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Beach
Bits: Yes oh yes it is SOS time once again! Fall Migration begins this week and carries on until Sunday, September
21st. Expect to see outstanding bands, DJs, dancers, parties and more. Quite a bit of new music will be heard for the first
time as well. KHP Records latest compilation, Dancin'
With My Baby, is scheduled to be released during SOS. . Already charting is a song licensed from Charlotte's
Bill Bradford, the upbeat Take Me Away
by Debby Dobbins. The Carolina Breakers first release featuring Pat Carpenter on lead vocals, Fell In Love Too Late, is included. Kingdaddy's new lead singer, Wayne Free,
is highlighted on You're My Girl. Veteran vocalist Mark Black has an original here entitled Stay
With Me. Two key duets included are Terri Gore and Tim Cashion's Whenever I Call You Friend
as well as Jim Quick teaming up with Grayson Hugh on an exciting rendition of No More Pain. A sleeper
tune that first appeared here in May on our Southern Soul Corner Top 45 is making its Beach music debut - from Texas, it's
Miss Rebekah singing her original Dancin' With My Baby, and it becomes the title track of the release.
Beach music's good friend from across the Big Pond, Roy Hamilton, has an original called Time Don't Mean A Thing, that will be re-released with a Carolina shag mix.
Additional songs include a new studio mix of Dancing Mood from Little Redd's Tams, Dip Ferrell &
The Truetones with Some Say Hey,
a Blues number from The Catalinas and several more.............
A new label in Beach music, Little
Peddler Records, will make its debut with a compilation release hopefully in conjunction with CBMA weekend. Under strong consideration
for this project are several tunes, including the new one from Clifford Curry entitled Cold Beer Hot Women.
Also good possibilities are Gary Brown with his latest Too
Much Candy For A Dime, The Mighty Saints of Soul covering Show And Tell and North
Tower drummer Mark Bost on Farewell My Summer
Love, that also features Mark Black. Stony Point Music (Bill Bradford) is licensing a hot new track from the
dynamic Sonja Grier entitled I'll Know (When
The Right One Comes Along). Steve Edmunds has teamed up with Heather Hayes, who just happens to be the daughter
of the late great Isaac Hayes, on a tremendous rendition of If I Could Build My Whole World Around You.
A couple of new bands have possible tracks - The Swashtones, from the Charlotte area give us Sun, Surf And Summertime
and Seabreeze, out of Burlington, turn out one called Spring
Break. Here again, these songs as well as others will be worked over the new several weeks to determine the
final content of the release.........
More
new tunes: The Tommy Black Band has a new album that is also expected to be released during SOS. Beautiful Day In North Myrtle Beach will be 12 tracks of originals
and cover tunes, with a combination of both brand new songs and a few that were previously released. Both Tommy and his wife
Christina will be featured on selected vocals. We will have more on this album, including a review once all the songs have
been heard, in next month's edition of Beach Buzz.............Checking out Fessa John Hook's recent chart, the Terry Hanck
Band has two songs, Right Now Is The Hour and
There's No Gettin' Over Me, that originate
from their recent Gotta Bring It On Home To
You album. The aforementioned new Sonja Grier tune broke into to John's chart as well and I am told the song is already
receiving heavy play in the UK.........Have you heard Let's Shag On The Beach, a cool tune from Marcus Vess, Mike Thrift and Gary McKinney of New Song Studios in Stone Mountain, GA? Check it out on iTunes.....
It is with great sadness that we note the passing of music promoter and entertainer Willis Blume on August 31st. A resident of Orangeburg, SC, he and his wife
Linda founded the Willis Blume Agency in 1972 in order to promote and arrange bookings for the artists and entertainers throughout
the Southeast. In 2001, at the age of 57, Willis received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Carolina Beach Music Hall
of Fame at the Sixth Annual Cammy Awards in Myrtle Beach, SC. Willis retired from the agency in 2007. He will certainly be
missed in the world of Beach music.
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Here is a very early promo picture of The Castaways, originally from Durham, NC. Back in those days, bands in the Carolinas
were often referred to as 'Combos'. The band got it's start in 1961, put together by two students at Northern Durham High
School, Bill Carden and Skeets Brady. Through the past 53 years, the band members have come and gone but the name has persevered
as one of the few remaining from the earliest days of beach music.
