Committee Report

April 5, 2023

S. 606

Introduced by Senators Garrett and Gambrell

S. Printed 04/05/23--H.

Read the first time March 28, 2023

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The committee on House Invitations and Memorial Resolutions

To who was referred a Concurrent Resolution (S. 606) to request the Department of Transportation name the portion of South Carolina Highway 34 in the City of Greenwood in Greenwood County from its intersection with, etc., respectfully

Report:

That they have duly and carefully considered the same, and recommend that the same do pass:

DENNIS MOSS for Committee.

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A concurrent RESOLUTION

to request the department of transportation name the portion of south carolina highway 34 in the city of greenwood in greenwood county from its intersection with united states highway 25 to its intersection with vintage court "john mcElrath memorial highway" and erect appropriate signs or markers at this location containing these words.

Whereas, it was the sound of the sixties and everywhere you turned rock 'n' roll was blaring. The Beatles, the soul music of Motown, Elvis, and the Swingin' Medallions, a local band formed in Greenwood, South Carolina, by John McElrath. Dubbed the Party Band of the South, the Swingin' Medallions hit the Billboard charts in 1965 with "Double Shot of My Baby's Love". Called the "glue that kept the band together," McElrath succumbed to Parkinson's on June 9, 2018, at the age of 77; and

Whereas, McElrath performed keyboards and sang vocals with the band for more than fifty years. Band members came and went while others continued to play with the Medallions through the years at reunion concerts. Brent Fortson, an original member and saxophone player, still joins the band when not working in his Greenville law practice. Not of legal age when he joined the group, Fortson said "my parents would only let me live with John. He was my mentor, my biggest influence as a calming figure"; and

Whereas, in spite of their small-town beginnings, the Swingin' Medallions were mentored by "Ole Blue Eyes" himself, Frank Sinatra, and performed for the singer's daughter, Tina's sixteenth birthday. The group toured from Bermuda and the Bahamas to Mexico and Canada. Some of the groups they played with were the Four Tops, Temptations, the Beach Boys, the Tams, Drifters, and more; and

Whereas, McElrath influenced a love of music and a thriving small-town music scene that put Greenwood on the map. He mentored many area musicians who eventually joined the band. One, Jake Bartley, followed in the footsteps of his father, Hack, who played for the band in its early years; and

Whereas, the Swingin' Medallions band was able to place two more singles on the Billboard chart before fading from the national scene. "She Drives Me Out of My Mind" hit number seventy-one in 1966, and "I Found a Rainbow" in 1967 made it to number one hundred seven. The band however remained together for decades with some original members, including John McElrath. They recorded a number of singles and were extremely popular in South Carolina, especially among fans of Carolina beach music. Over the years, McElrath's two sons Shane and Shawn have joined the band; and

Whereas, the Swingin' Medallions joined Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band onstage in the Palmetto State September 16, 2009, to perform their sole top twenty hit during a performance in Greenville. The song remains popular even today; and

Whereas, it would be fitting and proper to pay tribute to a native son and music legend who contributed so much to his State and community by naming a portion of Highway 34 in his hometown of Greenwood in his memory. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring:

That the members of the South Carolina General Assembly, by this resolution, request the Department of Transportation name the portion of South Carolina Highway 34 in the City of Greenwood in Greenwood County from its intersection with United States Highway 25 to its intersection with Vintage Court "John McElrath Memorial Highway" and erect appropriate signs or markers at this location containing these words.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Department of Transportation.

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