Singing Telegrams in Myrtle Beach

I’ve played music professionally for many years, in just about every kind of setting you can imagine: weddings, restaurants, private parties, corporate events, festivals, clubs, senior communities—you name it. But one of the most unexpectedly fun things I’ve started doing since moving to the Myrtle Beach area is singing telegrams.

So far, I’ve done four of them, and every single one has been completely different. What they have in common is that they’ve all been hilarious, unpredictable, and much more personal than simply sending someone a birthday card or a gift.

I’ve also gradually developed a little bit of a character for these occasions. Somewhere along the way I acquired an enormous 1980s-style rock-star wig, which I combine with a bandana, sunglasses and whatever suitably ridiculous rock-and-roll clothing I can find. Add an acoustic guitar, a balloon and usually some chocolate, and I’m ready to make an entrance.

And the entrance is a large part of the fun.

“It’s Raining Men”

My first singing telegram happened right here in North Myrtle Beach. The client had requested an unusual assortment of songs, including “It’s Raining Men,” which I can safely say was not previously a regular part of my repertoire.

The telegram was for a guy celebrating his bachelor party, and the whole idea was deliberately bizarre. That actually made it even better. I showed up in full rock-star attire with my guitar and launched into the songs while his friends laughed, sang along and generally enjoyed watching their unsuspecting friend try to figure out exactly what was happening.

That was my introduction to singing telegrams, and I immediately understood the appeal.

A normal musical performance is usually about the music itself. A singing telegram is different. The music is part of a larger experience involving surprise, humor and the reaction of the person receiving it.

And sometimes the stranger the song selection is, the better.

Afterward, the person who hired me wrote:

“Dennis was wonderful!! He was enthusiastic, skilled, and professional. I’m so glad I hired him to make my cousin’s bachelor party special.”

That first experience made me realize that this could become a very fun addition to the different kinds of live music I already provide around Myrtle Beach.

Throwing Kisses at the Office

The second singing telegram was also in North Myrtle Beach, practically right down the street from where I live.

This time, it was a woman’s birthday at her office. Everyone knew I was coming except her, so I waited in another room until the moment was right. Then the unsuspecting birthday girl suddenly had an ’80s rock star with an acoustic guitar walking into her workplace.

One of the songs they had requested was Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine.”

I had also brought a birthday balloon and chocolate. Rather than bringing an ordinary chocolate bar, I usually like to bring bags of Hershey’s Kisses, which turned out to be particularly appropriate on this occasion.

While I was playing, the birthday girl started taking the wrapped Hershey’s Kisses out of the bag and throwing them at her boss—the person who had apparently been responsible for arranging this entire situation.

He thought it was hilarious.

She thought it was hilarious.

Everybody in the office was laughing.

At the end, I jokingly told her that I was only the first part of the entertainment and that a sexy man jumping out of a cake would be arriving next.

“That sounds terrific,” she said. “When is that going to happen?”

I unfortunately had no answer.

That experience reinforced something I was beginning to understand about singing telegrams. You never quite know what’s going to happen, and that spontaneity is part of what makes them so much fun.

A 60th Birthday That Became Something More

The third singing telegram was for a man celebrating his 60th birthday. This one took place at a Myrtle Beach-area vacation resort where a fairly large group of family and friends had rented several houses or cabins together.

There were probably 50 or 60 people gathered by the time I performed.

One of the requested songs was the Rolling Stones’ “Brown Sugar.” I’ve heard that song for most of my life, but I discovered while preparing for the telegram that I apparently had never paid much attention to what Mick Jagger was actually singing.

That presented one of the interesting challenges of singing telegrams.

When I’m doing a normal three-hour gig, I may occasionally glance at lyrics or a chart for something I don’t perform regularly. With a singing telegram, that doesn’t work nearly as well. You’re walking directly up to somebody, usually while they’re completely surprised, and the whole point is the personal interaction.

You don’t want your face buried in a music stand.

For some reason, the first line of “Brown Sugar” simply would not stick in my memory. I practiced it, went over it again, and was still worried that when the moment arrived my mind might go blank.

Then something hilarious happened.

I started playing the famous guitar riff, and before I even reached the first lyric, the birthday guy immediately started singing it himself.

Problem solved.

Soon other people were joining in too, which is one of my favorite things about these events. The distinction between “performer” and “audience” can disappear very quickly.

By the end of the night, we were all singing “Happy Birthday” together, and the guest of honor was in tears.

That surprised me.

We had laughed and joked and played rock songs, but underneath all of that silliness was something genuinely meaningful. His family and friends had gone out of their way to create a moment especially for him, and I had gotten to be part of it.

The woman who hired me later wrote:

“Dennis was fantastic. His music was perfect for the birthday celebration, and he had the entire crowd singing along by the end of the night. I would absolutely recommend Dennis for your future gathering.”

There was also a strange personal connection to that particular location.

