“I got tired of playing other people’s songs.”
Gregg Allman
CAROL WRITES: Earlier this summer we decided to undertake a road trip to Atlanta, Georgia, for a visit with longtime friends Pem and Lucy. Since we are long past the days of real long car rides, we planned to break up the drive with a 2-night stop in Macon, Georgia.
Many would ask: “Why Macon?" As it turns out there are a whole lot of interesting reasons—the prehistoric Ocmulgee Indian Mounds, a showy antebellum mansion, charming neighborhoods, a first-rate southern church, and a world-famous historic rock music scene.
We selected an AirBnB in an old neighborhood of varying early 1900s architectural styles. Our “home” for two nights claimed to be circa 1915. Inside decor was just what you would expect in a neighborhood home dating back a little over 100 years ago. I especially liked the transom windows over the double door entrance to the living room, in addition to the old well-preserved fireplaces.
OCMULGEE MOUNDS
Since it was the dog days of summer in the Deep South, early morning was the only practical time for a visit to Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park, where Native American history can be traced back over 10,000 years.
Mounds of various uses dotted the park. One of the largest was the Great Temple Mound,
the summit of which seemed as good a spot as any for one of our rare twosome pics.
Signs in another section of the park recounted the Civil War history at the Battle of Dunlap Hill that occurred in this most pastoral setting.
AN ANTEBELLUM MANSION
Throughout 5 years of travel in our motorhome, we seldom passed up a tour of a mansion, and so it was in Macon. The Johnston-Felton-Hay House, home at various times to the families of its namesake, seemed like it would have potential. What we didn’t expect from an historic home in a small city like Macon was just how extraordinary it would turn out to be!
The outside architecture was done in Italian Renaissance Revival style. The effect was stunning in a setting of very old ginkgo and magnolia trees which framed the entrance. Since the home has never been used for any other purpose other than as a private family home, it was in mint condition, with no modifications. All of the furniture pieces were authentic and were once owned by the three very wealthy families who lived there.
No architectural detail was simple in this 18,000-square-foot palazzo! The crown molding was an artistic creation of its own.
Rounded doorways were surrounded with intricate plaster molding. Stained glass throughout was used to great effect.
Construction of the Johnston-Felton-Hay House was completed in 1859, on the cusp of the start of the Civil War. It has been called the “most advanced antebellum building in America for its style.” A subtle message, which no doubt did not escape the notice of 1860s visitors, was inserted below the crown molding in the parlor. William Butler Johnston, the original owner, had a plaster image of a Union shield placed in the molding that surrounded the curved entrance to a small seating area.
Even though he was a sincere Confederate supporter at heart, nevertheless, Johnston opposed secession of Georgia from the Union.
Bedrooms had walk-in closets and the relatively rare modern convenience of sinks with running water in the room. Indoor bathrooms had tubs with hot and cold running water.
The art gallery room rivaled rooms we had seen in many first-rate museums.
SOARING CHURCH ARCHITECTURE
A short distance away on a slight hill overlooking downtown Macon was St. Joseph Catholic Church, one of the finest churches in the South. With soaring 200-ft twin spires and a central rose window, this church was done in the Neo-Gothic style.
Inside was a soaring vaulted ceiling,
and fine examples of stained glass imported from Germany.
Although several other bands contributed in their own way, the Allman Brothers Band has the distinction of being the inventor of Southern Rock. The unofficial launch of this new kind of music took place in 1969 when the Allman Brothers debuted their first album.
The band soon moved to Macon, Georgia, where their new music style took off. Thus, Macon claims to be the “birthplace of Southern Rock,” a unique blend of the elements of blues, jazz, R&B, bluegrass, country, and rock ’n’ roll. The Allman Brothers lived in a large Tudor-style home that is referred to as the Big House and is preserved today as a museum.
A popular Macon story is that one day the band showed up at the H&H Soul Food Restaurant with only enough money for two meals to split between the five of them. The restaurant owner, a woman by the name of “Mama Louise” Hudson, took mercy on the group and allowed them to run a tab when they were strapped for cash. The subsequent kindness of Mama Louise has been memorialized in a giant mural painted on the side of the building where the restaurant is located.
