One of North Myrtle Beach’s most famous, FREE, festivals featuring national entertainment; upscale vendors; a children’s area, arts and crafts and lots of fun. Always the Saturday before Mother’s Day, 11 South Ocean Blvd., North Myrtle Beach, S. C.

Blue Monday is a tribute to the MTV generation…The MTV Classic’ s of the 80’s/90’s and a few guilty pleasures of today. They have staged years of experience and passion to create a new trend setting retro sound that audiences are familiar with and holds up strong to todays music. Originally hailing from New York City they moved to Charlotte NC and quickly had success climbing the ladder of playing shows around the south east. Focus and passion has kept this band going for over 21 years strong and their is no sign of slowing down. Blue Monday is not just another 80’s/90’s band. They do what they love and it shows from their hearts. “We play music that makes you feel really good from an era where the music smiled ” – Blue Monday.

David Victor formerly of Boston features lead vocalist and guitarist David Victor who performed on two North American tours and recorded a #1 hit with the multi-platinum band BOSTON.

David Victor’s show re-creates the amazing music of Boston with a full complement of world-class musicians. You’ll experience all the soaring guitar harmonies, lightning-fast keyboard runs and lush harmony vocals. The band performs the best-loved hits including “More Than a Feeling”, “Peace of Mind”, “Amanda” and “Foreplay / Long Time” as well as original music by David Victor.

David’s experience in legendary band included performing at the sold-out Boston Strong benefit in 2013 at Boston Garden in front of 20,000 people. David Victor helped close the moving and poignant show with Aerosmith, Jimmy Buffet, Extreme and other luminaries, sharing vocals with Steven Tyler on the epic “Come Together”.

David’s production company, DAVID VICTOR PRESENTS features a variety of rock-themed shows including David Victor formerly of Boston, Platinum Rockstars, David Victor’s Supergroup and Rockin’ America.

More information about DVP shows at: https://davidvictorpresents.com

Please “like” DAVID VICTOR FORMERLY OF BOSTON on Facebook and sign up on the DAVID VICTOR PRESENTS mailing list so that you’ll always know where DVP shows are happening.

Matthew and Gunnar have rare insights into what it takes to earn longevity in the entertainment world. They continue the inspiring story of a most remarkable show business family. Their grandparents, Ozzie and Harriet, achieved immortality with “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,” the longest-running live action sitcom in television history. Earlier, the couple had enjoyed big band success and had scored a number one hit in 1934. Long before MTV made twins Matthew & Gunnar pop-rock icons, Ozzie Nelson is credited with creating the first conceptual music video for Ricky Nelson’s “Travelin’ Man”.

“After the Rain” was the debut multi-platinum album by NELSON and they zoomed to number one with their hit song, “(Can’t Live Without Your) Love and Affection,” which made history landing America’s iconic Nelson family (bandleader Ozzie Nelson, rock legend Rick Nelson, and twins Matthew & Gunnar) into the Guinness Book of World Records as the ONLY family in Entertainment with 3 successive generations of #1 hit makers. NELSON’s “After the Rain” record and tour became a phenomenon just prior to the rise of grunge. The last major success of the good time rock’n’roll era, NELSON has had (1) Number One, (4) Top Ten, and (5) Top 40 Billboard Hot 100 hit singles, plus (5) #1 MTV videos and has sold over 6.5 million albums worldwide.

Every magazine from ‘Rolling Stone’ to ‘People’ did cover stories, and NELSON performed on television shows like “Late Night With David Letterman” and “Saturday Night Live.”

Nelson has always been synonymous with entertainment in America.  Matthew and Gunnar follow Ozzie Nelson’s vision that embraced connecting with people and  audiences through all forms of media. They have been doing television-hosting work for VH-1 and E!  Plus, Gunnar co-hosted LIFETIME Radio’s nationally syndicated morning show.

  NELSON has been headlining at major rock festivals around the globe celebrating the 20th anniversary of “After the Rain.”  They have been touring in China, the U. K. and, of course, the U. S. where have also toured extensively with Peter Frampton and Styx.

One of North Myrtle Beach’s most famous, FREE, festivals featuring national entertainment; upscale vendors; a children’s area, arts and crafts and lots of fun. Always the Saturday before Mother’s Day, 11 South Ocean Blvd., North Myrtle Beach, S. C.