As I was leaving the resort, I noticed the beach entrance across the street and suddenly thought that the area looked extremely familiar. When I got home, I showed my wife the resort map, and she recognized it immediately.

We had vacationed there years earlier.

In fact, we had stayed only about a block from where I had just performed the singing telegram.

I remembered that beach entrance because during that vacation I would sometimes take my guitar out there at night and play. Every once in a while, people would gather around and listen.

Years later, I had somehow returned to almost exactly the same spot—this time living in the Myrtle Beach area and playing guitar professionally for someone’s 60th birthday.

Life has some interesting circles.

The Late-Night Gorilla Singing Telegram

Then came singing telegram number four.

One night recently, my phone rang around 8:30. I normally don’t answer business calls that late, but I happened to still be awake and saw that the call was local.

I picked up.

The woman on the phone explained that it was her friend’s birthday and they were trying to put together a surprise.

There was one additional detail.

Someone was wearing a gorilla costume.

Naturally.

They wanted to know whether I could come over with my guitar and sing a couple of songs for their friend.

I asked when they wanted to do it.

“Tonight.”

I hesitated for a moment. Then I discovered they were only about 15 minutes away.

How could I possibly turn down the opportunity to perform with a gorilla?

About half an hour later, I was there.

Once I arrived, everyone started looking through my online repertoire and figuring out what they wanted to sing. They eventually chose “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers along with another song.

Then someone had a great idea.

They pulled up the lyrics on their large television screen using a karaoke video, muted the recorded music, and used the screen only for the words. That meant everybody in the room could sing while I played the songs live on guitar.

It turned into a group singalong.

There was a gorilla.

There was a rock-star guitarist.

There was a birthday surprise.

At that point, I’m not sure anything else was required.

I later posted a photo of myself with the gorilla and wrote:

“Dear Mom: Things are going great in Myrtle Beach, although I’ve made some unusual friends. You might not recognize me anymore.”

The person who arranged the surprise later wrote:

“Absolutely amazing! We reached out super last minute for my friend’s birthday surprise, and he was so kind and willing to come play guitar for us. He completely made the surprise and brought such a fun, special energy to the night.”

She went on to say that the experience was something they would all remember.

That, to me, is the whole point.

What Makes a Singing Telegram So Much Fun?

You can send flowers.

You can send a cake.

You can send somebody a gift card.

Those are all perfectly nice birthday gifts. But there is something different about your friend, spouse, coworker or family member suddenly discovering that a strange-looking rock star has arrived with an acoustic guitar specifically for them.

There is no opportunity to quietly open the gift and say, “Thank you.”

Something is happening.

Everybody is involved.

People start laughing. Someone starts singing. Someone else starts recording a video. Hershey’s Kisses may start flying across the office.

Occasionally, a gorilla becomes involved.

And every singing telegram develops its own personality because every group of people is different.

That’s what I enjoy most about doing them.

Can You Request Specific Songs?

Absolutely.

I have a large repertoire covering rock, pop, jazz, blues, Latin music and songs from many different decades. Clients can look through my repertoire ahead of time and choose songs that will mean something to the person receiving the telegram.

Sometimes the song itself is sentimental.

Sometimes it’s a favorite song.

And sometimes the funniest possible choice is the right choice.

I’m also happy to consider special requests that aren’t already part of my repertoire when there is enough advance notice to prepare them.

Most singing telegrams will naturally include “Happy Birthday” when the occasion is a birthday, but everything else can be tailored to the person and the situation.

Singing Telegrams in Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach

One of the nice things about a singing telegram is that it doesn’t require a traditional venue.

I can show up at an office.

A vacation rental.

A birthday party.

A bachelor or bachelorette party.

A restaurant.

A family gathering.

Or apparently anywhere a person wearing a gorilla suit might happen to be waiting.

The Myrtle Beach area is especially well suited to this because so many people come here for birthdays, family reunions, vacations, bachelor and bachelorette parties, anniversaries and other celebrations.

If someone you care about is visiting Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach or the surrounding Grand Strand and you want to surprise them with something considerably more memorable than another birthday card, a live singing telegram might be exactly the kind of ridiculous idea you’re looking for.

Looking for a Singing Telegram in Myrtle Beach?

I’m Dennis Winge, a professional guitarist and vocalist based in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. In addition to performing weddings, private events, restaurants, senior communities and other live music engagements throughout the Myrtle Beach area, I’m available for personalized singing telegrams and musical birthday surprises.

You can choose songs from my existing repertoire list, tell me a little about the person we’re surprising, and we can come up with something that fits the occasion.

It can be sentimental.

It can be funny.

It can be completely ridiculous.

Based on my first four singing telegrams, the completely ridiculous ones seem to work particularly well.

To learn more about hiring Dennis Winge for a singing telegram or live musical surprise in Myrtle Beach or North Myrtle Beach, visit DennisWinge.com or get in touch through the website.

And if somebody happens to have a gorilla costume, I already know we can work with that.

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