John Capouya Earns Florida Historical Society 2018 Charlton Tebeau Award

John Capouya’s book, Florida Soul: From Ray Charles to KC and the Sunshine Band, has earned the Florida Historical Society 2018 Charlton Tebeau Award for a general interest book on a Florida history topic.

The little-known origin of The Twist is just one story Capouya chronicles in the book, whose origins began with an article Capouya wrote for The Tampa Bay Times on the 50th anniversary of Chubby Checker’s Twist and the role Hank Ballard played.

The project, which took six years, involved a great deal of travel around the state, and Capouya is grateful for the support he got from UT in the form of grants and a year-long sabbatical.

“The ultimate goal,’’ the author says, “was to add something to the scholarship and understanding of soul music in this country, to make fans and historians aware that Florida deserves to be considered one of the true soul capitals. And I’m satisfied; based on the feedback I’ve been getting I think I’ve done that.’’

The award is named in honor of the late Charlton W. Tebeau, longtime University of Miami history professor and author of the acclaimed book, "A History of Florida," among others.

Read more about Capouya’s Florida Soul: From Ray Charles to KC and the Sunshine Band.