Beach Music was born in the Carolinas.

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.