FireHouse has been rockin’ for over a decade. Their music has taken them all over the world and has produced Gold, Platinum and Multi-Platinum records in the United States and countries abroad.

In 1990, their first album, entitled FireHouse, was released. The band’s first single, Shake & Tumble, had impressive radio success. The band then
released Don’t Treat Me Bad, which became their first Top Ten hit. This
was followed by Love of a Lifetime, which also entered the Top Ten,
reaching the #3 spot on the United States charts. This string of hits vaulted their first album to double platinum status in the United States; also going gold in Canada, Japan and Singapore. At the 1991 American Music Awards, Firehouse found themselves standing before the nation accepting the award for Best New Hard Rock/Metal Band, chosen over Nirvana and Alice in Chains.

The band’s second album, Hold Your Fire, was released in 1992. It
produced the hits Reach for the Sky and Sleeping with You. Another Top
Ten hit, When I Look into Your Eyes, peaked on the United States charts
at #5. This album earned the band two more gold albums and over 1 million sales worldwide.

In 1995, Firehouse released their third album on Epic, simply titled 3. Once again, Firehouse produced another Top Forty hit in the United States with I Live My Life For You. It was with this album that Firehouse made their first trip to Southeast Asia for a promotional tour. Earlier American hits like Don’t Treat Me Bad, Love of a Lifetime and When I Look into Your Eyes had climbed the charts in Asia. Here for You, the second single from 3, had also become a hit. The band then continued their promotional tour in South American countries such as Brazil and Argentina.

Their fourth album, Good Acoustics, was released in 1996 and quickly went gold in Malaysia, Thailand, and Philippines. Good Acoustics contains unplugged versions of the group’s greatest hits, as well as four new songs. This album produced foreign hits such as In Your Perfect World, Love Don’t Care and You Are My Religion. The band returned to Southeast Asia for another promotional tour at the end of 1996. Then, in February 1997, Firehouse embarked on their first concert tour of Southeast Asia playing sold out shows for fans in Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, and Japan. During May and June they toured the United States before returning to Southeast Asia in July for an unprecedented twenty-five city sold out tour of Indonesia.

In 1998, Firehouse toured the United States on the Rock Never Stops tour, which also included Slaughter, Warrant, Quiet Riot, and LA Guns. October of 1998 featured the Asian release of Firehouse’s fifth CD, Category 5 on Pony Canyon Records. The album quickly climbed to #4 on the Japanese charts, and supporting promotional tour of Japan followed. Category 5 was officially released in the United States in 1999.

Firehouse continued touring through the winter and spring of 1999, including 3 more sold out shows in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka. On April 22, 1999, the band recorded their live show in Osaka. The result – the first ever live album by Firehouse. Bring ‘em Out Live was released in Japan in December 1999 and in the United States on Spitfire Records in July 2000.

The turn of the century brought the release their seventh album, titled O2. It has been released in SE Asia on Pony Canyon Records, and in the US on Spitfire Records. This album had notable success despite the changing style of popular rock music. During this time, the band decided to part ways with original bass player, Perry Richardson. O2’s remarkable bass playing was supplied by Bruce Waibel. Bruce brought to the band his phenomenal bass playing along with is equally impressive sense of humor. We truly regret to say that in September 2003, Bruce has passed away. He will be greatly missed as a friend and talented musician.

FireHouse headed back into the studio in early 2003 to write and record their 8th album, PRIME TIME. As music changes over time, FireHouse continues to evolve their musical style; yet, at the same time, hang onto their hard rock roots. Released in October of 2003, album number 8 is no exception. You can expect to hear what FireHouse is famous for … soulful, melodic hard rock.

Taylor Dayne stands out as one of music’s all-time dynamic artists. Her unique vocal style has earned her numerous best-selling gold and platinum albums, which produced seventeen Top 20 singles, among them number one hits such as “Tell It to My Heart,” “Love Will Lead You Back” and “Prove Your Love To Me.”

