Florida Studio Theatre opens its winter cabaret season with “Sailing: Yacht Rock and Beyond.”
Coined in 2005, “yacht rock” refers to a musical genre that originated in the late ‘70s and was over by 1985. But, says Florida Studio Theatre Associate Director Catherine Randazzo, it’s more popular than ever.
“Heightened harmonies, great love stories, songs that you remember when you were driving in your car, picking up your date, going out, reminiscing,” Randazzo explained.
In a nutshell, yacht rock is smooth, melodic soft rock with very polished production. Layered harmonies and big arrangements are key to the sound. There’s a significant jazz influence on display, as well as soul and R&B.
New to the term? You’re not alone. For that, Randazzo has a quick fix.
“If you were to go to your device, if you were streaming music like on Spotify or Apple Music or Amazon Music, and you said, 'hey, Siri,' or 'hey, Alexa … play Yacht Rock,'” Randazzo said. “And then they [would say] 'Now playing Yacht Rock Essentials.' And there it is.”
The yacht rock playlist on Spotify has more than 1.6 million followers and SiriusXM dedicates an entire channel to yacht rock.
“It's kind of this hip culture now that they want to listen to their favorite tunes and it makes them think of 'Sailing,' Christopher Cross. So, we called it “Sailing: Yacht Rock and Beyond,” Randazzo added.
Think “What a Fool Believes,” by the Doobie Brothers; “Peg,” by Steely Dan; “Baby Come Back,” by Player; and “Lowdown,” by Boz Scaggs.
“They evoke a feeling of being relaxed, being out on the water, kicking your feet up, having a beer, watching the sunset … talking of lost love,” Randazzo said.
“Sailing” opens Sept. 23 and runs through Feb. 7.
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This breezy musical revue charts a course through the songs that became the soundtrack to romance, adventure, heartbreak, and endless summer nights. “Sailing: Yacht Rock and Beyond” features favorites like "Sailing," "Margaritaville," "Brandy," "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)," "Arthur's Theme," and more, and part of the fun is discovering which songs Richard Hopkins included in the show.
The show features four performers.
“We've got returning from last season's ‘One Hit Wonders,’ Lorenzo Pugliese,” said Randazzo. “He is just a dynamic performer, amazing vocalist, can sing anything, harmonizes beautifully, has great personality, can do comedy, can do serious. He connects with music. He's an old soul.”
Pugliese, who hails from Scranton, Pennsylvania, is also an actor and songwriter. He’s been in national tours as SpongeBob in “The SpongeBob Musical,” and Sonny Bono in “The Cher Show.” You can stream his music under the pseudonym "Valerian" on Spotify and Apple Music.
“And then we have another returning member who actually was in our summer cabaret series twice but hasn't been in our winter cabaret series yet,” added Randazzo. “His name is J.D. Daw. And we were introduced to him through ‘Jersey Tenors’ and our CCR group, our Creedence Clearwater group. He's this great rock crooner type, perfect for yacht rock, handsome guy. Well, two handsome guys that just melt everybody's hearts.”
Daw has also appeared Off-Off-Broadway in “I Love My Family, But… “ Daw opened both the Cosmopolitan Cabaret in Sacramento and the Pittsburgh CLO Cabaret playing Jinx in “Forever Plaid.” He recently wrote, produced and starred in “The Wizard Next Door,” a web series coming out soon on YouTube. See more here: https://filmfreeway.com/JDDaw.
“We are also introducing two new women to us, Talitha [McDougall Jones] and Gemma [Pedersen],” said Randazzo. “They're joining us for the first time, but great vocalists, great energy, storytellers, very connected to music, real pros.”
Jones is an NYC-based actress, singer, and comedian. She could not envision a more joyous way to spend the winter than singing Yacht Rock in sunny Sarasota with FST. Her regional credits Include “Little Shop of Horrors” (Audrey) “Oklahoma!” (Laurey), “Grease” (Frenchy), “Shrek” (Gingy) “Kinky Boots” (Lauren), “Waitress” (Dawn), “Seussical” (Mayzie), “Big Fish” (Sandra Bloom), “Rock of Ages” (Sherrie), “Carousel,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Annie” and more.
Jones holds a bachelor of music from Manhattan School of Music and studies with the NY Upright Citizens Brigade. She’s traveled the world with Disney Cruise Lines and performed on the Carnegie Hall stage with the New York Pops. When not on the musical theatre stage, you can find Jones performing stand-up, capturing headshots, and adventuring with her sweet pup. For more, visit talithamcdougalljones.comIG: @talithamcdougalljones, @talithajonesstudios.
