Beach music , also known as Carolina beach music , is a regional genre which developed from various musical styles of the forties, fifties and sixties. These styles ranged from big band swing instrumentals to the more raucous sounds of blues/jump blues, jazz, doo-wop, boogie, rhythm and blues, reggae, rockabilly and old-time rock and roll. Beach music is closely associated with the style of swing dance known as the shag, or the Carolina shag, which is also the official state dance of both North Carolina and South Carolina. Recordings with a 4/4 "blues shuffle" rhythmic structure and moderate-to-fast tempo are the most popular music for the shag, and the vast majority of the music in this genre fits that description.
Early history
A majority of the recordings that constituted and/or influenced beach music early on were originally termed "race music". As popular R&B tastes changed to encompass funk, reggae, disco, hip hop and gangsta rap, the predominantly white beach music enthusiasts have remained more loyal to the "old school" stylings. This has been due primarily to the beat and tempo of the music.
Historical accounts of beach music as it relates to the development of this dance are often conflicting, but most agree that the Ocean Drive section of North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina is where the beach/shag phenomenon had its greatest impact among vacationing teenagers and college students.
Socio-political context
Prior to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, white youth in the Jim Crow South could not always hear the compelling music of primarily black R&B artists in their home towns. In some communities, this remained in effect even after racial integration was implemented in the region. However, these young people flocked to the bars and pavilions of the Carolina beaches where the shag was gaining popularity and R&B ruled the jukeboxes, and to the "beach clubs" where R&B artists performed live.
A major contributing influence upon this cross-racial musical affinity was the powerful radio station WLAC in Nashville, TN, which blanketed the Southeast with the gritty, driving sound of jump blues and other forms of R&B. Stations with similar playlists began to emerge in the Carolinas and surrounding states throughout the late fifties and the sixties, increasing the popularity of the music across racial lines and contributing to the increasing popularity of the emerging new gospel-infused R&B sound, soul music.
"Classic Beach"
Artists and groups that were important to the formative years of this genre include: Clifford Curry (known as the 'King of Beach Music'), Artie Shaw, Wynonie Harris, Jimmy Cavallo and The House Rockers, Ruth Brown, Little Willie John, Earl Bostic, The Drifters, Wilbert Harrison, Clyde McPhatter, Billy Ward and His Dominoes, Hank Ballard, James & Bobby Purify, Maurice Williams and The Zodiacs, The Tams, The Tymes, The 5 Royales, The Coasters, Fats Domino, Jimmy McCracklin, Solomon Burke, Sam Cooke, The Platters, The Four Tops, Louis Prima, Arthur Alexander, Stick McGhee, Jackie Brenston, Willbert Harrison, Big Joe Turner, Bruce Channel, Wilson Pickett, Clarence Carter, Dinah Washington, Billy Stewart, The Temptations,The Impressions, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Marvin Gaye, The O'Jays, The Spinners, Otis Redding, Jackie Wilson, Etta James, The Checkers, The Clovers, Barbara Lewis, Don Covay, Jimmy Ricks and The Ravens, Mary Wells, Garnet Mimms and The Enchanters, Ben E. King, Major Lance, Willie Tee and Ernie K-Doe.
While some of the "beach hits" by these artists appeared on the R&B and rock and roll charts nationally, a great many of them were "b-sides" -- or even more obscure recordings that never charted at all. With this penchant for obscure R&B, especially from the sixties, beach music has much in common with the northern soul phenomenon in the UK.
Transition and renewal
The "Beach Bands"
Another wave of artists, known today as the "beach bands" came into prominence in the mid sixties to early seventies, heavily influenced by the sound of Motown and the other prominent R&B labels of the day such as Atlantic Records, Stax, etc.. These included The Tassels, Harry Deal and the Galaxies, Gene Barbour and the Cavaliers, Calvin Lindsay and the Hysterics, The Men of Distinction (Original), The In-Men, Ltd., The Attractions, Cannonball Band, The Embers, The Monzas, The Sardams, The Catalinas and the nationally-charting groups The Pieces of Eight (Original), The Swinging Medallions, The Okaysions, and Bill Deal and the Rhondells. Many of these bands got their start backing the famous R&B/soul artists who played at The Myrtle Beach Pavilion and The Beach Club in Myrtle Beach, The Coachman and Four in Bennettsville, SC, The Cellar in Charlotte, NC, The Embers Club in Raleigh, NC, The Galaxy Club in Wilson, NC, Rogues Gallery and Peppermint Beach Club in Virginia Beach, VA and other such venues.
