- Beach club
The term
Beach Club referred to public clubs in the distinct area in and around what is now known asNorth Myrtle beach, SC . The small, often unincorporated areas had names like Ocean Drive (affectionately known as OD(home of theCarolina 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 Pavilion 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.)
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