Former
members include notable individuals in the genre such as JD Cash, Pat Christie, Tracy King, Tony Davis, Terri Gore, Barry
Hastings, Duane Neese, Steve Edmunds, Archie Durham, Phil Wilson and Steve Owens. The current version of The Castaways (see
below) is referred to as Generation Six. Generations One through Five will be inducted into the Carolina Beach Music Hall
of Fame on Friday evening November 7th during the 2014 CBMA Weekend. It is certainly
gratifying to see this long standing band get the recognition they so richly deserve!!
Current Castaways Band getting it done on stage
Generation Six, the current version of The Castaways is smokin' hot these days. Their on stage presence and crowd engagement
is simply outstanding! I have had the opportunity to see them several times recently and each performance is better than the
last. Jeff Weidhaas on trumpet and Jason Pulley on saxophone provide an ample horn section. Veteran keyboardist Randy Smith
also chips in lead vocals on selected songs as does lead guitarist John Arthurs. Drummer Jason Johnson is the newest member
of the band. Female lead Karen Clayton is a seasoned vocalist who has been fronting bands for many years. Bass guitarist Guy
Brooks was actually a member of Generation Five as well - he also serves as the road manager and chief engineer. Put it all
together and they hit the stage hard with alot of familiar Beach tunes, some solid Soul and a strong dose of Blues and Boogie.
This current generation of The Castaways has their fourth album currently in the works - I have heard all the studio cuts
and can honestly state that this will be one of the best new collection of songs to be released in quite a while!
Grayson Hugh(l), his wife and singer Polly Messer
and DJ Soul Dog
Photo Courtesy of Rickey Lipscomb Photography (FotozbyRickie.com)
Connecticut native and national recording artist Grayson Hugh completed
his 'Back to The Beach' Carolinas Tour by turning in outstanding performances three
straight nights on the same bill with Jim Quick & Coastline. Thursday, 8/28
they were at TJ's Nightlife in Raleigh, Friday 8/29 at Thirsty's in Greensboro and Saturday 8/30 at the Spanish Galleon in
North Myrtle Beach. Grayson's latest monster hit, Goodbye
Train, has gone to #1 on almost all the Beach music charts in recent weeks. Do take the opportunity to go back to
our June edition of Beach Buzz to read the musical biography of this outstanding performer. One fact that was not in the bio
was that Coastline bass guitarist and vocalist Albert Rogers actually was in a band with Grayson in the mid-'90's here in
North Carolina. It is indeed a small world!
Jim Quick & Coastline performing at TJ's Nightlife in Raleigh NC
Photo Courtesy of Rickey Lipscomb Photography (FotozbyRickie.com)
I was fortunate to be at TJ's in Raleigh on August 28th to observe a blistering opening set from Jim Quick & Coastline
prior to Grayson Hugh and wife Polly Messer joining the band onstage. One of the outstanding 'old school' Coastline tunes
in the set was the 1999 released New Old Songs,
which was originally on the Rubyjude Records' All
Aboard: The Beach Boogie Train compilation. A few of the folks around me were surprised that I made what they felt
was a rather profound statement by saying that if the song was to be released today for the first time, it would climb very
high on the charts and quite possibly go to #1. I did base that statement on a few facts (or maybe just suppositions, LOL):
1) The song did chart in 1999, although it certainly didn't go as far as #1 at that time. It was surrounded on the compilation
by tunes from regional/national artists like Round
And Round from Jack Mack, Cutie
by Rue Davis, Right Kind Of Love from
Barbara Carr and Mr. So And So by Smokehouse.
2) 1999 was part of what Beach music historian John Hook has called ''The Sixth
Wave - 1995 to 2007......and beyond''. My theory is that wave ended some time right after 2007 and we are actually in
the midst of The Seventh Wave. The music venues, media outlets, bands, DJs, audiences,
charts etc. have changed somewhat dramatically in the last 15 years - Jim Quick
& Coastline is a whole different band that has evolved with a HUGE cadre of followers. Even so, Jim said himself the band
has not had a new album in several years. (He had a solo album and King Tyrone has had two albums in that timeframe). If New Old Songs was dropped today for the
first time, the Coastline Crazies WOULD go crazy over it!
3) Nostalgic songs about the past in music have done very well in recent years, particularly following Mighty Mike Schermer's
smash with My Big Sister's Radio. Prime
examples include the Holiday Band single Jukebox,
which finished in the year ending Smokin' Top 45 for both 2010 and 2011, Old School Music, a charting hit for Wallstreet and That Old Rockola, also a big charting hit for Dip Ferrell & The
Truetones.
So, maybe Jim will read this and compose and record a reminiscing Coastline sequel that will blow us all away!!
