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By CHIP WILSON
Beach Music the Rhythm and Blues of Sand in Shoes
appears to be making a comeback.
Across the two Carolinas, beach music alternates with
Top-40 tunes on radio stations, beach clubs are cropping
up and vocal groups who perform the mellow tunes of
surf, simple love and Spo-dee-o-dee now command top
dollars.
Not bad for music that was once prohibited from play
over most Southern radio stations. But the original bans
probably did more to boost Beach Music, since young
people could only listen to it at one place the beach.
"At the time when Rhythm And Blues first appeared,
the beach was the place for young people to go," said
Chris Beachley, a Charlotte record store owner and editor
of It Will Stand, a beach music magazine. "It was a place
for kids to get away from their parentswho didn't want
them to listen to any of that 'sinful Negro music.' "
The music was considered sinful, more because of the
lyrics of the songs than the race of the singers, Beachley
said. .
"When Sixty Minute Man' was first released, many
black-operated radio stations didn't play it, because the
words were so controversial."
The lyrics from "Sixty Minute Man," typified the risque
element in early rhythm and blues: ... -
"There'll be fifteen minutes of squeezin'
Then you'll holler please don't stop.
There'll be fifteen minutes of teasin
- Fifteen minutes of squeezin and
Fifteen minutes of blowin' my top."
It wasn't just the song or its suggestive words that blew
the top off of popular music. It was the falsetto-voiced
Clyde McPhatter, who crooned in the background when
"Sixty Minute Man" was released by Billy Ward and the
Dominoes.
McPhatter, a Durham-born gospel singer, joined the
Dominoes at 17. He blended the call-and-response style
of black religious music with more worldly lyrics. This
form was emulated by many black and white vocal groups
who followed, including The Beatles.
McPhatter is best known for, forming The Drifters,
which today still exist as the most popular beach music
group, for songs like "Under The Boardwalk," "Up On
The Roof," and "I've Got The Sand In My Shoes' The
lyrics to these tunes were considerably milder than those
of songs like "Drinking Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee' by Sticks
McGhee. But they remained popular nevertheless.
In fact. The Drifters have maintained a consistent
following of fans, despite three major membership
changes in their 1&-year history.
The group disbanded in 1956, after releasing such hits
as "Money Money" and "Have Mercy Baby," when
McPhatter was drafted. But Ben E. King brought the
group back to life and to the peak of its career, only to
see them fall apart again. The Drifters were later re
formed by Bill Pinkey and released such current beach
favorites as "(You're More Than A Number In) My Little
Red Book," and "Kissing In The Back Row."
Such simplicity appears in newer beach tunes by
groups like Chairman of the Board, The Embers and The
Catalinas. The newer tunes like "Myrtle Beach Days,"
"Summertime's Calling Me" and "On the Beach" aim
directly toward a beach audience, unlike the earlier,
more cosmopolitan tunes which were adapted by coastal
"visitors. '
- New and old songs alike have been selling very well,
said Joe Deese, manager of the Record Bar on Franklin
Street. , ;
"There has always been a group of people here in
Chapel Hill who have been buying beach music," said
Deese. "But in the past year. we have been selling a lot of
beach singles. It has been a real surge."
Deese attributes increased beach music sales to efforts
to distribute many hard-to-find beach singles by placing
them on albums.
"One company, Ripete Records released a series of
Beach Beat albums which contain many of the popular
songs that were originally released on smaller record
labels," Deese said. "They have also pressed a number of
singles of older songs. But many beach music fans would
rather have the original record."
Fhe only time any of our brothers will listen to it is
when we get really drunk. Then we might dance to it.
But we never listen or dance to it when we're sober.'
Terry Kellagher. Social Chairman
Alpha Tau Omega
Other signs point to the increasing popularity of beach
music, said Mike Lewis, a Chapel Hill record collector
and associate editor of It Will Stand.
"Beach Music is not limited to Chapel Hill or the
Carol inas anymore," Lewis said. "There are clubs playing
the music in Denver, Houston, DallasFt. Worth and West
Virginia."
"It's at the highest point that it has ever been."
Lewis said beach fans were in full force recently when
S.O.S. (Society of Stranders) had its annual meeting at
North Myrtle Beach, S.C. "The S.O-S. convention is a big
party started last year for people who have been going to
the beach on a regular basis," he said. "This year, they
tied a big yellow ribbon around the 15-story hotel where
we were staying."
Another gauge "which Lewis said indicates a new
popularity of Beach Music is the number of dance con
tests. ,'.'. ;
"They're popping up everywhere," Lewis said. "In
Charleston, S.C. last month, the winning couple in the
Shagging contest there won $5000."-
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Lewis also said "the death of Disco" is another reason
for the Beach Music's new-found following. "Right now,
there is a general resurgence in Rhythm and Blues music.
This can be seen in the popularity of Delbert McClinton
and Gary U.S. Bonds.
"It's music about good times. That's all I can really
say. It's good, no-pressure, drinking music that reminds
people of the beach," Lewis said.
"It also ties in with the new Preppy trend. That's one
place where the South and the North meet."
One irony Lewis noted is the lack of interest blacks
have in Beach Music, though most all of the groups that
perform it are black.
"I've been listening to Beach Music for 15 years, but
never have seen any blacks at any clubs where they were
playing Beach Music," Lewis said. "It's one carryover
from the days of the earlier South."
Deese said the biggest fans of Beach Music are af
filiated with Greek organizations: "Usually the people
who come in here and buy beach music in any. large
quantity are wearing fraternity or sorority shirts! They
usually got them to play in their jukeboxes."
A survey undertaken by the Da7y Tar Heel in 1975
showed that Beach Music comprised half of the ten
favorite songs of fraternity houses. But love of Beach
Music among fraternities is not universal.
"The only time any of our brothers listen to it is when
we get really drunk," said Terry Kellagher, social chair
man of Alpha Tau Omega's UNC-CH Chapter. "Then we
might dance to it. But we never listen to if or dance to it
when we're sober."
Despite the lack of enthusiasm for beach music among
some Carolina students, Deese said it accounted for 25
percent of sales at the Chapel Hill Record Bar.
"It sells as well as our New Wave records, but not as
well as our Top 40 records." Deese said. "Beach Music
definitely seils a lot better than Disco." lJ
'Chip Wilson is assistant editor for Spotlight.
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Spotlight. September 17. 1981 7