In the Spring of 1979, I found myself in an unusual situation. I had lost my job as Music Director and the 10pm-2am Disc Jockey at WNOX because a Program Director...had fired me. I was the Assistant Program Director before he was hired.
I was offered several jobs in markets like Columbus, Ga and Lexington, Ky but they were not what I was looking for. So, I stayed with my first cousin in Morristown, TN while looking for radio work. By April, I found myself thinking of moving to Myrtle Beach and take the summer off and become a beach bum, which I did. When I got to the beach, I checked the newspapers for a job. There was an ad for a Disc Jockey at The Afterdeck, an outdoor disco tech in North Myrtle Beach. I applied and got hired.
All this time I slept in my car and showered and shaved at campgrounds until one day I ran into an old friend from 1975 when I had worked as a radio DJ at the beach. His name was Gary Moore, who had run a popular bar and was a former lifeguard. Gary had just taken a new apartment and needed a roommate. I took his offer. When I went to work at the Afterdeck, I was told they needed a bouncer. I recommended Gary for the job. That turned out to be a fantastic move because The Afterdeck had been a losing nightclub the previous summer. The largest crowd was 80 to 100 people. That summer, we hosted 1200 people a night with several well-known celebrities appearing. Names like Evil Knievel, Donna Summer and others appearing and partying.
I also met a recent high school graduate named Sandra Bullock. The group Alabama would come also.
In essence, The Afterdeck became one of Myrtle Beach's most popular nightclubs in the summer of 1979. Looking back, I realize I had made the best of a bad situation that year. I have since learned that was the best season ever for The Afterdeck. It is now a defunct building used for nothing!
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I wanted to pass along the sad news of the passing of my very good friend of 50 years, Trevor F. Swoyer. A native of the Tri-Cities, Trevor had a long and storied career as a broadcast engineer. In his early career, he worked for Lewis King at Kintronics and at WETB. He was known for his stint with Johnny Pirkle at W149 and later built WOKI AM and FM for him. He spent time at WUOT and then at WETS in Johnson City. I knew him as a master designer, artisan, perfectionist, and craftsman. I will miss my 50-year friend. (Cliff Hudson)