‘A beach music icon’: Legendary North Myrtle Beach musician, DJ Paul Craver dies at 71
To say Lester “Paul” Craver was a staple at Ducks Beach Club in North Myrtle Beach would be an understatement.
After all, he proposed to his wife there, he spent more than a decade as a DJ and entertainer at the bar, and there’s pictures of him aligning the walls at the popular nightlife spot.
And up until his final days, he did all he could to continue performing there into his 70s.
Craver, a beach music legend on the north end of the Grand Strand, passed away due to heart problems at the age of 71 on Jan. 14, but his legacy will play on in the many clubs and communities he performed in over the years. Despite the health issues, Craver entertained regularly at Ducks Beach Club up until about two months ago and made a few appearances there as recently as a couple of weeks ago.
“He would sing anywhere. He loved to perform,” said Horry County Council Member and North Myrtle Beach hotel owner Harold Worley.
A natural entertainer, Craver performed his beach music act for shaggers across the United States and in Europe. Everywhere he went he was an ambassador of the Grand Strand and the beach music he loved.
Nicknamed “The Emperor” and “Mr. Beach,” his music packed the house at Ducks Beach Club, other North Strand entertainment venues and countless establishments in the U.S. and beyond. Loved ones said Craver felt comfortable around strangers and made sure they felt the same way around him.
“They will be playing his music as long as there is beach music being played on the radio,” said Cooter Douglas, Craver’s friend and a Carolina Shag Club Hall of Famer.
Growing up in Greensboro, North Carolina, Craver was interested in music from a young age. He went on to serve as a Signalman in the United States Navy, and later made it a point to recognize veterans who attended his shows.
Throughout his life, Craver performed and sang for any audience he could, frequenting the most popular clubs North Myrtle Beach had to offer. For more than a decade, he called Ducks Beach Club on Main Street home, performing regularly as a disk jockey and singer, delighting crowds with No. 1 hits such as “Emperor of My Baby’s Heart” and “Mr. Beach,” which he did lead vocals for as part of a duo band called Shagtime that also featured Willis Blume.
Worley said Craver had a voice that was hard to forget -- one that led him to the Beach Music and DJ hall of fames. However, the councilman said many knew the man just as much for his time as owner and operator of Craver Tile Co. and its tongue-in-cheek radio commercials.
As for which Craver was best known for, Worley said it would depend on who you talked to. Nonetheless, those who knew him praised him for more than just his musical talents.
“He was a very good singer. He just had a wonderful voice. He was a very humble guy. If he could help he did. If he couldn’t, he was all in,” Worley said. “Every time we had a fundraiser up here for anybody he did all he could to make it happen and make it work well.”
Joey Hamid, a golfing buddy of Craver, said his friend would volunteer by bringing his performances to people in retirement homes who might not otherwise be able to make it to a show.
Craver, an avid golfer who would play rain or shine, kept a busy schedule. Hamid said every day Craver would wake up early, get his employees started on tile work, go golfing, take a nap and then get ready to DJ on nights that sometimes went as late as 2 a.m.
Despite Craver’s vast interests, friends said family came first for Craver. Craver’s proposal to Gail Angel Craver at Ducks sticks out as one of the most memorable moments, they said. He sang a personal, romantic song during the proposal, a performance his friends said brought him more butterflies than when he entertained the masses.
“He was a good man. He was an honest guy. He was a good family man,” Worley said. “He was just a good all-around person.”
Craver is survived by his wife of 16 years; sons Tripp Craver, John Stephenson; daughters, Dotte Watts and Angela Stephenson; and nine grandchildren. He is predeceased by his son, Chris Craver, and brothers Bobby and Frank.
A memorial service with military honors is scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday at Ocean Drive Presbyterian Church. The family will receive friends following the service.
In addition, the family plans to hold a celebration in Paul Craver’s honor at Ducks in the near future, a shindig Douglas finds fitting because of the way his friend loved life and lived it to the fullest.
“You couldn’t keep him away from the microphone. He loved to sing,” Douglas said. “He was a beach music icon.”
This story was originally published January 21, 2020 at 8:08 AM.
