'Lifestyle' refers to leisure and
consumption, but in the spaces between the notes and steps is a bigger
story waiting to be heard.
Discover it at your leisure with Fessa
Hook's Shaggin' In the Carolinas and the Beach Music Guides
1945-2006, and now The Dancing On The Edge Journal, weekly.
The World's
only 'Beach Music Encyclopedia,' & Shaggin' In the Carolinas
can also be ordered from the Dancing On the Edge Journal subscription
page.
New Music Reviews, Beach Music News, Dance contests, and more are now in
the DOTEJ !
The Dancing On The
Edge Journal Volume 1 No. 1 is Ready!
If you loved It Will
Stand and Carolina Class magazines, prepare yourself for the
next evolution in Beach Music and Shag reporting: The Dancing On
The Edge Journal: Explorations In Beach and Shag History (Then
and Now). It's the next step in the excavation of lost
histories of Beach Music and free-style dancing.
Here are a few samples from
the 39-page first edition:
Beach, Bop and Shag history,
Then and Now. And special columns such as "Vintage Grooves" and
"New Grooves."
Here's the R&B breakout chart
for May 1951:
There's a seven-page story,
loaded with pictures, on the 4th Annual Shaggin' with the Stars
Extravaganza at 2001:
We'll be digging in the
vaults every week for rare, lost, or undiscovered Beach Music
collectibles, PLUS there are weekly record reviews to go with the Beach
Music Top 40 and Roadhouse Blues and Boogie Top 40 charts:
There's contests, promotions,
special offers and more:
Volume 1 Number 1 is a
complimentary issue. And it's a BIG pdf file--the first issue is
about 8.5 megabytes. Subscribers will receive a special link from
which to download it each week.
The first issue includes a
special subscription offer where you can win the 4' by 2' banner shown
above.
There will be alternating
columns week to week. The average journal will be 20-25 pages, not
nearly as large as the first issue, but there will likely be 'Bonus'
issues from time to time for the same low subscription price.
John W. Haynesnever missed a chance to ride his jet ski, play poker
with his friends, dance the night away with the Virginia Beach Shag
Club.
J.D. Cash's last superhit was "A Summer Place" ten years ago. Although he put out
several smooth tunes afterward, none quite impacted the Beach world in
the same way. That's about to change, if the popularity of his new
CD is any indication. An unannounced sneak preview of "Wish You Were
Here" at the Lake Lure Shag Club and Olympiad party and Shag contest on
August 28th electrified 250 dancers and filled the dance floor to
the brim. Another superhit in the making....thanks to Johnny
Barker of Legends of Beach for yet another stellar collection of
production virtuosity.
The Royal Scotsmen's latest release is a quantum leap beyond their
two previous CDs. Kim Chambers' vocal on brother Joe's
song, "I Don't Trust Myself," exposes a dramatic side barely hinted at
in her "Should I Do It" on Living For the Weekend, or "I'll Beat
You to the Punch" on Walking On the Beach. Their
collaboration raises the bar on everything they produce from now on.
"I Don't Trust Myself" has the same haunting qualities as Melissa
Bridges and the Spontanes' "Nights of Summer" in the early 80s or
John Franklin's "Ocean Drive Sunday" in 2005. Whew! Get
this on the computer and the radio right away!
The
Entertainer'sare the inside story! Ok,
ok, so's Doug Manning in regards to "Thank Goodness She Cheated."
There's nothing more inspiring than a perfectly written song by Doug
performed perfectly by Earl Dawkins. Cruise thru their inside
story a little more and you'll find another gem in "It's Got to Be
Mellow."
Bulletin! Authentic Soul Singer!
Danny Brooks and the Rockin' Revelator's epitomize the
journey of the Seeker who entered the dark forest to view the Grail
without the Shroud, defeated his demons in battle, and returned
triumphant with Live At the Palais Royale, soaked in Blues,
Sweat, and Tears. As much as you loved Danny before, prepare to
open an even bigger space in your heart. Danny put new solos,
horns, and depth to his 2005, self-penned "Other Side of the Clouds" for
this release. That's just the beginning. Danny Brooks lays
down some a-u-t-o-b-l-u-e-s-o-g-r-a-p-h-y in his "Carolina,' a story
that tells it all, except for who the band was that inspired him on the
2nd floor of a Fayetteville, NC hardware store in 1965. 44 years
later he is still riffing to the notes that nailed him that day.
