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What's Happening: As we enter the second half of 2012,
the weather is hot as the blazes but it is also a very important time of the year. The birthday of the signing and declaration
of our nation's independence is always packed with food, fun, fireworks and don't forget, Beach music. The Beach bands participate
as heavily as anyone in this major celebration every year. The good thing is, almost all of these bookings on this very special
holiday are absolutely free and open to the general public. Here is a known list of where the bands will be playing on Wednesday,
July 4th. (I apologize to any bands I missed.)
Charles
Pope's Tams – City 4th of July Festival at Seneca, SC
Embers – 4th Family Music Festival at Mebane, NC
Jim Quick & Coastline – Old Time 4th at Wytheville, VA
Band of Oz – Northampton County Celebration at Jackson, NC
Swingin' Medallions – Spangled Beach Party at Callaway Gardens, GA
Craig Woolard Band - 4th Celebration at Pinehurst, NC
Holiday Band – Ole Fashioned Fourth at Eden, NC
Entertainers – Annual 4th Celebration at York, SC
Ron Moody & The Centaurs – Celebration of the 4th at Vienna, VA
Castaways - 4th Celebration at Caldwell Community, NC
Hip Pocket - Ducks at Ocean Drive, SC
Billy Scott & Party Prophets – Independence Day Gala at Benson, NC
Catalinas – Downtown 4th Celebration at Kingsport, TN
Sea Cruz – Village Park at Sunset Beach, NC
Sand Band – Aberdeen Lake Park Festival at Aberdeen, NC
Part Time Party Time Band - Calfee Park Celebration at Pulaski, VA
Steve Owens & Summertime – Judies 4th Patio Party, Ocean Drive, SC
Shaggie Maggie – Downtown Celebration at Carrboro, NC
Summerdaze Band – Fireworks Show at Monroe, NC
Carolina Breakers - 4th Bash at the Pavilion, Ocean Drive, SC
Atlantic Groove - 4th Celebration at Oakboro, NC
Too Much Sylvia – Stumptown Park 4th at Matthews, NC
Tim Clark Band – Holiday Celebration at Harrisburg, NC
Mark Roberts Band - Celebration at Southport, NC
Carousels – Barefoot Landing at North Myrtle Beach, SC
Central Park Band - City Celebration at
Clayton, NC
Fantasy – Hilton Resort at North Myrtle Beach, SC
East Coast Party Band – Patriots Point Celebration at Mt. Pleasant, SC
Some bands will be performing at celebrations
scheduled on Tuesday, July 3rd as well. Here are a few:
Extraordinaires
- Independence Day Celebration at Fuquay Varina,
NC
Flashbacks
– Celebrate America, Old Market Square at Easley, SC
Band
of Oz – Fireworks Celebration at Wake Forest, NC
Out
Of Towners – Clemson Fest at Clemson, SC
Magnificents
– City Celebration at Burlington, NC
East
Coast R&B Band – Downtown Celebration at Cheraw, SC
What's New: Ah...fresh
air....and new music....they go hand and hand. I am talking about the original tunes flowing from Gary Lowder's latest album
release entitled Coastin'. The 10 songs were written and produced by Gary and Greg
Moseley, with the title track already making strong noise on the Beach charts. Other favorites are Love Me Like You Mean It, Never Never and My Heart Is Not A Toy. All
the tracks are excellent quality music. A lifelong performer and native of the Carolinas, Gary lived for many years up north
before relocating back to Ocean Isle, NC in 2005. He has spent time since then as a key vocalist with Mark Roberts Band, Legends
of Beach and the Carolina Breakers. Gary remains true to his Gospel roots from the early years of singing solos in church
as well as with the choir. It is certainly reflected in the soulful infusion of his outstanding delivery.
For
my money, Billy Scott's latest tune, I'm Back, produced by Jonathan Burton on the
Shanty Records label, is one strong groove but so far I seem to be in the minority. The poster above is from a few months
ago, but do all the DJ's have the song?..........R. Kelly's Share My Love is certainly
getting major attention, it is about as hot as they come right now .......New
music: Night Move Band has one called Smooth
Steppin' Papa........Ron Moody and Steve Bassett (both legends) have collaborated on two new tracks – Thrilla At Tantilla and All About You......the Martin Davis Band (that
would be Durwood Martin and Tony Davis) have a new tune entitled Take My Love........Jelly Belly is a new track just out from the Fantastic Shakers....Sea Cruz is working
hard on a new surprise song to be released very soon. Some of this music may end up on either of the next two KHP compilations
due out later this summer. Titles are expected to be Coast To Coast: The Music Lives
On and Nothing But A Party.
