History:

Sunshine Season was a sunshine pop / folk rock group from Tallahasse, Florida. The group formed around 1970 and began performing across the southern United States. The band featured multi-instrumentalists Mike Marsh, David Leonard, Judy Thomas, and Don Stafford as well as vocalists Joyce Gardner and Cindy Harrington. All of the members shared vocal duties. The group gained popularity playing the church circuit but they were not a gospel band which is odd. 

By the late 1970’s, demand for an album grew so the band recruited session drummer Tommy Talley and headed to the infamous Bee Jay Recording Studio in Orlando. The band recorded twelve of their most popular tunes and released their only record titled “Sunshine Season”. The album features eleven covers of various genres and one original tune by Leonard and Stafford. The group covers a lot of territory but the majority of the album is sunshine pop and folk rock. The group performs two bluegrass numbers and also has some acoustic tracks. 

David Leonard played lead and rhythm acoustic guitars as well as bass guitar, Mike Marsh played 6 and 12-String acoustic rhythm guitars as well as banjo and bass guitar, and Don Stafford predominantly played bass guitar but also played acoustic rhythm guitar on a couple tunes. Judy Thomas played piano on a cut while session man Tommy Talley played drums, congas, tambourine, and additional percussion. 

Nothing more is known about the band. Their album was unofficially reissued on Spotify and Amazon Music in November of 2023. Somebody is claiming to have written all of the songs (even the well known covers by artists like John Denver and Chet Powers) and used AI artwork. I tried reporting it for copyright infringement but it still remains up as of December 2025.

Review:

Sunshine Season (Not On Label, 197?)

Rating: 7/10

An absolutely great summer time album that echoes some of the hippie energy of the late 1960’s. Sunshine pop through and through with a variety of other influences, including folk rock, bluegrass, and psychedelic pop. Kind of like a Monkees / 5th Dimension / Mamas and Papas fusion with more pop sensibilities. “Debble’s Song” is a lovely sunshine pop standout with rolling bass guitar and a solid guitar solo. Pretty vocals. “Sunshine Ship” is a bit more uplifting with a quirky drum break / solo towards the end. Odd but solid tune. 

The lone original here, “The Rain”, is a nice slab of 60’s psychedelic pop with a mellow soundscape (piano, acoustic guitars, bongos) and nice vocals. Very eerie chord progression. “Sea At Night”, a bluegrass influenced folk tune, is great with a nice 12-string / banjo pairing (see The Monkees). Side B is a bit boring to be honest, not bad or anything just derivative. “Paper Mache” is a nice psychedelic pop version of the Warwick classic. Nice upfront 12-string guitar. With a little more experimentation and electric instrumentation these guys and gals could’ve been so much more.