5th Annual Myrtle Beach Jazz Festival Celebrates Charlie's Place Legacy, October 15-17, 2021
During the Jim Crow era, Charlie’s Place in Myrtle Beach was a lively venue where Black and white patrons alike danced to jazz, Motown, and beach music, transcending segregation's barriers.
The fifth annual Myrtle Beach Jazz Festival returns October 15-17, 2021, on historic Carver Street, honoring this rich musical heritage.
Charlie’s Place, an iconic Jim Crow-era supper club on Carver Street, is renowned as the birthplace of the Shag—South Carolina’s official state dance. Owner Charlie Fitzgerald hosted legendary African-American artists, including Dizzy Gillespie, Little Richard, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Lena Horne, Count Basie, Muddy Waters, and Ray Charles, per the City of Myrtle Beach records.
Over time, this Grand Strand landmark fell into disrepair. The Myrtle Beach Jazz Festival was founded to raise awareness and support efforts by Booker T. Washington residents to restore it as a museum, performance venue, and community center. Held on adjacent grounds, the festival remains intrinsically linked to the site.
Both initiatives have thrived in recent years. Charlie's Place reopened in 2019 after meticulous preservation. Reconstructed motel rooms now depict segregation-era travel history, and the Fitzgerald Home has been renovated as an event and community center.
The inaugural 2016 festival, promoted as a "neighborhood jam," drew hundreds regionally. South Carolina ETV produced a 30-minute documentary, while the City of Myrtle Beach acquired the property and secured block grants for restoration.
Festivals in 2018 and 2019 attracted thousands to Carver Street. A state historic marker was unveiled post-2019 event. Postponed in 2020, it returns in 2021 with free admission. Visit MyrtleBeachJazzFest.com for details.
Explore more Grand Strand events on our TO DO page. Learn about African American history in Myrtle Beach via our dedicated blog post.
