney currently lives in southeastern Florida and has a long track record as a composer dating back to Jonathan Edward's Sugar Creek band in 60's.  He has at least four other albums out under his own name and is a frequent performer on the folk circuit in Florida.  This is a great song to listen to but no one is going to dance a waltz to Our Florida Waltz although they might get a high school slow dance out of it - it is really a duple ballad with triplets on every beat.

And finally, a very nice instrumental Florida Waltz performed on solo guitar by Robert Boggs.  It sounds traditional but a personal communication with Boggs indicates that he is indeed the composer of the piece.

What has been left out: The Library of Congress indicates that there is an 1879 song titled The Florida Waltz by Henry Kleber, published by Firth Pond and Co., New York. However, if you look at the piano score you will discover that it is actually The Florilla Waltz. Even the Library of Congress makes mistakes. If you know of other Florida waltzes that have been left out, please leave a comment.

As promised, here is a simple score for the Florida Waltz approximately as played by Vassar Clements:

Clements actually plays this in the key of E.  It has been transposed here to the easier-to-play key of D.

Return to the Index of State Waltzes.