Speaking
of Jim Quick, after an absence of approximately 18 months, his outstanding radio show, The
Crossover, is back on the air live on the Internet at ShagCityUSA.com. It
airs on Tuesdays from 10 AM to Noon EDT and promises to be an eclectic blend of Blues, Soul, R&B and beyond.
North Tower Band performing in Pilot Mountain, NC on 9/6
I
had a chance to work with the latest edition of The North Tower Band this past Saturday during the Hot Nights Hot Cars Series
in Pilot Mountain. I had not seen this band perform since their major personnel changes which occurred late last year. The
current lineup: Larry Dean, band manager, keyboards and vocals - Johnny Hopkins, horns and vocals - Jeff Hinson, horns and
vocals - Chuck Canady, lead guitar and vocals -
Gerald Davis, bass guitar and vocals - Mark Bost, drums and vocals and
Steve Davis, sound engineer extraordinaire. Just the members' years of experience alone makes this Beach Music Hall of Fame
group a tremendous band. Their performance has not missed a beat - the band engages the crowd and brings a high energy show
to the stage!
Don Jordan & The High Rollers
There is a brand spanking new band in Beach music that I am excited to tell you about!
Outstanding longtime musician Don Jordan has put together a combination of veteran performers in the genre as well as a few
that are new to this market. Don Jordan & The High Rollers will be making
their debut performance during SOS Fall Migration on September 16th
at Deckerz Bar and Grill in conjunction with Yourbeachmusic.com’s 3rd Anniversary Celebration which will
be aired live from 11am till 3pm! This group has been in the works for a while now and they are very excited to kick off their
first live show during Fall SOS. Whereas all of the band members share a love for Beach
music this group will also be able to cover just about any style or genre that
you could imagine. They are committed to being the type of band that plays “something for everyone”.
Band
leader Don Jordan is a former lead guitarist and vocalist for the Embers as well as spending the past six years on the road
fulfilling the same duties as a member of The Craig Woolard Band. Darren Watts on Bass, and Rick Cutshaw on drums, round out
the rhythm section. Together, they have toured nationally with Unknown Hinson and separately they have played with groups
such as The Catalinas, The Entertainers, The Men of Distinction and a host of others. Keyboardist Tim Sidden was the music
director at The Carolina Opry in Myrtle Beach for 15 years and he has worked with numerous national acts in Nashville as a
musician and a producer. John Nickels is an incredibly talented guitarist not to mention the many other instruments that he
can play. John and Don are lifelong friends with a shared dream that they would someday play guitar alongside each other in
a fulltime band. This group is ready to put on their best for the listening audiences -
so be sure to check them out when you can and help us welcome this new band to the world of Beach music that we all
enjoy so much!
For
the ninth year, The Beach Music & Shag Preservation Society is hosting a great Festival in Charleston. The dates, venue
and location may change from year to year but one thing is for sure - the entertainment will be outstanding and it will be
a fun time. Here is the official press release for this exciting event:
This
ninth annual Charleston Beach Music & Shag Festival will take place at the Holliday Citadel Alumni Center in Charleston,
located at 171 Moultrie St. in Charleston. Tickets for the event cost $25 for BMSPSSC members and $30 for nonmembers. Live
music will be provided by the Fantastic Shakers, Rhonda McDaniel and Jimbo Durham & Shag Attack. Deejays Gerry Scott and
Andy Todd will entertain between sets.
The
mention of Grayson Hugh coming back to this area reminded me of another popular artist in Beach music during the same timeframe.
Do you remember a male solo vocalist back in the '80's named Ricky Donathan? From the Sanford, NC area, Ricky was a businessman turned recording artist for a brief
period of time during that era only to never really be heard from again in the genre. His first foray into Beach was a recorded
single entitled Summertime Is Here with the Poor Souls in 1983, which was the
#29 song for that year on the Rhythm 'n' Beach Top 40. Ricky's album, All Night Long,
consisting of 12 self-composed tunes was recorded in Charlotte and released on the Sandhills label in 1989. Several
cuts, including the title track as well as Body Talk, Let's Get Together Again, Never Be Lonely and Forever Lasting Love,
received heavy radio and club play. The songs are strong candidates for today's Beach shows that specialize in doing periodic
flashback tunes. Although rumored to have passed away a few years back, Ricky is actually understood to be still alive and
kicking in his hometown of Sanford.
Artists, DJ’s, Club owners etc. send me your latest news for
potential inclusion in Beach Buzz at nealfur@aol.com.
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