On June 5, 2024 it was shared on the WTRG facebook page that longtime radio host, Johnny Draper had passed. The post reads;  "It is with Heavy Hearts that we have to share the passing of this Radio Legend Johnny Draper. Johnny Hosted The Friday Night Beach Blast for many years. Johnny gave many of us our start in Radio many years ago. Condolences goes out to his family and many friends. RIP Johnny Draper. Keep checking back for more details on his arrangements."

Starting as a one hour show in late 1989 and later moving into a four hour format, the Friday Beach Blast has been entertaining beach music lovers for years. On June 5, 2024, George Whitley "Johnny" Draper passed away at the age of eighty three. Johnny worked his way up from announcer, program director, assistant manager, general manager, and became an Owner in the 70’s of WCBT Radio. In 1988 Johnny formed Draper Communications and put WLGQ (97Q) on the air and you could hear him weekly as host of the Friday Beach Blast and with his show Exclusive Gold heard on Sundays.

On November 11, 2022, Johnny was inducted into the Carolina Beach Music Hall of Fame by beach music DJ Butch Halpin and Carolina Beach Music Executive Board Member during Cammy Weekend in N. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. As regular listeners here at Flip Flop Live, Johnny was great at what he did and people loved him and we're so proud that we were also able to call him a friend.

Obituary Announcement:
George Whitley “Johnny” Draper, 83, of Weldon, NC passed away on Wednesday, June 5, 2024.Johnny was the son of the late George Whitley Draper, Sr. and Louise Millikin Draper. He was also preceded in death by his wife, Shirley Draper, his sister, Sally Ray Draper Warren and his niece, Lillian Clark Hill. Johnny loved radio; he owned and operated WCBT, WSMY and WLGQ radio stations for several years. He was a life-time member of the Weldon Fire Department and was the Mayor of Weldon for 40 years. He was a lover of beach music and hosted the Friday Night Beach Blast on area stations since the late 1980’s. He was inducted into the Carolina “DJ” Beach Music Hall of Fame in 2022. He is survived by his daughter, Lori Draper of Weldon, his sister, Peggy Draper Coker and her husband, Jimmy of Roanoke Rapids and his nephew, Whit Coker of Roanoke Rapids. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 8, 2024 at 11:00 AM in the chapel of Askew Funeral and Cremation Services in Roanoke Rapids with Rev. Randy Martin officiating. The family will receive friends after the service. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to the Weldon Fire Department at 109 Washington Ave., Weldon, NC 27890.

If you'd like to send your condolences to the family, you can sign his guestbook on the funeral home's website.

We send our condolences to the Johnny's family!

Shared from the Cat5 Facebook page:

"Hello Everyone,

For the past 5 years, Camron Dudley has been an integral part of our band, contributing his immense talent, creativity, and passion to every performance, recording, and behind-the-scenes management. 

Today, we are sad to announce his departure from Cat5live. 
His unique musical style and infectious energy has and will leave an incredible mark on our band and our fans and friends.

We are eternally grateful for the incredible memories, laughter, and musical moments we have shared with Camron. His contributions have shaped our band's identity and will forever be treasured. We wish Camron all the best in his future endeavors and look forward to witnessing his continued success.

Thank you, Camron, for the unforgettable experiences and for being a cherished member of our musical family. Your presence will be deeply missed.

Cat5 will carry on touring and performing at the highest standard possible for the year 2024 and beyond. For Bookings, please call Abby at BrioLive 704-467-5397.

With love and admiration,
Cat5"

The Atlantic Beach Shag Club CSA Shag Contest was held March 22nd and March 23rd 2024 at Memories Beach Club in Atlantic Beach, NC  below are the final results! 

