Beach club

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. Specific concerns may be found on the talk page. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions.(December 2007)

This article does not cite any references or sources. (July 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

The term Beach Club referred to public clubs in the distinct area in and around what is now known as North Myrtle beach, SC. The small, often unincorporated areas had names like Ocean Drive (affectionately known as OD(home of the Carolina shag)), Cherry Grove, Atlantic Beach, Windy Hill, Crescent Beach, a spit bordering North Carolina. All these have been subsequently absorbed into the confines of the incorporated city limits of North Myrtle Beach. During the height of the Beach Club era (1950's and 1960's), some of the more popular one included Fat Harold's, The Beach Club, The Lavender Scallion, The OD Pavillion and Duck's.

Some of the Beach Clubs in Myrtle Beach were within walking distance of another favorite dancing spot, The Pavilion (which has gone the way of the Ocean Forest Hotel). To many of the shaggers, the Pavilion was akin to a shrine to the Shag dance. Most of the "really good" Beach Clubs had bands and groups primarily from the Southeastern US. The Tams, Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs (The Gladiolas), The Drifters, The Catalinas and even late comers such as The Swingin' Medallions were some of the more popular ones. (A famous example of a band that got its start in Myrtle Beach, but not necessarily in a Beach Club, was Alabama.)