Ukulele group brings island vibes to popular South Carolina vacation area

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (Aging Untold)— A ukulele group in South Carolina’s Grand Strand is strumming its way into the hearts of listeners with tropical vibes on the East Coast.Donning Hawaiian shirts, panama hats and flowers in their hair, the musicians who make up Ukes by the Sea transport audiences to paradise with their breezy sound.“We say that it’s difficult to play a ukulele and frown at the same time,” Tom Woodle, director of Ukes by the Sea, said. “And it’s got such a happy sound.”Back to the beginningWoodle began playing the small-stringed instrument at 4 years old, and his talent quickly blossomed. He started playing on live radio when he was 6, joined bands at 11 and began making money from music at 16.He even made it onto the top 100 chart with his group, The Reedy Creek Band, playing country and bluegrass in Nashville.The musician traded spotlights for stained glass and returned to the Grand Strand, where he taught at Coastal Carolina and served as senior rector at The Well by