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Charlie's Place

Charlie's Place

Written by: Pushkin Industries
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How did a Black man in 1940s Jim Crow South open a club where Black and white people danced together?

Charlie’s Place was revolutionary, and that meant it was dangerous.

In this 5-part series, host Rhym Guissé explores the unbelievable true story of Charlie Fitzgerald, a mysterious Black businessman whose nightclub became an unlikely site of integration in 1940s Myrtle Beach.

Charlie broke down racial barriers through the power of music and dance, hosting some of the greatest musicians of our time: Little Richard, Count Basie, Ray Charles, Duke Ellington, and many more.

But who was Charlie? How did he rise to power? And what price did he pay for achieving the impossible—an integrated club in the Jim Crow South? This is a story of joy and passion that erupted into violence and changed a community forever.

Subscribe to Pushkin+ to binge the entire season early & ad-free in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm/plus.

2026 Atlas Obscura Music Social Sciences Travel Writing & Commentary True Crime
Episodes
  • Introducing Charlie’s Place

    Introducing Charlie’s Place
    Jul 14 2025

    Beloved. Notorious. Defiant. Folk hero. These are just a few ways to describe Charlie Fitzgerald, the entrepreneur who owned an integrated nightclub during Jim Crow in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. What happened in Myrtle Beach at Charlie’s Place would come to define a community and generations to come. This is the almost forgotten history of Charlie’s Place.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    3 mins
  • Episode 1: Whispering Pines

    Episode 1: Whispering Pines
    Jul 22 2025

    “Myrtle Beach was a good place, if you stay in your place, I’ll put it like that.”

    At the height of segregation, when everywhere else was divided. Black and white people danced together to the biggest R&B acts of the time at Charlie’s Place. How was this possible? And who was the mythic proprietor of this mythic space?

    Subscribe to Pushkin+ to binge the entire season early & ad-free in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm/plus.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    33 mins
  • Episode 2: Sin City

    Episode 2: Sin City
    Jul 28 2025

    “All the dancers wanted that black music. Why? Because it had a danceable backbeat.”

    Dance at Charlie’s Place wasn’t just dance; it captured the spirit of an era defined by both segregation and creativity. When white audiences arrived for the music, these moments sparked shifts that transformed Myrtle Beach and resonated far beyond its borders.

    Subscribe to Pushkin+ to binge the entire season early & ad-free in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm/plus.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
    Show More Show Less
    33 mins
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