During the course of her career, Taylor has sold more than 75 million albums and singles worldwide, garnered three GRAMMY nominations and appeared in many film, television and Broadway stage roles including Elton John’s award-winning “Aida.” Taylor is also considered an exceptional songwriter, having co-penned Tina Turner’s hit “Whatever You Want.” In 2008, Taylor released her latest album, “Satisfied,” collaborating with major platinum selling writers Mike Mangini (Baha Men, Digable Planets, O-Town, Bruce Hornsby) and Peter Wade (Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Natasha Bedingfield), as well as New Radicals’ Gregg Alexander and Rick Nowels (Stevie Nicks, Madonna, Nelly Furtado, Santana). “Satisfied” enjoyed great success in the USA, immediately positioning its single “Beautiful” at Billboard’s #1 slot.
In 2009, Taylor contributed songs to the hit film “Sex and the City 2.” She followed up in 2010 by delivering a breathtaking performance in Cologne, Germany, where she sang “Facing A Miracle,” the official anthem of the Gay Games VIII, during an opening ceremony that ended in a five-minute standing ovation.

In 2011, Taylor released her latest single, “Floor on Fire,” which garnered her 18th top ten Billboard hit. and currently sits at #8 on the Billboard Dance Charts. Taylor also won an HMMA award for “Change The World,” which was featured on the trailer for the Academy Award nominated film, “The Help.” Taylor wrapped up 2011 with a national and international tour throughout the US and Australia. In 2012, Taylor was featured in The Food Network’s highly anticipated “Celebrity Cook-Off” with Rachael Ray and Guy Fieri, where her fierce competition led to a victory for Team Rachael. Taylor also was the
recipient of the Legends of Pop/Dance Award, given by Promo Only during the prestigious International DJ Expo held in Atlantic City. That year also marked Taylor’s 25-year anniversary and release of her career launching “Tell It to My Heart,” her first top ten single, and was inducted into the Long Island
Musicians Hall of Fame, alongside Long Island luminaries Billy Joel, Pat Benatar, Brian Setzer, Stray Cats, Lou Reed and Blue Oyster Cult.

A favorite with the fans, Rolling Stone readers voted Taylor Dayne as the number one choice to replace Paula Abdul on American Idol. Taylor is currently recording standards from the American Songbook and bringing her “Tell it To My Heart” tour to audiences worldwide.

The Entertainers Band was founded In 1980 and scored their first regional smash hit with "Living For The Summer" that same year. This song helped propel the group to the forefront of beach music which led to their playing the finest clubs along the grand strand of Myrtle Beach and corporate conventions, weddings and festivals from Washington, DC to Naples, Florida. While staying true to their beach music roots, the group also satisfies the most diverse audiences by playing selections from the latest top-40, classic rock and roll and country music. The group’s years of performing experience and recording prowess culminated in the release of their latest album, entitled “The Inside Story”. This record which contains the #1 beach music hit “Thank Goodness She Cheated” and classic beach and soul hits, will surely lead you to the dance floor with a smile on your face.

Awards
Carolina Beach Music Group Of The Year 2014
Carolina Beach Music Songwriters of the Year For Maybe We Can Still Be Friends 2014 Carolina Beach Music CD of the year for Summer Love CD 2015

ROSS CHILDRESS, CO-FOUNDER OF COLLECTIVE SOUL — 2016

Reflecting after driving through rush-hour traffic in Atlanta, Ross Childress said that hearing from fans of Collective Soul’s big run through the 1990s, he appreciates how such staples as “Shine,” “December,” “Where the River Flows” and “Listen” moved “various people with good memories.”

Childress said when he plays Collective Soul tunes in an acoustic setting, in some cases, a story gets told in the music, and “that definitely takes it back” to the vibe from their origins and that “it’s not like a scripted thing.”

Singing some of the band’s repertoire that resulted from the group’s founding in Stockbridge, near Atlanta, and having done lead guitar parts, Childress said he likes the “different dimension” the songs bring in performance, and “it’s a lot of words to remember.”

Childress said he sees fellow original bandmates “once in a while,” say at “a mutual friend’s CD release party.” Childress said that besides comic books, video games keep the kid in him alive, particularly Warcraft, and a spinoff, “Heroes of the Storm.” “Anytime I take a hour’s break from music,” he said, “that’s my entertainment.” Atlanta’s pro sports teams keep Childress’ attention, too, especially the Falcons. “I dig the time of year for football,” he said.

Asked what musical titans from his youth still impress him for always evolving and remaining relevant, generations later, Childress cited Elton John, “an amazing performer,” and Prince. “My first album was ‘Purple Rain,’” Childress said, on the day before the news broke of Prince’s passing, at age 57.

