Greylloyds on the River

On the banks of the Ashley River near the corner of Main & Bender streets in Ashleyville an awareness was kindled at a club known as Greylloyds on the River. Owned by Jimmy LecQue, Greylloyds on the River was the name LecQue had decided upon after he and his father, Arnold, acquired the property. There had been a club previously at this location named Gaylord’s and LecQue wanted to create a connection with a similarity in name. He took a couple of years to renovate the property, creating a bar lounge, a dance floor enhanced with a disco ball and even hired Southeastern Galleries to complete the interior design. He wanted a place where his friends could hang out, feel comfortable, relax, and listen to good music. It was a membership club and catered to an older professional crowd. Greylloyds was opened six days a week and featured both live music by Lonnie Hamilton and The Royal Entertainers, just to name a couple of the local musicians who played the club as well as DJs, like Osei Chandler. LecQue even entertained the Zulu Dancers at his club after their performance during the 1978 Spoleto season.
LecQue had spent some time in Jamaica and had experienced a musical style known as reggae music. This is where Chandler entered the scene. LecQue heard Chandler on the radio and learned of his interest in reggae music. LecQue approached Chandler with the idea to come to the club and introduce this style of music to the locals. In 1978 he hired Chandler to DJ on Sundays from 9 p.m. until closing. Chandler had recently moved to the area from Brooklyn and was passionate about reggae, a genre of music developed from mento, R&B, and ska in Jamaica in the ’60s. Chandler had been introduced to the live reggae music at a club known as “Your Father’s Mustache” in Brooklyn in 1973 and was spreading the news. The locals at Greylloyds  grumbled that Chandler was not playing the popular standards of the day, but Jimmy encouraged him to keep playing the reggae. Chandler credits this experience with helping to bring the awareness of reggae music to Charleston.
Chandler would go on to host Roots Musik Karamu on the South Carolina Educational Radio Network, an National Public Radio affiliate, every Saturday night at 10 p.m. Karamu is the Kiswahili word for feast and the program focuses on reggae music but also features calypso, soca, blues, jazz, gospel, Juju, and Afro-centered music. The program has been on the air in the South Carolina market since 1979 and always features a Bob Marley song. Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer were known as The Wailers in 1963 and are probably the most recognized musicians in the Jamaican music scene of ska, rocksteady, and reggae.
LecQue decided to close the club in 1985. There was too much competition and no feasible opportunity to expand the club at his location in the neighborhood of Ashleyville. But if you stand on the now-cleared land with the sweeping view of the Ashley River, you might just catch a note of reggae where the local awareness was born.
Elizabeth Lucas was known as Eliza but her father called her Betsy. One can assume that the road bears her name. However, a story was told to me that Joe Harrison named it after a cow he called Betsy. Anyone know the hard facts-Donna would love to hear from you. Contact her at westashleybook@gmail.com