Amateur Division=- 5 Couples

1.  Robby and Caryn Helms 
2.  Dewayne Rivenbark and Sheila Fulcher 
3.  Tony Wolter and Barbara Smith 
4.  Ron and Jen Blackwelder 
5.  Jack Bond and Tricia Drew
 
Novice Division- 8 Couples

1.  Tim and Ashley Lauer 
2.  James and Leah Bryant 
3.  Clay and Cheryl Parker 
4.  Rick Hahn and Jo Patrick Simokat
5.  Paul and Rebecca Blackwelder 
6.  Mark and Robin Casey 
7.  Donnie and Kelly Sanders 
8.  Lou Martino and Dottie
 
Sr. Pro Division- 5- Couples 

1.  Gene Pope and Tobitha Stewart 
2.  Gene and Kathy Benfield 
3.  Bruce Yates and Barbara Banks 
4.  Jesse Bradshaw and Pat Folds 
5.  Archer and Pat Joyce 

Pro Division- 5 Couples 

1.  Joey and Jennifer Sogluizzo 
2.  Adam Holmes and Erica Russell 
3.  Carlton Vinson and Brandi Dockery 
4.  Allan Grider and Pat Folds 
5.  Marcus and Cameron Thigpen

On Saturday, January 6, 2024 the Part Time Party Time Band announced on their Facebook page the passing of forty plus year member, Garry Gahagen. Garry was the bassist for the band. On their website it says that Garry "enjoyed performing and recording with regional and national acts throughout the Eastern seaboard and internationally."

We extend our condolences to his family as well as his Part Time Party Time Band family.

On Wednesday, January 3, 2024 the Castaways announced the release of their new single, "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" featuring Karen Clayton and Bardy Hasting on vocals. Their Facebook post reads: "Happy New Year everyone! We are starting the new year off with a new single release! "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" featuring Karen Clayton and Brady Hasting has been sent out to DJs. Please request. Also, check out Karen's collaboration duet with Mike Taylor of The Holiday Band, "I'm Your Puppet" Looking forward to spreading a lot of love in 2024!!"

Call you favorite DJs and stations to request it and you can also listen and purchase a copy on their website.

The South Carolina Shaggers Hall of Fame have announced their 2024 Inductees. The induction party will be held February 3, 2024 in the backroom at Fat Harold's Beach Club in N. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. For full event details, visit their website.

2024 Inductees

• Richard "Cooter" Douglas
• Sally Edwards
• Tom Hamrick
• Jan Jones
• Babs McIntosh
• John Chapman "Pug" Wallace

Congratulations to all of the inductees!

The 2023 Carolina Beach Music Industry Awards show will be held, Saturday, November 11, 2023 at 3:00PM at the Spanish Galleon in N. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. If you're unable to attend in person you'll be able to listen live online thanks to Riptide Radio. You can listen on their website and we'll also have it streaming here on Flip Flop Live at this link and via the player below. Good luck to all of the nominees!

The beach music community is mourning the loss of the legendary Johnny Barker. If you're a fan of beach music you will certainly recognize his name and the music that he has written and/or performed. So many condolence messages and stories have been shared across the various social media platforms today since the announcement of his passing on Wednesday, October 25, 2023. We extend our thoughts and prayers to Johnny's family along with the Catalinas family and all of the people who were lucky enough to call him a friend. His contributions to the industry are unmatched and throughout the various posts that we've read today, so many have called him a musical icon, legend, one of a kind,  songwriter extrordinaire and so much more.

We will update this post with his obituary once that has been released and we will continue to pray for his family and friends during this difficult time.

The Carolina Beach Music Academy (CBMA) will be announcing the 2023 Hall of Fame Inductees on Friday, April 21, 2023 LIVE on 94.9FM The Surf. Join; The Professor, Harold Ballard, Jim Quick, Jim Morgan, Jay Kinlaw, and CBMA President Peter Carpenter. You can stream the show by clicking the player below and on the Surf website. We look forward to hearing the names as they're announced LIVE from 11:00AM until 1:00PM.

#cbmahof

On April 2, 2023 Barbara Swanke shared the following post on the popular Facebook group "Willie C's Beach Music Cafe" - "Sadly WillieC has passed and this Cafe will be taken down.Thank you to all who have expressed condolences. Bill truly enjoyed the music and meeting so many of you with like interests."

We send our condolences to Willie's entire family and we've enjoyed being members of the popular Facebook group where so many shared stories, videos, music and more throughout the group. We've included his obituary below and if you'd like to send your online condolences to the family, please follow the link to the funeral home website.

Obituary
William C. Swanke Jr., age 79, of Little River, South Carolina passed away on Monday, March 6, 2023. Born on September 15, 1943, in Bronx, NY, he was a son of the late William C. Swanke, Sr. and Florence Welch Swanke. He married Barbara on April 24,1984 in New Mexico.