Get ready to shag, dance and party the night away. The Swingin’ Medallions
are coming to the Villages Amphitheater Saturday at 8 p.m. Known
for their upbeat and fun- filled concerts, the Swingin’ Medallions
continue to entertain audiences more than
thirty years from their inception.
The Swingin’ Medallions have been based out of Greenwood,
South Carolina area since the early 1960s. Their musical roots
came from listening to the early rhythm and blues acts. The music
most often associated with the band is beach music, frat rock,
R&B, or shaggin’ music. After a few years of touring
colleges from the Carolinas to the Louisiana bayou, John McElrath
took the group to Arthur Smith’s Studio in Charlotte, North
Carolina, to record “Double Shot of My Baby’s Love.” The
song became a million seller in 1966, and has been a party classic
for college students for decades. “We did the song in one
take,” McElrath said. “We wanted it to sound the way
we did it on stage.”
“She Drives Me Out Of My Mind” and “Hey, Hey,
Baby” were top 40 hits in 1966 and 1967, but “Double
Shot” remains the signature song of the Swingin’ Medallions.
The members of the band have changed over the past 30 years,
but John McElrath has remained the original and constant member
to be performing today. The band has always been comprised of
eight members with at least a four-piece horn section. Although
the group has changed throughout the years, the high-energy party
style has been passed down to the band that performs today.
John’s sons, Shawn and Shane McElrath have followed in
their father’s footsteps. Shawn plays lead sax and bass
and Shane plays alto sax, keyboards and sings lead. They made
an agreement with their dad to finish college in exchange for
playing in the band, something the original band’s line-up
achieved along with their popular success. The rest of the Medallions
include: Robby Cox on drums; Ashby Stokes, guitar, mandolin and
banjo; John Campbell, bass, guitar and vocals; Alex Smith, saxophone;
Andrew Dudley, trombone; and John McElrath on keyboards.
McElrath says the “Medallions” will release a new
set of songs in the next couple of months on 4Sale records, the
band’s own label. In addition, an exhaustive book which
covers the 60’s R&B/Beach music scene of the south, “The
Heeey Baby Days of Beach Music” will be published soon.
The Swingin’ medallions is just one of the many great bands
to be hignlighted. The book will also contain two cds of rare
cuts. For more information about the book and The Swingin’ Medallions,
visit www.medallions.com.
Tickets may be purchased at City Hall or at the gate. Ticket
prices are as follows: $15 advance reserved tiered seating, $10
advance lawn. Phone 770-461-6029 for further information or visit
www.villagesamphitheater.com
