CMA of Texas Songwriter of the Year Thom Shepherd is an Austin, Texas-based touring artist who spent many years as a songwriter in Nashville. He performs as a solo acoustic storyteller and a duo with his wife Coley McCabe. 

Thom is the writer of five #1 singles for other artists -  “Redneck Yacht Club,” (Craig Morgan), “Riding with Private Malone” (David Ball), “The Night Is Young,” (Kyle Park), “My Texas” (Josh Abbott and Pat Green) and “Beer Season” (Kevin Fowler).

Though we lost Jim to a brain annurism in 2016, his influence to Trop Rock continues. 

Jim grew up in Georgia and has a heritage rich in music.  After college (grad studies in English and Human Resources ) while pursuing a career in human resources management, he continued to write songs and dream of the day when he could do it full-time. Following a business trip to the southwest coast of Florida, Jim took the leap and left the corporate world for the beach.

 Donny Brewer is a Parrot Head, sure, Rasta fan, yeah, but the Texas born and bred multi-instrumentalist is more than that. In fact he started in his teens playing big-hair rock in bars he wasn’t even old enough to be in. Later, in college, he found he could make more money playing country in Texas dance halls. Eventually he got fired from his job and gave up his art education to to tour with country acts. There he was educated by a different professor — the road. 

Jim Hoehn carved out a successful niche as a singer/songwriter since first stumbling out of the pressbox with a guitar.

 Since winning a songwriting contest and making his first public appearance at Milwaukee’s Summerfest , Hoehn has performed for festival and theater shows, club & house concerts, across the country. 

Jim Johnson brought Peter Stork on Bass, Steve Haglund on Drums and Chris Frankman on Lead Guitar together .   PGBFB set out to create a rock sound incorporating elements of The Stones, Police and Huey Lewis, Bob Marley, Kenny Chesney and Jimmy Buffett.  A show highlight is the Shot Ski. 

Mary Cutrufello, 46, Connecticut-raised and Yale-educated, music mixes the themes and jangly chords of the heartland with a heapin' helping of Texas twang. Her voice, now weathered but still pitch-strong, finds new depths of meaning in her performances. Over the years, she's also refined and deepened her approach to playing guitar. She says anyone who’s seen her tear-it-up live shows can attest, it’s all about tone, feel, and rhythm.