Grand Strand Ukulele Ensemble Ukes by the Sea Draws Regional Television Spotlight

Myrtle Beach, S.C. · October 26, 2026 · By Thomas Beach Vacations

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Ukes by the Sea, a Grand Strand ukulele group that formed about three years ago and now counts roughly 25 members, was the subject of a regional television feature published October 22 by Live 5 News in Charleston. The segment, reported by Loren Korn for Gray Media’s Aging Untold series, profiled the ensemble’s director, Tom Woodle, and several of its players, most of whom had never touched an instrument until about two years ago.

Woodle told the station that the ukulele is nearly impossible to play while frowning, describing its sound as inherently happy, and he framed the group’s mission as sharing the love of Jesus through cheerful music. The repertoire, according to the feature, spans 1960s and 1970s rock, folk, contemporary songs and some African-influenced pieces, and the group performs at community events around the Myrtle Beach area.

A Director With Six Decades in Music

Woodle’s background, as recounted in the feature, stretches back to early childhood. He began playing at age four, was performing on live radio by six, and joined bands by eleven. He later performed with The Reedy Creek Band, which reached a top-100 chart in Nashville, taught at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, and served as senior rector at The Well by the Sea, a Grand Strand church. The ukulele ensemble is the latest chapter in that career.

Kristen Toben, who plays ukulele and steel drum with the group, told the station that returning to music had lifted her spirits and reminded her how much she loved it. She said she was proud of how far the members had come, given that most had no musical background when they started roughly two years earlier.

Ukes by the Sea at a Glance

Part of a Deep Off-Season Music Scene

The feature did not list a rehearsal location, performance calendar or contact for prospective members, and none could be independently confirmed. The group appears to operate through church and community networks rather than a public website. For visitors, it joins a long roster of live music that continues along the Grand Strand after the summer season ends, from the shag clubs on Main Street in Ocean Drive to the House of Blues and Alabama Theatre at Barefoot Landing in Windy Hill, where the Carolina Beach Music Awards return November 8. We look at the group, its director and the wider winter music calendar in our feature on Ukes by the Sea and off-season live music on the Grand Strand. Guests in Cherry Grove and Crescent Beach, and in our oceanfront home rentals and oceanfront condos, can find more in our guide to things to do in Myrtle Beach and follow local coverage on our news page.

Source: “Ukulele group brings island vibes to popular South Carolina vacation area,” by Loren Korn, Gray Media / Aging Untold, published by Live 5 News (WCSC), October 22, 2026. The group has not published a performance schedule; details are as reported in that feature.