MOTHERS FINEST: REAPING THE REWARDS
THE LOAFER’S EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
WITH JEFFREY ALAN PAYNE

WQUT’s Classic Rock,The Loafer, sat down for an exclusive interview with the venerable band’s founders: Glenn “Doc” Murdock and Joyce “Baby Jean” Kennedy. Here they talk about their many successes.
_____________________________________________________

The Loafer: I want to ask you about some iconic bands you opened for. The Who was famous for hiring opening acts that were inappropriate for their audiences, and they would often get booed off the stage. You survived it.

Joyce “Baby Jean” Kennedy: Yeah, we probably got lucky. We survived it, but we were great though. This is not a big-headed statement, but we were great at what we did. When we walked on the stage, everything belonged to us. We didn’t care about the headliner. As far as we were concerned WE were the headliner. Greatness respects greatness. Those bands that knew exactly what they were, and that they were great at it, they opened the door for us to do our thing, because they wanted us to succeed. There was no competition there.

The Loafer: How about Aerosmith?

Kennedy: Aerosmith was lovely.

Glenn “Doc” Murdock: We played with them in Atlanta. They were tolerant, because they wouldn’t be shown up.

Kennedy: We also played in New York with them, and that was a completely different (than playing in hometown Atlanta).

Murdock: We had the same management company as them, and we were on the same label. They really didn’t want to be bothered with us; everyone just did their own thing. There was a progression of us playing with them.

Kennedy: It was a great combination; I’d have to say.

The Loafer: You’ve also mentioned ACDC.

MICKEY THOMAS – 2016

The leader in Starship– and a native of Cairo, Ga., just north of the Florida state line, near Tallahassee – has put his towering tenor behind such hits such as “Jane,” “No Way Out,” Sara,” “It’s Not Over (’Til It’s Over)” and “It’s Not Enough.”

“Rock of Ages,” on Broadway and later in cinema, included “We Built This City,” in which he and Grace Slick shared lead vocals in the mid-1980s, just as they did in recording “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” for the movie “Mannequin in 1987. Starship also supplied “Wild Again” for “Cocktail,” the Tom Cruise-Elisabeth Shue love story in 1988 packed with such blockbusters as “Kokomo” by the Beach Boys and “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin.

Before Thomas joined Starship in the late 1970s when the group’s name still started with Jefferson, he sung in Elvin Bishop’s band, taking the lead a few years earlier on “Fooled Around and Fell in Love,” for which he went to bat on the “Struttin’ My Stuff” album in 1975, with “a strong, good feeling.”

“There was something about it that was special,” Thomas said. “I insisted we record it, and it was the last track we recorded for the album. … It has stayed the test of time.”

“Fooled Around” made the “Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1” soundtrack from 2014, and Thomas counted off various movies to which the single added flavor, such as “Boogie Nights,” from 1997, and others with use “in an ironic sense,” as in “Summer of Sam” two years later.

Thomas said his son was 18 when seeing “Guardians,” and happy to tell friends about hearing his father’s voice on screen.

Seeing a gravitation toward “’80s music and classic rock” among the “younger generation” today, “it’s kind of like they’re becoming their own genre,” Thomas said.

“The kids I meet now in their 20s,” he said, “they know all the words to my favorite songs from the ’70s and ’80s.”

When running into actor Adam Sandler a few years ago at a Super Bowl, Thomas said he was thanked “for doing your part to keep the 1980s alive.”

Murdock: ACDC was almost counter-productive in that we could come and just take them up to a certain level, and ACDC would just take them over the top.

Kennedy: Yeah, the audience was TOTALLY exhausted. Again, they’re a great band, and they were not intimidated. We caught them on “Highway to Hell”, so they were just bustin’ out. We became great friends over the years. We played with Bad Company. The list is long. We’ve been around for a while.

The Loafer: After 47 years, you guys are edging into Rolling Stones-like musical veterans’ territory. Is it easier? Are you more confident? Let’s face it. We’re all getting older. Is it harder now to share that energy?

Kennedy: We’re kind of controlling it. It’s not harder. It’s just different, because the industry has changed so much. This is work, and to be honest, in the early days, we were on our way somewhere. So, every gig was like the first gig. We worked hard. We rehearsed hard, and we wrote songs.

Now, after 40-some years, we say, “Let’s try to stay tight and try to stay healthy, and try to keep a fresh perspective.” We know how the industry works now. You know, education is powerful. If you know the game, it changes your perspective on it. The band’s still tight. The last CD we did was excellent. The people who have it, love it. We try to keep the show fresh. That’s why we stay together. We love what we’ve done together, the work we’ve created.

