Meet the Man Behind the Hit Yacht Rock Song About South County Living

Photograph courtesy of Caswell Cooke

Rhode Island is a bit far north for palm trees, but the Ocean State is the star of a yacht rock song called “Coconut Kevin” that’s been rising on the music charts and offers a tip of the flip-flop to a part-time Westerly resident.

“Coconut” Kevin Martin, at right, who lives out of the back of his van in Misquamicut during the summer months, was the inspiration behind the song, penned by the South County-based Caswell & the Peel N’ Eats.

“Kevin does as little as possible, but enjoys life,” says singer-songwriter Caswell Cooke of his longtime friend and neighbor, who grew up coming to the Westerly beach with his family. His laid-back lifestyle sees him splitting time between Misquamicut and Key West, Florida, where he does odd jobs and sells original artwork —
including hand-painted coconuts — to cover his expenses.

“Kevin turns up like a good penny every summer,” says Cooke, who serves as president of the Misquamicut Business Association and regularly DJs at the Windjammer Surf Bar. 

“We have some strange characters here,” he says. “We’re kind of like Key West in the summer.”

The inspiration for the song — part biographical sketch, part ode to the simple life — came after a particularly stressful day for Cooke’s wife, Christine. “She came home and said, ‘I wish I could be Coconut Kevin,’ and I went down in the basement and wrote the song,” Cooke says.

The band started playing it last summer, including at a memorable opener for Mac McAnally, a member of the late Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band, at the Misquamicut FallFest. 

“People started requesting it at shows and when I was DJing,” says Cooke. “They knew the words and would sing it back to me.”

Cooke, who has promoted several bands, tapped his connections in the music business to circulate “Coconut Kevin” to music stations and enlisted a friend to direct a music video that follows Martin, in his signature straw hat, “spending his time paintin’ and swimmin’” in Misquamicut.

The laid-back Martin has become something of a local celebrity, but the song’s success hasn’t resulted in a big payday for anyone involved. In the music industry of 2024, thousands of downloads translate into mere pennies in revenue, and an album including the song is still in the works. 

“It’s just for fun,” says Cooke. “I know I’m not going to be a pop star, but it’s cool that a novice songwriter like me can create something that resonates with people. I’m always proud to represent Rhode Island. People all over the world know Key West, but now they’ll hear this song and say, ‘Where’s this Misqaumicut place?’ Maybe they’ll Google it and come visit.”