Pedersen is a California native and current NYC resident. Her theatre credits include Ensemble/Mei Li and Linda Low understory in “Flower Drum Song” and Boy/Track 7 in “Pacific Overtures” (East West Players); Tobias in “Sweeney Todd” (Arizona Repertory Theatre); and Martha Cratchit in “Scrooge!” (Arizona Theatre Company). She holds a BFA in musical theatre from the University of Arizona. @gemmapedersen | gemmapedersen.com.
Richard Hopkins was lead developer for “Sailing.”
“I helped develop with him, get the structure,” said Randazzo. “And then Rebecca Hopkins comes in and writes all of the dialogue and the story and Jim Prosser puts together all of the music arrangements. I direct with our music director, Zach Spound, who was here for ‘Honky Tonk Angels.’ And Jim will be playing the show.”
How yacht rock got its name
The music itself was made mostly between the mid-1970s and early ’80s, but the term “yacht rock” didn’t appear until 2005 when a JD Ryznar, Hunter Stair, Dave Lyons, Lane Farnham and Steve Huey used it to affectionately poke fun at the smooth, polished sound of artists like Toto, Steely Dan, Michael McDonald and Christopher Cross in their online comedy series "Yacht Rock" on Channel 101 which, coincidentally, was the same year YouTube launched, helping it become a viral sensation.
The name stuck because it perfectly captured the music’s relaxed, sun-soaked feel characterized by immaculate studio recordings, intricately layered harmonies, clean guitar tones, smooth keys, and carefully arranged backing vocals.
“We weren’t the first people to ever put those two words together. But it was popularized by the internet series, so as far as 99 percent of America is concerned, that is where the phrase came from,” Huey explained.
While some artists associated with the genre dislike the label, it’s now widely used to describe this particular blend of soft rock, jazz, R&B, and pop.
“Musically, yacht rock is all about precision and smoothness,” the Gear4Music noted in its June 3, 2026 blog, “A Guide to Yacht Rock and the Songs You Need to Listen to.”
Yacht rock reflects a definitive jazz influence. Many yacht rock songs employ complex chord progressions borrowed from jazz, fusion and soul.
Rhythm is another defining feature. Many yacht rock tracks sit in an easy mid-tempo groove sometimes nicknamed the “Doobie Bounce,” a laid-back but tight rhythm style associated with bands like The Doobie Brothers.
According to Greg Prato in “The Yacht Rock Book: The Oral History of the Soft, Smooth Sounds of the 70s and 80s,” this fusion of soft rock with jazz and R&B together with very polished production and the studio musician culture in Southern California in the late '70s and early '80s, is what defines yacht rock.
Lyrically, yacht rock tends to lean into romance, heartbreak, escapism, and emotional reflection. The mood is smooth and comforting, even when the subject matter is a little melancholy. That contrast is really what gives the genre its charm. Beneath the glossy production, there’s often a surprisingly emotional core.
Some familiar names in the yacht rock music scene have included Steely Dan, The Doobie Brothers, Toto, Michael McDonald, Christopher Cross and Kenny Loggins.
Genre-defining tracks:
- “Biggest Part of Me," by Ambrosia (1980)
- “Ride Like the Wind” and “Sailing,” by Christopher Cross (1979)
- “What a Fool Believes,” by the Doobie Brothers (1978)
- “Baby Come Back,” by Player (1977)
- “Reminiscing,” by Little River Band (1978)
- “Peg,” by Steely Dan (1977)
- “Rosanna” and “Africa,” by Toto (1982)
- “Lowdown,” by Boz Scaggs (1976)
- “How Long,” by Ace (1975)
Other songs include “Pull You Closer” by Desert Dive, “Pillow Talk” by Reveille, “Sentimental Fools” by Cast of Characters and “Smooth Moves” by LNDO.
By contrast, while Crosby, Stills & Nash’s “Southern Cross” may be an ode to open-ocean sailing, it is not yacht rock, nor is the Beach Boys’ island-hopping anthem “Kokomo.” Nor are any of Jimmy Buffett’s laid-back tropical vibe songs. But some of these are included in the FST cabaret show, which clearly states it includes “Yacht Rock and Beyond.”
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.
