Your Morning Shag - Carolina Beach Music Classics!

For the 2020 WTJU Rock Marathon, I'll be hosting a special program on WTJU-FM. Wednesday morning, April 15 from 7-9 am you can enjoy "Your Morning Shag."

This shag has nothing to do with Austin Powers. Rather, the shag means something special on the East Coast. It's a dance developed along the Carolina beaches in the 1950s that remains popular today. (Actually, the scene extended from Virginia through Georgia, though concentrated in the Carolinas).

According to some, the shag became popular because you could dance it on the sand -- ideal for summer beach parties with vacationing teens and college students. The basic shag is a simple six-step pattern with many variations.

In the beginning, Top 40 hits that had the right shuffle tempo were used for beach dances. The Drifters, Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs, and the Tymes all became beach music favorites.

 Start with this...
 

 ...end up with this.

 In the early 1960s, Motown groups such as the Temptations and the Four Tops filled the bill. When the writing team of Holland/Dozier/Holland left Motown to form their own label, one of their first groups was the Chairmen of the Board. The Detriot-based band, with lead singer General Norman Johnson, transitioned into a Carolina institution.  

Several blue-eyed soul bands had national hits that became part of the beach music canon. Spiral Staircase, the Swinging Medallions, and even UK-based Foundations contributed Carolina beach classics.

 Regional bands also sprang up, not only capturing the sound but also writing lyrics specific to the area. Greenville, North Carolina's Band of Oz catalog includes "Shaggin," "Ocean Boulevard," and "Southern Belles." The Poor Souls from Charlotte, NC had several regional hits, including "It Ain't the Beat, It's the Motion," and "My Girl Stormy."

 And of course -- for this Virginia-based program -- we can't forget Bill Deal and the Rhondels. Hailing from Portsmith Virginia, their three national hits remain beach music classics.

Join me and Nick Rubin Wednesday morning, 7-9 am on April 15 for "Your Morning Shag." And when you call in or go online with your pledge to WTJU, let us know which beach was your favorite:

• Virginia Beach
• Carolina Beach
• Nags Head
• Cape Hatteras
• Myrtle Beach
• Other

Arcania International On the Air Again (sort of)

Another installment of "Captive Audio" ran on WVTF's "Morning Edition," featuring music from the Arcania International label. Reporter Connie Stevens is using Arcania's CD reissues of 1960's soul and garage band records as a starting point for a series about forgotten Virginia artists.

The latest installment is an interview with Gene Brumley of Gene & the Teen Beats from Martinsville, Virginia. Stevens did an excellent job, and Brumley shares some great stories.

Gene & the Teen Beats (later the Team Beats when the band started aging) have tracks on Arcania International's "Ol' Virginia Soul, Part 1." And although Brent Hosier's liner notes are pretty extensive, there's not a lot of overlap between his entry for Gene & the Teen/Team Beats and what Connie Stevens presents.

Which is great.

I admit that I have a vested interest in this series (we carry Arcania International's releases), but just as a listener, I'm really excited about this oral history chronical "Captive Audio's" creating.

Can't wait for the next installment!

- Ralph

BTW - The other band mentioned in the segment, Captain Darby and The Buccaneers, can be found on "Aliens, Psychos & Wild Things, Volume Fore (sic)."

Arcania International On The Air!

Brent Hosier, owner of the Arcania International record label was featured on WVTF during "Morning Edition" today.

It was a pretty exciting time for all of us. My business partner and I at DCD Records have been working with Brent for some time, trying to get some well-deserved attention to his releases.

Brent's a knowledgeable record collector, and his compilations of 1960's garage band and soul records are pretty remarkable. Brent insists only using tracks that haven't been previously released on CD, which keeps the selections fresh-sounding. Further, he's pretty much limited his compilations to Virginia artists (with a few side trips).

Arcania International has two series running. The four volumes of "Aliens, Psychos and Wild Things" focuses on garage and psych bands of the mid- to late-1960s. "Ol' Virginia Soul" collects soul and R&B tracks from (mostly) the Old Dominion on three CDs.

Some of the discs have fallen out of print, and that's where we've come in. DCD Records has reissued "Aliens, Psychos and Wild Things, Vol. 1" and we're working on the others.

Check out the "Captive Audio" series at WVTF. You can even listen to the segment. And then -- if you're so inclined -- you can toodle on over to DCDRecords.com and buy a CD or two. We'll all be glad you did.

- Ralph