Whether you’re a fan of the Allman Brothers Band, Little Richard, James Brown, Otis Redding, or Jason Aldean; they all have one thing in common: they all came from Macon. So did poet/musician Sidney Lanier, saxophonist Rosa King, and two members of R.E.M.
Dr. Ben Wynne will be the Georgia Writers Museum’s “Meet the Author” presenter April 4, on his book, Something in the Water: A History of Music in Macon, Georgia, 1823- 1980. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for a presentation that begins a half hour later.
In addition, scrumptious soul food will be served, and a DJ will be spinning hits by Macon musicians for your dancing and listening pleasure. The event is $45 per person or $80 per couple, with VIP tables available at $200 for six guests. Register by contacting Georgia Writers Museum (GWM) or visit online at georgiawritersmuseum.org. Also, pre-order a copy of Something in the Water from GWM, as Wynne will be signing books after his presentation.
Wynne is a professor of history at the University of North Georgia. He specializes in the American South, antebellum American Studies, and the Civil War era. He is the author of several books related to southern history and culture, including Something in the Water: A History of Music in Macon, Georgia, 1823-1980; The Man Who Punched Jefferson Davis: The Political Life of Henry S. Foote, Southern Unionist; In Tune: Charley Patton, Jimmie Rodgers, and the Roots of American Music; Mississippi’s Civil War: A Narrative History; and A Hard Trip: A History of the 15th Mississippi Infantry, CSA. Wynne also has contributed entries to more than 20 encyclopedias, and the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress.
Macon’s history has an exceptional soundtrack, and Something in the Water provides a lively narrative of the city’s musical past. From its pioneer origins to the modern era, the city has produced waves of talent with amazing consistency, representing a wide range of musical genres— country, classical, jazz, blues, big band, soul, and rock.
The story of music in Macon includes a vast, eclectic cast of characters, including Lanier, the city’s first music “celebrity,” entertainment entrepreneur Charles Douglass, jazz-age divas Lucille Hegamin and Lula Whidby, big-band singers Betty Barclay and the Pickens Sisters, rock and roll founding father “Little Richard” Penniman, rhythm and blues icons James Brown and Otis Redding, local country star Eugene “Uncle Ned” Stripling, Capricorn Records founders Phil Walden and Frank Fenter, and the Allman Brothers Band, one of the most popular groups of the rock era.
The book also offers a treatment of Macon’s leading entertainment venues, both past and present, like Ralston Hall, the Grand Opera House, and the Douglass Theatre.
Come and listen, eat, and dance to an evening of great music and its captivating history.