Misplaced Pages

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Atlanta blues" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (June 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Atlanta blues refers to the local blues scene in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, which had its heyday in the 1920s and 1930s. According to AllMusic,"The Atlanta blues scene of the 1920s was among the most fertile in all the South, with a steady stream of rural musicians converging on the city hoping to gain exposure playing the local club circuit, with any luck rising to perform at Decatur Street's famed 81 Theatre."

The oldest representative of the Atlanta blues was Peg Leg Howell, who made his first recordings in 1926. He was followed by Blind Willie McTell, Barbecue Bob, Charley Lincoln, and Curley Weaver, with McTell typically being the most popular and acclaimed. Many of these musicians banded together into groups; the most popular of these bands were the Georgia Cotton Pickers.

Cora Mae Bryant, the daughter of Curley Weaver, gradually became important on the Atlanta blues scene; performing, organizing "Giving It Back" festivals at the city's Northside Tavern to honor early blues artists, and as a frequent caller to local blues radio shows. Also, Bryant's knowledge of early blues in Atlanta and Georgia was used as a source by the music historians Peter B. Lowry and Bruce Bastin.

More modern blues performers who have come out of or near Atlanta include Delta Moon, and Chick Willis.

Notable performers

• Barbecue Bob
• Peg Leg Howell
• Charley Lincoln
• Eddie Mapp
• Fred McMullen
• Blind Willie McTell
• Buddy Moss
• Curley Weaver
• Bumble Bee Slim
• George Carter
• Andrew and Jim Baxter
• Kokomo Arnold
• Ed Andrews
• Tampa Red
• Too Tight Henry
• Willie Baker
• William Moore (musician)
• Thomas A. Dorsey
• Blind Tom Wiggins

References

1. Jason Ankeny. "Georgia Blues (1928–1933) – Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
2. "Georgia Cotton Pickers Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
3. "American Blues-Music Maker Relief Foundation: Meet Cora Mae Bryant". Ibiblio.org. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
4. "Cora Mae Bryant biography". Last.fm. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
5. Atlanta Magazine. June 2003. p. 102. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
6. "Blues Music: Overview | New Georgia Encyclopedia". M.georgiaencyclopedia.org. Retrieved December 14, 2015.

External links

• "Southern Blues" in "Acoustic Guitar Magazine"

• Music of Atlanta