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Beach Buzz Spring 2017

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Beach Buzz May 2017

       With The Soul Dog

                         

                               

 Well....I'm back!....after a four month absence!  Getting old and all the ailments that come with it is no fun, particularly when they affect your ability to both think and type. I am determined, however, to not give up on either this column or on Southern Soul Corner. There may be less detail and I may not be every month right on the month, but I am committed to continue to try to get the best information that I possibly can out to the readers. 

What have I missed?  Think I have kept up pretty well. A few recent band changes: A split from last year's Carolina Beach Music Awards Rising Star winner, Carolina Soul Band, has resulted in a new group called Silk Groove. The Swashtones, who had a big hit this past year on 1-4-3, have changed their name to The Tonez, with a new tune destined to do well called Beast of Burden. Out of Charlotte, The Lakeside Drive Band I believe is now being called The Lakeside Five.

 

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The hottest tunes right now as we speak:  Why You Wanna Do That from Lomax has been at the Top of the Beachmusic45 Chart for the last six months. Pushing it right now is Pretty Girl from the James Michael Brown Band - also hot from this group is Ready For Love (which is on the new KHP compilation) and their latest, The Moon Is Watching You is coming on strong. So I have heard the question asked ''Where can we see this band perform live?"  Well, the simplest answer is '' you can't''. This is a studio group deftly assembled by veteran musician Mike Brown, who has played in both The Entertainers and Blackwater Rhythm & Blues Band of late, and...it is my understanding that some of the players in the JMB group have been a part of Janet Jackson's band. Their music is catching on like wildfire - we will have more information on the group in a later issue!!

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94.9 The Surf's Top 20 reflects current hot tracks such as Should Have Been Lovin' You by Gary Lowder & Smokin' Hot, I Do Love You from Lesa Hudson (from her brand new album Life In The Key Of Lesa - what a talent she is!),  Won't Go Home Without You from Sea Cruz, Sooner Or Later by Midnight Allie and The Last Thing On My Mind from Rick Strickland. The Entertainers Don't Stop Now made a re-appearance on the chart after being there about three years ago as an advance single to their overwhelming success of late.. Marsha Morgan's Waste Of Time has done well on the charts. Beautiful Goodbye is the latest in a long line of charting hits for the Castaways over the last three years.

Other tunes with strong performances of late on the various charts including the National Beach Music Top 40: Hard Way To Go from the Catalinas, Almost Mine by Reverend Bubba D. Liverance, Castaways by Tommy Plyler featuring Jerry West and Baby Don't Go, which is a duet with Karen Clayton and Phil Wilson. Just Like A Yo Yo is a re-mastered version from Terri Gore that has been getting quite a bit of play. When I'm With You from Lakeside Drive and Carolina Breakers I'm Gonna Love You Darlin' have been consistent charters. From Charlotte's Spirit Records, Sonja Grier's Run For Cover and Debbie Dobbins' Be My Baby Tonight continue strong showings after several months. Coming on strong is Ken Knox' latest assembled Chairmen of the Board with All I Need Is You Tonight.

 

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The Blackwater Rhythm & Blues Band's self-titled album has been taking the Beach music charts by storm. Following up on the 2015 Carolina Beach Music Song of the Year, Dance Tonight, it has not hurt their cause that outstanding singer Kendrix Singletary was the 2016 Male Vocalist of the Year. Why I Love You, Local Girls and Birmingham all showed up on April's Smokin' Top 45 while the most recent Surf chart had both Baby Workout and Love Without Mercy in the Top 20. Certainly one of the hottest if not the hottest bands in Beach music right now!

 

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The latest KHP various artists compilation hit the streets during SOS. With several advance tracks already on the charts, Summertime Fun is off to a tremendous start. Rhonda McDaniel's Ay Les Bys has taken off as has the Holiday Band's Act Your Age. Out of Charlotte, two hot ones are the shag mix of Love Thief by Debby Dobbins and Baby I Love You So from Jimmy and Darlene Harrison. A bluesy change of pace track for Phil Wilson with I Believe is already doing well. Be With The One You Love from the Embers featuring Craig Woolard will soar in the coming weeks. Lovers Lullaby from the newly formed Silk Groove has tremendous potential. A couple more that I would anticipate to chart soon would be Paul Craver's Back To You and the right Reverend Bubba D. Liverance on Cool With Me. Gotta love More Today Than Yesterday from Ginger Thompson, the lady that recorded Boy Watcher in 1968, the answer song to The O'Kaysions national #1 hit Girl Watcher. 15 tracks in all, great music for sure!

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The Band of Oz is celebrating its 50th year in the business in grand style, as they certainly should. Along with that is a newly released album, Ones You Might Have Missed. There are 15 tracks, including recent huge charters Your Heart's In Good Hands and Extra Careful. The latest to take off, Everyday Love is here as well. Some of the cuts from years gone by: Lucky To Be Loved By You, which featured Butch Barnes on lead, the hard driving Every Little Thing She Does, ditto on Walking Up The Steps Of Faith. There is Wild Thang, with the throaty vocals of Chuck French and Love Sickness from the Let It Roll album days. Shut Up and Shag was the title track from one of the best compilations of the early 2000's, put together by Bill Mason and Keith Houston, which also included Bad Time. There is more as well...as I listen to this CD, I am reminded of all the great vocalists that have graced their recordings over the years. In addition to Chuck and Butch, Billy Bazemore, Big John Thompson, Rick Strickland and current members Jerry West, Scott Fine and Tim Morris have all made major contributions to the ongoing musical quality of those 50 years!  Let it roll, on and on!

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The annual SOS Spring Safari just came to a close in North Myrtle Beach for 2017. Pictured above is my friend and fellow radio DJ Paul T Forrest, better known on the air as DJ Pauly. He hails all the way from Brighton, England and was here attending SOS in the spring for the second year in a row. The picture was taken just in the middle of his 5.5 mile round trip walk on the sand from the Ocean Drive Beach & Golf Resort to the Cherry Grove Pier and back! What a way to clear any cobwebs from the night before!! We are encouraging him to join us in November for the 23rd annual Carolina Beach Music Awards. DJ Pauly's brand of classic Soul, R&B, Beach, Blues as well as a sprinkling of new releases can be heard on Absolute Soul Radio on Fridays at 1 PM EDT. The web address is www.absolutesoulradio.co.uk.

Here are the flyers for two MAJOR events coming up in North Myrtle Beach the first two weekends in May:

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