The Original Carolina Girl Terri Gore is back with a single release that is certainly fitting for this time of year! With the cold wave we have all been enduring, I hope that "Summer's Gonna Last" all Winter long! I reached out to Chris Biehler of Forevermore Music for the story behind the song and Chris had this to say:

 "Summer's Gonna Last" was recorded in 2010 but never had a proper release as a single. It was included on the Forevermore "YBF" release without making much noise, but it was always one of my favorite recordings. We were really trying to capture the feeling and energy of arguably Terri's biggest hit "Finders Keepers". In fact, 90% of the musicians were the same as were used on "Finders Keepers" ten years earlier. Even the backing tracks were recorded live in the studio with all of the musicians playing at the same time. 

Terri came to visit New York a few weeks later in February during a snowstorm to record her vocals. It is interesting to note, that Terri is singing all the vocal parts on this song - backgrounds and lead! Of some interest too, is the way in which we found the tracks, when my Engineer and I were organizing some tapes and digital files in the studio. After listening to what we found, we thought it was a perfect song for this time of year, especially considering the kind of temperatures everyone has had to deal with. 

I think what really caught our ears and is so very impressive is that on "Summer's Gonna Last", Terri Gore sings with the kind of commitment, dynamics, and vibrancy her fans hadn't heard from the artist known as the "Original Carolina Girl" in a long, long time! And now it is getting a proper release for 2022".

Well said Chris! I couldn't have said it better myself! I will add that I agree with Chris whole heartedly. Terri Gore has never sounded better than she does on "Summer's Gonna Last"! Coupled with the ever-present tip of the spear production from Chris Biehler and the team at Forevermore Music, this is Terri's best release in years! The song was recently featured as the Lighthouse Look Out Song of The Week on Eric Bowman's New Beach Music Countdown and is currently # 30 on that chart. It has also cracked The Beach Music Top 40 and currently sits at #38 on John Hook's chart. Look for this song to move up all the major Beach Music charts in the coming months! Call your favorite DJ and request "Summer's Gonna Last"! It's the perfect cure for the Wintertime blues! 

Don't Let The Sun Set (On A Broken Heart) - Debby Dobbins

Debby Dobbins has released many songs into the Beach Music market including "Be My Baby Tonight", "Can't Hold Back", "Fallin' So In Love With You", "Glad I Found You", and most recently "Love Thief", and "Take Me Away". She is back now with a brand-new release entitled "Don't Let The Sun Set (On A Broken Heart) released on the Spirit Records label. The song was written and produced by Bill Bradford and was remixed, remastered, and fortified by blistering harmonica work from Sandy Bell. This song features a smokin' vocal performance from Debby, the aforementioned blistering harmonica from Sandy Bell, and impeccable production from Bill Bradford. It also happens to be right in the pocket for the dancers! This song was released a few weeks back and was featured on Eric Bowman's New Beach Music Countdown as the Lighthouse Look Out Song of The Week. The song currently sits at #21 on Eric's chart and I expect it will move up nicely in the coming weeks. The song should be available for download on I Tunes soon, so add it to your collection as soon as possible. You will be glad you did!

Sand Dollar - Carolina Blue Dots

The Carolina Blue Dots burst onto the Beach Music scene in 2020 with their album "Those Summer Days". The release featured several charting songs including "Shaggin With My Baby", "I'm In Love With You", and the title track "Those Summer Days". The release was also nominated for Group Album Of The Year by the Carolina Beach Music Awards. The group followed up with the release of "Senorita", which stormed up all of the Beach Music charts and finished #1 for 2021 on Mitch Harb's Top 25, and #6 for 2021 on John Hook's Beach Music Top 40. The next release for the group was "Cruzin' Down The Boulevard" which we reviewed in last month's article. "Cruzin'" finished at #20 for 2021 on Mitch Harb's Top 25 and is currently #18 on The Beach Music Top 40! Whew! That is a lot of charting action for this group! In fact, in the last year and a half of the band's existence, they've had four number one songs! 

Clay Lee writes and produces all of the songs for The Carolina Blue Dots and he has penned another original tune entitled "Sand Dollar". The song was written in response to many of the Blue Dots fans wanting Clay to write a smoothie. Clay wrote the song to feature the Blue Dots amazing horn section and boy does it deliver the goods on that front! The song also features a smooth vocal performance from Dawn Barnes, the groups female vocalist. "Sand Dollar" is the title track for the Carolina Blue Dots new album which they expect to be released soon. If this tune is an indicator of what's to come, I can't wait to hear the rest of the album from this talented group!

When You Groove - Reverend Bubba D. Liverance 

Reverend Bubba's latest album "Void Outlaw Dark Lion" has already produced one major hit for the right Reverend of Beach Music. "All About You" stormed up all of the Beach Music charts this past summer and hit #1 on The Beach Music Top 40 the week of June 5th! Rev Bubba is back at it with his latest release entitled "When You Groove". This is a super smooth groove that features, in my opinion, one of Bubba's best vocal performances to date! Couple that with outstanding horns, superb instrumentation, and tip of the spear production, and folks you have a winner on your hands! This song is destined to head to the top of the charts! It is that good! The song was released a few weeks back as The Lighthouse Look Out Song of The Week on Eric Bowman's New Beach Music Top 40, and in just a few short weeks, the song has already climbed to #15 on that chart! Look for this song to make a full-frontal assault on all of the Beach Music charts in the coming months! "When You Groove" is available for download on I Tunes as are the rest of the songs on "Void Outlaw Dark Lion". You may as well download the entire album while you are there! It is that good. Preach on Reverend Bubba! Can I get a Hallelujah!

I thought I would mention a couple of songs this month that I found from the Southern Soul market that I think would work well in The Beach Music world:

Special Lady - Rico C

Rico is a native of Greenwood, S.C.! He became interested in music at an early age. During his intermediate level of schooling, he began singing in the church choir. As he reached his teenage years, he realized he could do more with his voice than most people and had tremendous voice control. His listeners were astounded at the development of this young man's voice. Rico has had the chance to perform with many artists such as Big Mucci, Theodis Ealey, Sir Charles Jones, Lenny Williams, Con Funk Shun, Whoudini, Mel Waiters, Calvin Richardson, Brian McKinght, and many others, Rico was also a contestant on American Idol, where he competed in Las Vegas.

His latest release "Special Lady" is a smooth groove that I think is right in the pocket for the Beach Music market. Coming in at a great time of 2:44, it is perfect for both the dance floor and radio. "Special Lady" is available for download on I Tunes. Give it a listen and add it to your collection today! You will be glad you did!

Juke Joint 2K  - Nelson Curry

Nelson Curry is best known in the Beach World for his time with the Klass Band Brotherhood, which gave us the hit "Sugaa Shack". Well Nelson Curry has become a mainstay on the Southern Soul circuit, and as the Sugaa Shack Man releases his new album "The Evolution Of Soul", he drops another hit! In classic Sugaa Shack style, he gives us "Juke Joint". This is an up-tempo groove that the dancers who like it a little on the "fast" side will love. The new album "Evolution of Soul" is available for download on I Tunes, and you will find "Juke Joint 2K" there! Add it to your collection today! You will be glad you did!

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