We consider ourselves blessed. Nobody OD’d. We stay busy, and still have our audience. Booties are in the seats. We’re a rockin’ band. We play at nine-and-a-half all the time.

The Loafer: Speaking of that, your new album and single “Shut Up” simply sizzles, such a great song. Do you find that you have to tour to make money now, because everyone’s downloading music from the internet?

Murdock: What we try to do is….we ask people for money. Then, we give them stuff. They actually funded this last record. Then, we went to a record company over in Germany, and they gave us a little bit more money. But yeah, you do have to tour. It used to be that you didn’t put anything out on the internet, because you knew it was going to get stolen. The philosophy now is try to get the music to as many people as you can. Plus, get it to the people who are willing to pay for it, and do it all over again.

BARBARA LEWIS – 2015

A Carolina Beach Music Awards Hall of Fame inductee from 2003, Barbara Lewis wrote and recorded her debut hit, “Hello, Stranger,” in 1963. Two years later, “Baby, I’m Yours” – written by the late Van McCoy, maybe best known for his disco hit, “The Hustle” – made waves, and that resurfaced 30 years later, in the movie soundtrack “The Bridges of Madison County.”

“Puppy Love,” another self-penned song – separate from Paul Anka’s ditty of the same title also recorded by Donny Osmond – hit first in 1964, then got a second life in 1997 on the soundtrack for “Chasing Amy.”
Lewis said another hit from 1965, “Make Me Your Baby” probably is favorite to perform live. “It’s just a fun song to sing,” Lewis said.

Coming from a saxophone-playing mother and guitarist in a father, Lewis cultivated her Michigan farmstead origins during World War II into her own musical career.

She said she started composing “when I was 9 … little songs, you know?”
With other artists, including Motown acts in the 1960s, having covering her hit records, Lewis ranked Queen Latifah’s take on “Hello, Stranger,” from 2004 as the best, “a terrific job.”

Lewis, who stepped back from the music scene and dabbled in various other professions from the 1970s into the ’90s such as cashiering, selling crafts, nursing home care, and delivering newspapers and working as a security guard, later found a second wind on stage, rekindling oldies and memories for fans, a flame she keeps burning, at her pace.

Performing concerts across the country with other music stars who have made their mark in soul and pop circles, “I do a lot of oldies shows,” she said, hoping all fans who see her live “have good memories” of the hits.

GARRY PETERSON OF THE GUESS WHO — 2015

Garry Peterson, a singing drummer and one of two founding members of The Guess Who, a rock band with Canadian roots in Winnipeg, Manitoba, has lived in Greensboro, N.C., since 1991. He also knows the Grand Strand well through his escapes to his condo in Calabash.

The Guess Who, still with Jim Kale on bass and vocals, led a “Canadian Invasion” of pop rock with hits such as “These Eyes” in 1969 and starting the 1970s with two No. 1 singles: “American Woman,” and on the B-side of that 45-rpm single, “No Sugar Tonight/No Mother Nature.”

Peterson spoke about traveling this continent for 50 years, and how he has come to view the principles behind the U.S. Constitution and the work of this country’s Founding Fathers as honors that set a precedent for people. He also brought up how “we got through” political and social turbulence in the past, and that the United States “has accomplished such great things” overall, “where people came from all over” the world.

Looking at how The Guess Who – whose members once included Randy Bachman, who formed Bachman Turner Overdrive, and Burton Cummings, who went solo in 1975 – evolved and has kept it energy alight in concerts all these decades, Peterson thought back to the 1960s.

One of The Guess Who’s “biggest goals in life” was to build a base in bookings for concerts, and through that growth in popularity, Peterson said he gained a better perception “of where you come from, and where you end up.”
For that, he said, “you need a lot of help … and a lot of people to believe in you,” including record labels such as RCA into the 1970s, “radio to play your records, and press.”

He also stressed: “We come from the era where all the band mates contributed to these records.”

Counting 26 years in his first marriage and having tied the knot again in 1992, Peterson quipped, “I must like marriage, a great American pastime.” Peterson also loves how music stays tied to “special times in people’s lives,” for remembering that first first girl- or boyfriend, “the drive-in theater or a movie,” graduation, going steady, births, marriages, and deaths, “for any given family or individual with their events in their life.”