Music of Athens, Georgia facts for kids
The music of Athens, Georgia is super diverse and played a big part in how alternative rock and new wave music started. Athens is famous for being home to chart-topping bands like R.E.M., Widespread Panic, and The B-52's. It's also known for many long-time indie rock groups.
Athens has the Athens Symphony Orchestra and other music groups. It also has cool local music media, like the college radio station WUOG. A lot of the music scene in Athens today gets its energy from students at the huge University of Georgia campus. The University supports classical music shows and groups that play other styles too.
Athens became a music center during the American Civil War in the 1860s. It got even more famous in the early 1900s when the Morton Theatre opened. This theater was a major stop for African American performers on tour. The city's local rock music scene began in the 1950s, with live music at Allen's Hamburgers.
Athens got worldwide attention in the 1970s when The B-52's started releasing their popular songs. Rock bands from Athens play many different styles. The city doesn't have one special rock sound. Most bands are known for their unique and original style. Music expert Richie Unterberger called Athens an "unlikely" place for music to grow. But Athens' contributions to rock, country music, and bluegrass have earned it the nickname "the Liverpool of the South." It's also known as one of the birthplaces for modern alternative rock and new wave music in America. Athens was home to the first and most famous college music scene in the country, starting in the 1970s.
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Cool Music Places and Groups
Athens' local music scene is mostly in the small downtown area. The nightclub 40 Watt Club is one of the most famous indie rock places on the East Coast. It opened on Halloween in 1978.
Other big music spots in Athens include the Georgia Theater. This used to be a movie theater. It burned down in 2009 but was rebuilt and reopened in 2011. There's also the Caledonia Lounge and the historic Foundry Music Venue. The UGA Performing Arts Center has the Ramsey Concert Hall and Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall. Monroe Morton's Morton Theater was a big part of the city's African American community in the early 1900s. It's said to be the only theater from that time still open.
Athens hosts the summer music festival Athfest, the Athens Popfest, and the late spring Athens Human Rights Festival. The college radio station WUOG (90.5 FM) and the free weekly Flagpole are the city's main music media. Athens hasn't had a major local record label like some other indie rock towns. But jangle pop pioneers Kindercore Records and Wuxtry Records were based there. Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records has been an indie label in Athens since 1999.
Local music groups include the Athens Symphony Orchestra, Athens Choral Society (started in 1971), Athens Youth Symphony, and the Athens Folk Music and Dance Society. The Athens Symphony Orchestra started in 1978. It's a volunteer group. They perform twice a year and also do shows for young people. In 1996, the Athens Symphony moved to the Classic Center Theatre downtown.
The University of Georgia's campus has always been important for local music. Country Music Hall of Fame songwriter "Whispering" Bill Anderson went to UGA and played guitar around campus. The Hugh Hodgson School of Music has groups like the Georgia Brass Quintet. Students have groups like the ARCO Chamber Orchestra, Glee Clubs, concert choirs, jazz bands, and the Redcoat Marching Band. UGA also has a cappella groups like With Someone Else's Money and the Accidentals.
Music History
The first music in North Georgia, including Athens, came from the Native Americans like the Creek and the Cherokee. Athens became an official city in 1806. By the 1860s, during the American Civil War, it was important for music in Georgia. Athens was mostly saved from destruction, unlike Atlanta. So, its music scene grew faster.
Famous touring groups visited Athens during the war. In the 1870s, almost half the city was African American. Black-owned businesses grew. Bob Cole, born in 1868, came from a musical family. He later became a pioneer in African American theater.
African American businesses and churches grew quickly in the late 1800s. By the early 1900s, the corner of Lumpkin and Washington Streets became a big center for black culture. This area was called the Hot Corner. It had many black-owned businesses and performance spaces. The Morton Building had a famous opera house that hosted stars like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. The Morton Theatre was one of the best venues in the early 1900s. It's the only one from that time still around, reopening in 1993 after being closed for many years.
How the Modern Music Scene Started
In the 1950s, Athens' music was mostly dances at places like the American Legion Hall and the YMCA. The Canteen in Memorial Park became a key spot after local musician Terry "Mad Dog" Melton started playing there in 1958. The Canteen later hosted Motown and beach legends The Jesters. They have been performing since 1964!
Later in the 1960s and 1970s, local bands started writing their own songs more. More music venues opened. This time was called the Normaltown River of Music. It included long-time performers like Mad Dog Melton and Brian Burke. Many of them later worked with famous musicians like Gregg Allman. The Normaltown Flyers and Dixie Grease were influential bands from this time. The oldest bar with live music in Athens is Allen's Hamburgers. The Normaltown Flyers were the house band there for years. Bars like The Last Resort opened in the 1960s, starting the local club scene.
