The Music That Moved a Movement: The Legacy of Charlie’s Place

At Charlie’s Place, the music wasn’t just entertainment—it was rebellion. It was joy. It was community. In a time when segregation ruled the South, this legendary Myrtle Beach nightclub created a rare and radical space where Black and white patrons could come together to dance, celebrate, and hear the greatest artists of their era.

A young Patricia Burgess remembered the moment she stepped inside as “like stepping into another world,” with its black-and-white checkered floors and energy that felt electric. Countless others described it as magical—a place where the sound of Billie Holiday could still be heard in the breeze through the pine trees long after the last note.

The club, run by Charlie and Sarah Fitzgerald, welcomed performers from the Chitlin’ Circuit and beyond. “Oh yes, God,” Patricia said. “Ruth Brown, James Brown… girl, I seen so many people up in there.” Others recalled Little Richard, Otis Redding, and even Marvin Gaye stopping by to get his haircut next door.

The music was so powerful, it literally shook the floor. One concert was so packed and euphoric that Betty Singleton recalled “the floor was really caving in.”

It was more than a stage—it was a sanctuary. And it played host to some of the greatest names in American music history. Just a some of the many Artists Who Performed at Charlie’s Place incude:

Artists Who Performed at Charlie’s Place

• Billie Holiday

• Little Richard

• James Brown

• Ruth Brown

• Otis Redding

• Count Basie

• Dizzy Gillespie

• Marvin Gaye

• Ella Fitzgerald

• The Drifters

• Roy Hamilton

• Johnny Ace

• Fats Domino

• Wilson Pickett

• Curtis Mayfield

• Johnny Taylor

• Roy C. Clarke

Each brought something special to Carver Street. Together, they made Charlie’s Place not just a nightclub—but a heartbeat of Black culture in the Jim Crow South.