Page 32 - 4650 50th Anniversary Book Final

I LOVE SHAGGING!!!

The year? 1945. The place? Ocean Drive in Myrtle Beach, SC. An old
beach house has withstood the test of Hurricane Hazel and been converted
into a beer joint. Teenagers pack in from one wall to the other on a
hard-packed dirt floor. There is a jukebox playing Rhythm & Blues and
cold beer is being passed through a hole in a nearby wall. This place was
known as "The Pad!"
It It was slowly upgraded to have wood plank floors and low ceilings. It defi-
nitely had the makings of a good Rhythm & Blues club!
"The
"The Pad" would become known as a fortress for "SHAG" to teens in Litttle Ducks Shag Club
Myrtle Beach, SC... What is "Shag" you ask? It's a phenomenal dance was opened by H. Lee Brown,
craze that started in Myrtle Beach in the 40 and 50's. Local teens invented in 1984. It was an oyster bar
the dance step that is most suited to Rhythm & Blues music. But "Shag" is and shag club with a long bar
much more than a style of swing dancing, it is a way of life for people from and a dance floor in the right
Virginia Beach to Florida! Some may even refer to it as a "religion." rear of the building with a
What
What is this dance that has gained so much attention? It is a 6-count, basic small DJ Booth in the corner.
Across from that was an area
pattern dance with East Coast Swing. There is a rearrangement of the foot- Across
work that makes it look and feel unique. All the action occurs below the with couches, chairs and a
waist, though instructors tend to teach a very standard basic pattern. True coffee table. A year or so later
seasoned "Shaggers" take pride in adopting their own versions of the H. Lee leased the building
dance, each being distinctive and smooth. Using the balls of their feet and across the street (Now Fat Har-
small steps, "Shaggers" manage to perform this very "cool" style of dance old’s), and opened Ducks
to individual perfection!
to ind Across the Street. He had part
Not only have the Carolina's been famous for "Shag," but they are also ners from Winston Salem en-
home to "Beach Music," volved. They eventually
better known as Rhythm & Blues. But as "Shag" bought H. Lee out and brought
has evolved, so has the music. Now "Shaggers" enjoy performing their a manager in from the Guard in
magic to everything from gospel to music from the big band era (known in Winston. I knew him and he
the Carolina's as "Smoothies.") This Myrtle Beach "pastime" has become hired me as bar manager be-
much larger in nature with Shag Clubs popping up everywhere. All of the cause I knew the shag crowd.
clubs are members of the Association of Carolina Shag Clubs. The "Shag" They changed Ducks across
has even been declared the official dance of the state of South Carolina! the street to Ducks Beach Club
According
According to TripSmarter.Com, We definitely haven't seen the last of the so people would know it was
heralded "Shagger" or the end of this growing phenomenon! under new ownership. In a few
months, they realized that the
locals and shaggers liked Little
Guinness World Record Ducks better, so we changed
Ducks
Ducks Beach Club to Rock
Option around 1988. We fea-
tured Classic Rock, Southern
Rock and Reggae music. At
that time there was no back
room like at Harold’s, it was a
yard fenced in with picnic
tables. The bands would pull in
there to load and unload.
Kathy McCoy and Trish Sessums of
32 Edge Media are in this photo continued