A new podcast series is set to uncover the remarkable story of Charlie’s Place, a revolutionary nightclub in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
The club brought Black and White communities together through music during the 1940s and 1950s.
Charlie’s Place is a five-episode documentary-style podcast hosted by filmmaker Rhym Guissé, exploring how club owner Charlie Fitzgerald created an integrated venue in the Jim Crow South.
The club welcomed legendary performers including Little Richard, Count Basie, Ray Charles, Duke Ellington, Lena Horne, and Ella Fitzgerald, creating a cultural haven where segregation laws were left at the door.
Charlie Fitzgerald, a powerful Black businessman whose past was shrouded in mystery, built the club as a place of joy, unity, and resilience but faced violent resistance, including a raid by the Ku Klux Klan.
In the podcast, Guissé weaves together interviews with historians, cultural experts, and local Carolinians who share personal stories of growing up during the height of Charlie’s Place.
Rhym Guissé said working on the project showed her “the beauty of preserving Black legacy with care” and added, “Storytelling isn’t just creative work — it’s about honouring culture and history, and I feel truly honoured to carry that responsibility.”
Stuart Butler, President of Visit Myrtle Beach, said: “Charlie’s Place is a meaningful part of Myrtle Beach’s history that reminds us of the power of community and the importance of coming together, even in the hardest times.”
Charlie’s Place is co-produced by Atlas Obscura and Rococo Punch in partnership with Malcolm Gladwell’s Pushkin Industries and Visit Myrtle Beach, with new episodes available weekly on all podcast platforms from 21 July.