The restaurant is still in operation today, so we stopped in for a soul food breakfast and a look at the picture memorabilia on the walls on the way out of town.
The collaboration between the Allman Brothers Band and Capricorn Records transformed Macon from an unknown sleepy little town into “a very hip, wild and crazy place filled with bikers and rockers.” The most famous of the downtown music clubs was Grant’s Lounge, one of the first integrated bars in Macon. Today those windows are blackened, making the significance of this humble establishment quite understated.
Lynryd Skynyrd, Tom Petty, Eric Clapton, Little Richard, and The Marshall Tucker Band are just a few of the greats who got their start here. So, we spent our last evening in Macon at the bar in Grant’s Lounge, merely hoping to soak up some ghostly musical vibes from the past. As bad luck, or what turned out to be good luck, would have it, there wasn’t a band playing that night,
and so we had a quiet few minutes chatting with the bartender after she served us our drinks. Suddenly, the evening then got very exciting when an elderly Black man walked in the door. He was greeted by the female bartender with a big boisterous welcome and sat down at the bar next to Al. The bartender served him the beer she knew he liked and then told us now we were going to hear some “real interesting stories.”
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Our storyteller for the next hour or so was 78-year-old Newton Collier. He told us that he had been a trumpet player for Sam and Dave Band for 20 years! He played in the early years with Otis Redding and traveled the world as a trumpet player for numerous famous musicians. He has played for 5 presidents, and has met countless celebrities in the music industry over many years. When we asked a question about who he liked personally that he had met, he said two of the kindest performers he had ever met were Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. I didn’t see that coming...
We told him we lived for three years just north of New Orleans; of course, he knew that city of iconic music well. He recounted landing in an African country and being met with great enthusiasm at the airport. I asked him if the African locals he met were familiar with his music style and he answered an emphatic “yes.”
Newton Collier was a big part of the Macon Southern Rock music scene in its heyday. He personally knew the Allman Brothers and Otis Redding. When we told him we spent a good bit of time that day in sweltering heat searching for the Otis Redding statue
that was supposed to be in a small park next to the Ocmulgee River, he laughed and said the statue had been moved and was in storage waiting for a new anticipated place of honor.
Today, Newton Collier still retains his agent, who arranges speaking engagements for him. He is writing and saving music history recordings for the Smithsonian so that the history of the music that had its birth in Macon is preserved for future generations. He seemed particularly proud of this endeavor.
By the time Al’s beer was gone and I had finished one very strong gin and tonic, Newton Collier’s stories had worked their magic on us. We thanked him sincerely and bid our goodnight. Can’t finish up a visit to Macon in any more spectacular fashion than talking with one of the great ones in Grant’s Lounge!
GEORGIA HOSPITALITY
The next day we had a short hour and a half drive to Pem and Lucy’s condo in Atlanta. A few hours later we were all in favor of a short trip to the “mountains” to escape the Atlanta heat for the night. That evening we asked “Alexa” to play a bunch of Sam and Dave tunes, so we could key in on Newton Collier’s trumpet. I was surprised at how many songs I knew well and loved… and that trumpet sure was sweet.
Over the next few days we spent many hours recalling both silly and not-so-silly times from decades gone by. Back in Atlanta, we especially enjoyed meeting with Pem and Lucy’s children and having lunch at a restaurant named “Six Feet Under.” The significance of that quirky name lies in the fact that it is directly across the street from Oakland Cemetery, the burial place of many of Atlanta’s noted citizens, among them Kenny Rogers,
and, more importantly, several of Pem’s Atlanta-area ancestors.
It was an old cemetery… in Atlanta… founded in1850… so naturally, there were many graves of Confederate soldiers, in addition to a monument to the Confederate Army.
By the time our visit with good friends had drawn to a close, we left town with a sense of having had a great time once again with dear friends who showed us the lure of their Georgia way of life and shared with us a small part of their proud family heritage.
“It will be gone by June.” 1955 Statement on Rock ‘n’ Roll by Variety Magazine
Carol Galus
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