THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 3, 1995 TAG: 9509010227
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: John Harper
LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
The Outer Banks Shag Club has found a new place to dance and dwell. And that place is the Holiday Inn hotel.
Movers and shaggers in the 6-year-old club now meet at 8 p.m. on Mondays at Madeline's in the Holiday Inn in Kill Devil Hills. Before the move, the group shagged at the Sea Ranch.
Shag Club president and disc jockey David Jones provides the shag soundtrack for the 50 or so members who attend the weekly meetings. That's about a third of the membership.
Jones and his wife, Sharon, offer instruction to novice shaggers. The shag, for the uninitiated, is a slowed-down version of the jitterbug, and depending on whom you ask, a dance born in either North or South Carolina.
Although most shag clubs are based along the coasts of the Carolinas, dance clubs are springing up in places like Richmond and Atlanta. Myrtle Beach is considered the shag capital of the world.
Most shag clubs have a DJ like Jones, whose job is to find music that is ``shaggable.'' Many of the best shag songs are by old rhythm and blues artists like Clarence Carter, Ruth Brown and O.C. Smith. Jones and the other DJs measure their music in beats per minute, and anything around 120 is probably ``shaggable.''
One of the prime places to buy shag music is Judy's House of Oldies in Myrtle Beach.
``They make it their job to find shag music,'' Jones says. ``A lot of what I use is import.''
Jones says he recently spent $300 at Judy's.
``Some of the new stuff packs the dance floor,'' he says.
And what is some of this hot stuff?
According to Jones, these new songs are certifiably shaggable: ``So Fine'' by Terry Evans, ``One Drop of Love'' by Ray Charles, and Patti Austin's ``Ability to Swing.''
For slow dancing, Jones lists O.C. Smith's ``After All Is Said and Done'' and Aaron Neville's ``Try a Little Harder'' as sure tickets to that place known as ``Goo-Goo Eyes City.''
Jones says the club meetings are a great way to meet people, and all the club's social functions are open to the public.
For more information 261-6405.
More Changes on Outer Banks Airwaves
It's difficult to tell the players without a scorecard at WOBR, Beach 95. But here's the latest lineup.
Nancy Travers is the program director. Gary Dean, just over from WRSF, Dixie 105.7, is operations manager. He also plays sidekick to Travers on the morning show.
New to the midday shift is Teddy Greene, a 20-year broadcast veteran. His broadcasting career includes a lengthy stint at Armed Forces Radio.
Dan Preston handles the afternoon shift, with the rest of the programming delivered by a satellite music service based in Dallas.
The station recently added a ``Sunday Brunch'' program, hosted by local disc jockey Steve Ellis. What is the ``Sunday Brunch?'' It's a few hours of oldies on the station that bills itself as ``The Best Hits of the '70s, '80s and '90s.''
At 99.l, WVOD, new program director Lee Lovingood has added a feature to his afternoon show called ``Lee's Pick Three.'' The 6:30 p.m. feature focuses on an artist or theme.
``I try to play a track that you haven't heard a thousand times,'' Lovingood says. by CNB