An Insider's History of the Swingin' Medallions

by Carroll Bledsoe

Overview

This book is a personal history of one of the most famous beach-music bands of the southeast. They were also a national hit with their song "Double Shot of My Baby's Love" in 1966. They released an album and several other single recordings. They are still performing today, over fifty years later.

The book includes numerous photographs and stories of the band and how they have evolved over the years. These memories include those of members of the band as well as a collection of memories of fans they have touched along the way. It covers the thirty-four state tour in 1966 from Maine to California. It highlights some of the encounters with some of the biggest names in show business. It is an inside view down memory lane for the group and hopefully for the readers. They are still one of the most popular bands in the southeast.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781984537003
Publisher:	Xlibris US
Publication date:	06/28/2018
Pages:	116
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.28(d)

About the Author

The author is an original member of the Swingin' Medallions. The group was formed in
1962. He was born in Belton, S. C. and raised in Greenwood, S. C. He graduated from Lander
University there in Greenwood. He taught Junior High School Algebra for five years. He played full time with the group until1974. He then played with a group called the Barrons to fulfill his need for music. He continues to perform with the Medallions several times each year whenever they are in the area. He stays in touch with the bands members on a regular basis. After retiring from the Medallions, he worked in both wholesale and retail sales for over thirty five years. He now lives on top of a mountain in Columbus, N. C. with his fiance.

Editorial Reviews

2018-10-22

Debut author Bledsoe, an original member of the 1960s rock 'n' roll group The Swingin' Medallions, gives his account of the band's history in this straightforward memoir.

The Swingin' Medallions lived an American dream, going from packing clubs in Alabama and South Carolina to hitting the Billboard charts with the top-20 hit "Double Shot (of My Baby's Love)" in 1966. Their success allowed them to tour the country and appear on shows hosted by Dick Clark (Where the Action Is) and Casey Kasem, pre-American Top 40. They also made famous friends, such as singer Rufus Thomas, humorist Lewis Grizzard, and musician Curtis Mayfield. Bledsoe spends most of his time on the band's early history, but he does include a bit about The Swingin' Medallions' current incarnation in a later chapter. Fans will surely enjoy having all the dates and details of the group's past in one handy volume, and Bledsoe includes plenty of newspaper clippings to peruse. James Brown fans will enjoy a bit involving the Godfather of Soul and Smash Records, the Medallions' label. However, the voices of other members of the group and other witnesses to its history are missing, so the book's job feels half done. The skeleton of the story is here, but there are no quotes from other players, and the anecdotes never get too deep. For example, the author notes that the band supported him after his wife took her own life, but he doesn't mention who specifically helped him get through such a terrible time, or how. He also brings up the fascinating detail that he, as a teacher, and the other band members, as students, couldn't work on the band full time for fear of being drafted. However, he doesn't talk about the effects that this situation had on their work, or how he or the others felt about it. Instead, readers get details about the band's favorite rides at Disneyland.

A bit too light and breezy for casual rock fans, but the group's adherents will find it a nice, tidy history.

Kirkus Reviews