Danny also wrote "Hold Your Head Up," "Hold On," and "Homestead Boogie"
-- still more AUTHENTIC gospel tinged jumpin' blues delivered by someone
who has obviously been there, rather than found these feelings in a
postcard collection. But the journey doesn't end there, the
Rockin' Revelators leap into Blind Willie Johnson's "Somebody On Your
Bond" with an unforgettable familiarity that won't soon pass.
Wail on, Danny.
The Secrets of the Shag, Pt 1
- 1 of 2 -- The 4 Attitudes to Shaggin' in 5 minutes or less
The Secrets of the Shag, Pt 1
- 2
of 2 -- The 4 Attitudes to Shaggin' in 5 minutes or less
The National Beach Music Top 40 Singles--click the
Logo below
The 2009 Book & Boogie Tour
Based on Shagging In the Carolinas,
The Beach Music Guide, and excerpts from the upcoming Dancing
On The Edge
series. Contact numbers and e-mail below.
ØJune
5, 2010 Golden Isles Shag Club, Jekyll Island, GA
Ø
August 20-21, 2010
Beach Festival and Dance, Jekyll Island, GA
Ø
August 27, 2010
Society of Brunswick Shaggers, Oak Island, NC
ØBOOK
SIGNINGS, INTERACTIVE AND FUN HISTORY PRESENTATIONS INCLUDING THE
REVOLUTIONARY "FIVE-MINUTES-OR-LESS SHAG" CLASS. Contact Fessa Hook. E-mail
and phone at the bottom of the page.
Dancing On the Edge--The Series:
An 8-volume series covering the complete history of the Shag, freestyle
dancing, and their visible and invisible roots. Volume 1: How
Music Freed the South is slated for 2010.
Beach Music and Shag evolved under different names and
styles in many places for over 60 years. Some call it good-time oldies,
Soul, and Rhythm 'n Blues. In other parts of the world the same music is
the foundation for Steppin' and Modern Soul.
This is the oldest site on the web for beach music news, beach music charts, and free Webcasts
for Beach Music from the Edge of Paradise with Fessa John Hook
(for those of you from the WBT and Beach 106 days; it was Dr. Hook at that time, but hey, I'm
evolving too!). Enjoy!
Our Mission
To provide the largest network of Beach Music and Shag
aficianados in the world with the history, past and present, of the music you
love. In addition, we provide access to beach music and shag dancing
history, including presentations from Shagging in the Carolinas, the Beach Music
Guide, even How to Shag (in one minute, rapidly becoming one of our most
popular, and effective, presentations).
Company Profile
The Endless Summer Network (currently
on hiatus) provided several
perspectives on Beach and Shag music to
listeners worldwide. #1) From the Roots in
the 40s and 50s to the Classics of the 60s, 70s and 80s, to the Great Shag hits
of the 90s and Today.
However, we know there are many of you who like yours on the
somewhat more energetic, sometimes dark, side. That's where #2 comes in--Roadhouse
Blues and Boogie: Jump Blues, Roots, and Good Time
Roadhouse music from the past and present.
We offer Specialty shows: 1 includes
Beach Music Classics, Spotlights on Artists, Special Summer Spotlights, The
great Clubs of the Past, a Special Fish Fry Show on the Weekends (which Fessa
Hook first launched over 20 years ago), Roadhouse
Retrospectives, a Roadhouse-style Fish Fry and more to come.
If you're an advertiser who wants to reach the largest
possible Beach and Shag audience, you're in the right place, with the people who
have been doing exactly that for 25 years -- ask for rates for the Countdown
shows now on 25+ stations and the massively visited cashboxmagazine.com site
Welcome to the Gateway for Beach Music and
Shag history past and present. Beach Music's 60 + year heritage is known by many names, from A to Z,
by people and fans throughout the U.S. and many parts of the world. The
All-Time Top 40 is topped by four particularly notable songs:
"Brenda" by O.C. Smith, "Lady Soul" by Temptations,
"Ms. Grace" by the Tymes and of course "Sixty Minute Man" by
the Dominoes.
Some associate Northern and Modern Soul with Beach Music
from the 60s to today. To many it is a form of Swing Music, Rhythm and Blues,
Soul music, Motown oldies, Southern Soul , Carolina Beach Music , and dances
including the Bop , the Basic , the Beach Bop , Shagging, the PC Bop , Fas Dancin , Shag ,
Soul Dancing , Shaggin or simply Diggin’ in the Sand.