Rock Music in Athens
In the late 1970s, the 40 Watt Club became a well-known place for music fans. The Uptown Lounge followed. In the 1980s, both clubs moved to bigger spots. The Uptown Lounge took over the famous Georgia Theatre. The early 1980s saw many new bands and venues. Athens' music scene became more varied. Many members of Athens' most famous bands started getting known in the 1970s, including The B-52's.
Ort's Oldies, a used record store, and its owner, William Orten Carlton (known as Ort), helped make the Athens music scene possible. Ort had a great memory for rock facts. More importantly, his funny personality and unique style were often seen at parties and shows around town.
The University of Georgia's Lamar Dodd School of Art also helped create the Athens music culture. Most Athens musicians and fans were connected to the University's liberal arts programs. The Art School, not the music department, was where creative and musical friendships started in the 1970s. Michael Stipe of R.E.M. studied art there. The Art School also helped other big names like Curtis Crowe, drummer for Pylon.
The B-52's and R.E.M. became the most famous bands from Athens in the 1980s. Both bands had many hit songs. The B-52's formed in 1977. The band members didn't know much about music, but they played new wave music with a fun and funny style. They were known for their cool thrift store clothes and eye-catching music videos for songs like "Rock Lobster" and "Love Shack".
Even though The B-52's were the first Athens band to get famous, R.E.M. soon became even more popular. The future members of R.E.M. moved to Athens to work or go to the University of Georgia. The group started performing as R.E.M. in 1980. They became well-known locally and released a song, "Radio Free Europe", which was a big college rock hit. Their popularity grew with more songs and albums. R.E.M. became the top underground band in the country. They became mainstream with "The One I Love" in 1987. By 1991, with their album Out of Time (which had vocals by Kate Pierson of The B-52s) and Automatic for the People, R.E.M. was one of the biggest rock bands in the world. R.E.M.'s success brought attention from big record labels and music media to Athens. Many local bands got a boost in their careers.
The band Pylon was a long-time and important part of the Athens scene. They were loved by critics in the 1980s but never became super famous. This was partly because they turned down several record deals from big labels. Pylon's dance rock style was unique, with chanting vocals and funky guitars.
Other 1980s local bands that had fans across the country included Love Tractor, Oh-OK (with Michael Stipe's sister Lynda Stipe and future solo artist Matthew Sweet), and Dreams So Real. The members of R.E.M. have stayed in Athens and helped local performers like Vic Chesnutt.
The Elephant 6 Collective, a group of indie bands, became known in the mid-1990s. This included bands like Neutral Milk Hotel, Elf Power, and Olivia Tremor Control. Around the same time, bands from Kindercore Records also got good reviews, like Sunshine Fix and Of Montreal.
Candy, a DJ store owned by Michael Lachowski of Pylon, opened in 1998. It became important for the growing dance music scene that produced artists like Danger Mouse.
Other Music Styles
Athens is close to the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Georgia. This area is important for different kinds of folk music, like Appalachian bluegrass and Piedmont blues. North Georgia's bluegrass history goes back to the 1800s. Athens' modern bluegrass bands include the Packway Handle Band and BlueBilly Grit.
Athens' local country music scene has not been as big as its indie rock scene. However, modern Athens rock takes many ideas from folk, bluegrass, and country music. Bands like the Normaltown Flyers show this. The band Drive-By Truckers and the Holman Autry Band have made country rock a big part of Athens' music identity recently. The rapper Bubba Sparxxx, from South Georgia, has also added to Athens' country heritage. He mixes a rural image and country music elements into his Dirty South style of hip hop music.
Folk artists and singer-songwriters have always done well in Athens. Some notable solo performers are Vic Chesnutt, Corey Smith, John Berry, and Patterson Hood. Younger musicians like Thayer Sarrano are also emerging.
Athens also has an Irish band community with several Irish folk bands.
Recently, a Latin music scene has grown with different styles like bossa nova, samba, salsa music, and tango. Some groups are Grogus, Incatepec, Athens Tango Project, and Quiabo De Chapeu.
Video Game Music
Athens was the home of Robert Prince (Bobby Prince), a long-time Athens musician. He wrote the music and made the sound effects for early computer and video games. These include the Commander Keen series, Wolfenstein 3D, and Doom.
Athens is also home to the rock band Bit Brigade. They play shows where they recreate the music from video games like Castlevania and Mega Man 2. While they play the music, someone plays a speedrun of the game live!
Music After 2000
Since the year 2000, Athens has produced some notable rock bands. These include Dead Confederate, Futurebirds, Reptar, The Whigs, New Madrid, of Montreal, Perpetual Groove, Phosphorescent, and Lera Lynn.
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