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Southernsoul.com
is back! The website is back from a hiatus aka shutdown and transfer in which
the radio network was consolidated with shagcityusa.com and the CD store can now be found at buybeachmusic.com. There are
links to both of these sites on Southernsoul as well. The new Southernsoul.com
as put together by Bo the Web Guy Gilbert contains a weekly 'Peoples Choice' Top 25 Beach music chart based on fan selections.
There is a standard template on the website that allows voting for your favorite songs. Plans are also underway for an Industry/DJ
chart in the near future. The revised site also contains Artist, DJ and Radio Station profiles as well as current news releases
and a calendar of upcoming events regarding the world of Beach music. More extensive information such as additional profiles
in all categories are to be added in the near future. Read and enjoy!
The
first edition of the legendary Breeze Band came together in July of 1980 in eastern North Carolina. What followed was many
years of hit songs and great performances as well as numerous band lineup changes including a base move of the group to Charlotte.
The Breeze reached the peak of accolades with their election to the Carolina Beach Music Academy Hall of Fame in 2002. The
low point came with the tragic and very untimely passing of Dink Perry in 2007. Today, led by early '80's original members
Gordon Spring and Barney Norfleet, the Breeze is once again blowing strong out of Wilson, NC. Add in veteran musicians Steve
Williams, Billy Bradshaw, J.D. Joyner and Steve Callas, creating a formidable lineup to carry on a great Beach music tradition.
Their recently recorded rendition of Being With You on the KHP Stepping Out Tonight compilation is doing quite well on all the Beach charts. For more up to date information
on the latest re-incarnation of Breeze, check out their website at www.breezebandnc.com.
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They
came out of seemingly nowhere and really from everywhere over the past several years to record and chart what often became
Beach music hits. Some stayed (or continue to come back) and others, ultimately, do not.
D.K. Davis, Danny Brooks, Tyn Tymes, Angel Rissoff, Lonne Givens, Wallstreet, E.L. Smith, Stacy Mitchart, Cracked Ice,
etc. etc. all good folks and then there's the right Reverend Bubba D. Liverance.
Good ol' Bubba D. and his Cornhole Prophets, all the way from Hot Dam, Alabama, had a critically acclaimed debut album (Let My Peoples Dance) in 2008 with several smokin' tunes including the soaring If You Can't Shag, Get Your Ass Out Of Carolina. This bad boy was so good that a Sony
Music Group subsidiary picked it up for further distribution. The Rev followed that up with two very strong single selections
in 2010, Come Back Baby and Shagland.
The latest from the Rev and CHP is a six track EP entitled The Recession Sessions.
Mixed and recorded at Sound Stage Studios in Nashville, this is serious music! An original mix of hard driving Blues and creased
melodic Soul serves up some of the band's best work to date. My personal faves - Sweet Potato Pie and You Used To Shake It For
Me. Keep on comin' back to Ocean Drive, we love you Bubba D!!!
What’s Way Old: Soulful mid tempo harmonies blew up from a group known as the Independents in the early 1970's.
Their personnel consisted of songwriters Marvin Yancey and Chuck Jackson (not Any Day Now's Chuck, but a different
one), Maurice Jackson, Helen Curry and Eric Thomas. Signing with the New York based Wand label (which ironically the more
famous Chuck Jackson had left just a few years earlier to move to the Motown
label), their first single, Just As Long As You Need Me, made it to #8 on Billboard's R&B chart in 1972.
They quickly followed that up the next year with Leaving Me, which went to #1, Baby I've Been Missing You
(#4) and Let That Be A Lesson To You (#7). They were clearly a hot commodity for Wand alas for a short period of
time. Success in the world of Soul music in that era was fleeting however – by 1975, just 4 years after they were formed,
the Independents were history.
The
hit tunes of the Independents were included on Ripete Records' multi- volume
Soul Patrol CD series released in the '90's. Another key hidden Beach hit from
the group was the contrasting style upbeat groove on I Found Love On A Rainy
Day. True fans of '70's Soul will also enjoy their obscure recordings of One Woman Do Right Man, Can't Understand
It, No Wind No Rain and It's All Over. Yancey and Jackson
went on to achieve a measure of song writing success crafting tunes for such artists as Jerry Butler, Natalie Cole and Ronnie
Dyson.
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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