Beach Music's popularity has evolved in Myrtle Beach , Charlotte ,
Raleigh , Athens , Augusta , Columbia , Florence , Sumter , Charleston ,
Savannah , Wilmington , New Bern , Chapel Hill , Goldsboro , Atlanta , Knoxville
, Johnson City , Lynchburg , Roanoke , Nashville , Jacksonville Florida , Panama
City , Danville , Richmond , Virginia Beach , Kitty Hawk , Nag’s Head , Morehead
City , Jacksonville North Carolina , Spartanburg and Greenville South Carolina ,
Rock Hill , Cheraw , Anderson , Lake Murray and hundreds of points in between.
The Beaches which cradled Beach Music and Shag , Beachdiggers , Shaggers , and Boppers include all those from the sands and
pavilions of legends like Ocean Drive , Wrightsville Beach , Carolina Beach ,
Folly Island , Tybee Beach , Atlantic Beach , Myrtle Beach , Topsail Beach ,
Minnesott Beach , Oriental Beach , Virginia Beach , Norfolk , Portsmouth ,
Mosquito Beach , Seabreeze , Shell Island , Bop City , Ocean City and more.
The Shag has been the inspiration for the South Carolina
State Dance 1984, and has spawned innumerable dance contests like the National
Shag Dance Championships , the Grand Nationals with Charlie Womble and Jackie
McGee every May in Atlanta, Georgia , S.O.S. Spring Safari and Fall Migration
and Fun Monday , the Jr Shaggers and Junior Shag Contests , Shag Instructors ,
teachers , lessons , videos , books and brochures , the Association of Beach and
Shag Club DJs, deejays, over 100 social Shag Clubs and their close cousins
the Bop Clubs , Swing Clubs , Swing Societies , Lindy Clubs and Jitterbug Clubs
throughout the U.S. and the world.
Beach Music has inspired the Cammys (the Carolina Beach
Music Awards ) , the Beach Music Awards of the 80s , the Headliners Awards , It
Will Stand Magazine , Dancing On The Edge Magazine , the Beach Music Association
International , Beach Nights Magazine , Carolina Class Magazine , The Breeze
Network , the legendary Beach 106 or WRDX , 94.9 The Surf or Beach & Boogie the
Surf , 949thesurf.com , WODR FM, the Saturday Night Beach Show with Fessa ( the former ‘ Doctor ‘ ) Hook
on WBT , Fred Fox's "Million-Dollar Oldies Weekend"
on WEWO and now on WLNC , Laurinburg, Tommy Walker's "Midnight Train" on WKDX ,
Hamlet (and later on KIX/Raleigh), Rockin' Ray Caulder on WEWO , the late Mike Shadeed of WJNC Jacksonville, N.C., Ted Ours on WFLB , Fayetteville, and Russ Spooner / WGNI , Wilmington.
Others were Bunky Odom on WLNC , or
Tommy Stanley's R & B Hour on WEWO , later on WDKD , Kingstree, WDAR ,
Darlington, WGNI , and now on WTXY Whiteville and co-host of the Sunny Beach
syndicated radio Show. And how about Dick Reus, who 'broke' "Girl Watcher" on
WLEE , Richmond and sadly passed away while still workin' the phones on Hometown
Beach ' Boogie , WTXY . Plus, the original Buddy Edwards Beach Party, on WENC
and later on WGQR . (and a guy by the name of Jim Quick started the Coastline
Band in the studios of WLNC , while he worked a weekend shift there.) John Fox,
Billy Melton, Jerry Peele, Charlie Brown, Jim Henderson, Bill Weathers, Fred
Owen, Sunny Beach..... (and more to be added).
Beach Music in one form or another has inspired Beach Music Bands galore for decades ( Embers , Fantastic Shakers , Catalinas , Tams , Coastline Band , Chairmen , Bill Deal & the Rhondels ,
Delbert McCLinton , Holiday Band , Heart and Soul , O’Kaysions , Band of Oz ,
Georgia Prophets , Billy Scott , North Tower , and more) (learn more in the Hey
Baby Days of Beach Music books by Greg Haynes ) and many other Beach Music Radio
legends like Sandy Beach , Steve Hardy , Charlie Byrd , Big John Ruth , Charlie
Brown , the Rhythm ‘n Beach Network , the Beach Music Top 40 Countdown , Rhythm
‘n Beach Classics , the Fish Fry , The Roadhouse , Luke Vail , Larry Crockett ,
Randy Rowland , Dan E. Lockemy , Billy Smith , Freakin’ Deacon , Curtiss
Carpenter , April McIntyre , the KIX Good Guys , Kebo Davis , and again dozens
more.
Beach Music 45s , cassettes , 8 tracks , LPs , albums , CDs
, even a few movies and VHS's.
This is the Gateway.
Contact Information
For questions, contributions, or alliances with
the Endless Summer Network, here are the pertinent connections:
