Myths and Near Myths
Beach music will be 60 years old in 2005
by John Hook,
www.beachshag.com
Submitted by Cal Shaw, Tampa Bay Beach Boppers
with permission by John Hook
Chapter 2
FIRST WAVE: 1945 — November 1954 (Hurricane Hazel):
They were the seminal years. Rhythm 'n Blues, Jump Blues, and Blues first appeared on juke boxes in Caucasian clubs in the Southeast. The `Beach Cat' population evolved with fighters, dancers, lifeguards, resort employees constituting a new culture, with new social more´s reflected in the new music.
The Virginia Beach / Norfolk / Chesapeake area offered clubs like the Casino, the Mecca, the Top Hat, the Surf Club, the Cavalier, the Ebb Tide, the 2:00 Club, the Triangle, the Latin Quarter and the Sand Bar; and Baron Be-Bop was the reigning DJ on WFOG.
Jimmy Capps offered “My Best To You”, a nighttime request show for lovers, on WPTF, a 50,000 watt regional powerhouse in Raleigh (he was impresario of many 60's Beach bands through his JCP record label).
Inland were numerous weekend getaway spots where the kids (and adults) went to relax along the water (lakes, rivers, and pools). Nearly all had piccolos featuring some of the biggest Beach songs of the era: Smitty's Beach on the Catawba River south of Charlotte, Lake Lure, Happy Lake in Kannapolis, Mirror Lake in Salisbury, Harris Lake near Concord, Joe's Beach in Lexington, Mountain Lake near Chester, Williams Lake near Fayetteville, Belew's Lake north of Greensboro, High Point Lake, Lake Murray near Columbia, Sustare's Pool in Matthews, Grace Park Recreation Center and Pool in Statesville, Sunrise Beach on Lake Lookout between Statesville and Hickory, plus there were indoor dances and concerts at places like the Pickle Tobacco Warehouse in Faison, NC and armories throughout the Southeast.
The Shag developed into the form recognized today. This era ended with the devastation wrought by Hurricane Hazel. Pavilions, piers and the familiar haunts of the First Wave disappeared under the waves and into the sand.
SECOND WAVE: 1955 (The Pad opened at O.D. — Ocean Drive — on July 4th) — 1961 (when the first R&B era drew to a close):
Second generation Shaggers and Beachdiggers took to the Beach (How do we know they were `second generation'? On the dance side, most of the dancers of the era studied, or were mentored by, the FIRST WAVE. On the Beachdigger side, the Second Wave generation venerated the hits of the First Wave: “60 Minute Man”, “Good Rockin' Tonight”, “Safronia B”, “Fine Brown Frame”, “Ebony Rhapsody”, “Honey Love”, “Money Honey”, “One Mint Julep”, “Rocket 88”, “Sh-Boom”, “Over The Rainbow”, “White Cliffs of Dover”, “Green Eyes”, “Annie Had A Baby”, “The Hucklebuck”, “Drinkin' Wine Spo Dee O Dee”, “Saturday Night Fish Fry”, “Lavendar Coffin”, “Pink Champagne”, “Blue Light Boogie”, “Bad Bad Whiskey”, “Teardrops From My Eyes”, “Have Mercy Baby”, “5-10-15 Hours”, “Lawdy Miss Clawdy”, “I Got Loaded”, “It Ain't the Meat (It's the Motion)”, “Rocket 69”, “No More Doggin'”, “Mama He Treats Your Daughter Mean”, “Mercy Mr. Percy”, “Let Me Go Home Whiskey”, “Hey Miss Fannie”, “Too Much Lovin'”, “Little Girl Little Girl”, “Sexy Ways”, “One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer”, “Work With Me Annie”, “Big Foot May”, “Rub A Little Boogie”, “Dont' Stop Dan”, etc).
Also during this era many of the protean `Beach Bands' of the Southeast began to emerge often through the aegis of Arthur Smith's talent hunts in the 50s and 60s such as:
• Daddys, early-mid 50s , Concord, NC
• Catalinas, 1958, Charlotte, NC
• Rivieras, late 50s , Charlotte, NC
• Jetty Jumpers, late 50s, Wilmington, NC
• Bill Deal & Ammon Tharp (Rhondels) debuted 1959, Virginia Beach, VA
• Venturas, 1959 , Statesville, NC
• Shadows , late 50s, Charlotte , NC
• Harry Deal and the Galaxies, late 50s , Taylorsville, NC
• Maurice Williams and the Gladiolas, 1956 , Lancaster, SC
In Charlotte, Greensboro and Raleigh three TV shows, modeled after Dick Clark's American Bandstand, took to the airwaves, inviting local high school students to participate in live dance shows often featuring local and national talent and a strong mix of what would become known as `Beach' music. (Bobby Tomlinson, Embers co-founder, was a hot dancer on the Raleigh program!)
On the airwaves, Raiford At Random (Bob Raiford, now part of John Boy and Billy's syndicated show throughout the South, Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic), played on WBT Charlotte until April 1956, when Bob was fired for getting `fired-up' over the attack on Nat King Cole in Birmingham. Rockin' Ray, Joy Boy Sanders, Rusty Page, Hound Dog (Toomey), and Chatty Hatty (Leeper) made a lot of noise on WGIV Charlotte. While Jimmy Witter (Dr. Soul) made the nighttime jump on WIST.
To be continued…
Editor’s note: This is a very long, but worthwhile, the rest of the article and will be printed as space permits coming in subsequent issues of the“ABA news”.
Reprinted through the kind permission of the Author John Hook, www.beachshag.com where you can also listen to the Best in Beach Music on the Endless Summer Network, 24/7 free of charge.
© 1995 John Hook. All rights reserved. This is an unpublished work of authorship protected by the copyright laws of the USA. It may not be reproduced, copied, published, or loaned to other parties without the express written consent of the author.