Exotica! Just the name invokes thoughts of mystical tropical islands with lush rain forests! This musical genre was popular during the late 1950s to mid-1960s typically with the middle-aged suburban set who came of age during World War II.

Exotica offered its listeners a safe and acceptable release from the rigid mores of the time. Recording artists such as Martin Denny, Les Baxter, and Yma Sumac, just to name a few, created rich aural imagery of jungle paradises populated with colorful birds, tranquil lagoons, and happy natives. Beautiful women like “The Exotica Girl” (Sandy Warner) would languorously bekon from lush album covers for the listening public to experience the call of the wild.

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