Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy

Boy, those lyrics make me wanna jump out of my chair behind my desk, grab my co-worker and shag the day away...............mmm mmm mmm......those lazy days of summer take me back to a place in time.

Unlike other musical-dependant social developments primarily associated with the sixties, Shag music (often called "beach music") didn't have a scene to spring from, no primary city of development. Of course, the easygoing beach dances that used the name had a point of origin - the beaches of South Carolina, where white kids had broken the color barrier as early as the 1930s by convincing local DJs to add rhythm and blues to their lists. However, there were no bands dedicated to shag music during the movement's zenith in the mid-60s. Shag was one of those rare cultural events that picked its own music after the fact.

That doesn't mean there's no distinct sound or feel to the music. The shag dance is sort of a lazy jitterbug, done on beaches at night, always with someone of the opposite sex. Therefore, the music shaggers picked for their soundtrack had to be sunny, sexy, fun, and lazy. Depending on who you talk to, shagging can be done to songs as diverse as Elvis' "Return To Sender" and Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing," but the general consensus is that there should be a slow shuffle at the bottom and some sort of southern soul on top. The big hits of shag are almost all one-hit wonders, cherry-picked for their utility - Willie Tee's "Teasin' You," the O-Kaysions' "Girl Watcher" - but that also gives the scene room to breathe. And, as has been proven by its continuing popularity, room to expand.

We decided to dine at Folly Beach last Saturday night amidst the shag scene. Chef Ed is an Isle of Palms fan but there is something about the feel of Folly Beach that sucks me in. I enjoy the retro atmosphere and in my high school days, I treasured going to the "wash out" to watch the surfers. My, how time flies......(sigh).........

The Sandbar was a simple shanty along the intracoastal waterway with views of the marina. It was originally open in my childhood years and although I was too young to truly enjoy what Folly Beach had to offer back then, I decided to haul the birthday boy along for a simple fried seafood dinner. They have since remodeled and we were pleasantly surprised with our meal and service. Somehow, the location would serve as a bandaid to anything that could possibly go wrong.

I recently purchased a t-shirt that says, "Carolina Girls Wear Flip Flops With Pearls." How true, how true. It's during times like these that I know why I chose to remain rooted in the South.

Cut me and my blood runnuth sand and salt water!

Have a great day and reminisce about the good ole' days. It does a heart good!