This wave of primarily white R&B artists was part of a strong but nationally short-lived musical trend known as "blue-eyed soul" which also produced The Rascals, The Box Tops, John Fred, Rare Earth, Leon Russell, Johnny Rivers, Bonnie Bramlett, Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels, and The Righteous Brothers.
The revival years
In the '80s, after decades of waning popularity, Beach music enjoyed a major revival in the Carolinas, thanks largely to the formation of a loose-knit organization known as The Society of Stranders (SOS). Originally intended as a relatively small social gathering of shag enthusiasts, "beach diggers" and former lifeguards meeting yearly in the Ocean Drive section of North Myrtle Beach, S.O.S. quickly grew to become a major Spring event.
At around the same time, a fanzine called "It Will Stand" (from the rock'n'roll/R&B anthem of that name by The Showmen) began to delve deeper into the history of beach music than any publication before or since. Concurrent with the new enthusiasm for the shag, and an increased emphasis on the roots of the music came a period of revival for many of the beach bands that had come to prominence in the sixties. In addition to these groups, younger artists began to emerge, either as members of established groups, or with groups of their own. Dedicated beach music charts began to appear, tracking the musical tastes of shaggers and other aficionados of the genre. The number of regional radio stations playing beach music began to increase substantially.
In 1981, Virginia entrepreneur John Aragona sponsored the first Beach Music Awards show at the Convention Center in Myrtle Beach. He would sponsor and produce two more TV Specials over the next several years. In the late '80s interest in Beach Music was revived and expanded. On November 19, 1988, live from Reynolds Coliseum, on the campus of North Carolina State University, " The Third Annual Beach Music Awards " was videotaped by Creative Center, a Los Angeles based TV Production Company. The Awards show featured 20 of Beach Music's greatest stars and groups, 10 Los Angeles Dancers, 20 Professional Shag Dancers, twenty-piece back-up band, performing 50 of the Best Beach Music Hits.
The 3rd Annual Beach Music Awards was said to be,one of the Southeast's premier events, with more than four solid hours of Beach Music. The TV Special was produced by Ron Dunn and Susan B. Donovan. Ron Dunn, DGA, served as Director and Writer, along with Susan B. Donovan (Choreographer), and the show's Executive Producer... John X. Aragona. Today, the show's four-hour videotape and triple-record album are considered Beach Music Collectables. One of the key factors was a new song by O.C. Smith ,”Brenda”, written and produced by Charles Wallert. “Brenda” was on the national Billboard charts for 3 months and became the number one Beach Music song for two years. "Brenda" was nominated for six Awards and won five at the Third Annual Beach Music Awards. Additionally O.C. Smith's "Whatcha Gonna Do" featured the Susan Donovan Dancers... and brought the house down. Backstage... through thunderous applause, Cuba Gooding (The Main Ingredient) was overheard asking O.C. Smith "why did you do that? The Main Ingredient was next to perform.
The telecasts of the Beach Music Awards in the 90’s (the footage appears in TV shows currently being broadcast) brought new awareness to the wide appeal of this music. New songs that were also national hits became popular in the Beach music markets, illustrating the great desire for new product. John X. Aragona, the show's Executive Producer, has spent more than 30 years promoting Beach Music. He is well respected for his record and television productions.
These shows set the stage for the CAMMY Awards show, first held at Salisbury, NC in 1995. The shows soon moved to Charlotte and then to North Myrtle Beach, SC (the home of Beach Music), where they are still an eagerly-anticipated and well-attended annual event under their new name, The Carolina Beach Music Awards (CBMA). The CAMMY (CBMA) show has turned into a five-day long showcase and party for the fans and the bands, with shows all along the strip in NMB. It culminates in a huge show at the Alabama Theatre. Chuck Jackson ("I don't Want to Cry") and William Bell ("Private Number") were the national stars featured in 2009, backed by the Craig Woolard Band and the Band of Oz respectively. The CBMA Awards Show is THE highlight of the year for beach music fans and artists. Check out www.cammy.org
The best of beach music from the early decades, from both national and regional artis
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