Atlanta originated as a small station named Terminus located on the Georgia state railroad in the mid-1830s. It was renamed Marthasville in 1843 and again renamed Atlanta in 1847. It soon became a growing commercial center in the South, because it was a major junction for the train lines running east of the Appalachian Mountains and west to the Mississippi Valley. Consequently, it proved to be a key military objective of the Union forces under the command of General William T. Sherman during the Civil War. It was set on fire and destroyed in 1864.
After the Civil War, a black middle class emerged in Atlanta. In the 1860s, the American Missionary Association founded Atlanta University, and the Methodist Episcopal Church founded Clark University. They later combined campuses and Clark Atlanta University became one of the largest collections of black colleges in the world. The race riot of 1906 defined a biracial division in Atlanta that remained unchanged for many years as the black business community was driven away from the downtown center.
Social conditions challenged many blacks in the city during the early twentieth century. Blacks as young as twelve years of age and convicted of criminal offenses often found themselves chained with older adults and sentenced to work at gang labor in Atlanta. During the height of the Great Depression, the number of blacks who could not find regular jobs and qualified for federal relief climbed to more than sixty percent. During the late nineteenth century, Atlanta rebuilt itself and became a symbol of a new and revitalized South. Atlanta emerged in the early twentieth century as the South's leading commercial and industrial center. Convict leases and chain gang labor built much of the infrastructure serving this expansion. Following World War II, Atlanta's location again made it a major center for air and highway travel during the last half of the century.
Atlanta is recognized today as the civil rights center of the region and the birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. During the 1960s, Atlanta's self-stated motto was "The city too busy to hate." It distinguished itself with its progressive political climate during this period. Since that time, a series of black mayors have guided the continued commercial growth and success of the city. Mayor Andrew Young played a significant role in securing the Olympic games for Atlanta in 1996. In spite of this success, a cycle of poverty still exists for many blacks.
Early in the twentieth century, Atlanta became a center for blues recordings and music scouts. The city's tradition of blues music began on the streets and in the barrelhouses where guitar players and piano players performed. Among the early blues artists who played and recorded in Atlanta were Lillian Glinn, Bert M. Mays, Barbecue Bob, Curley Weaver, and Buddy Moss. Best known of the Atlanta blues singers was "Blind" Willie McTell. He made a number of recordings with his wife, Kate McTell, who was also known as Ruby Glaze.
William Perryman, also known as Piano Red, and his older brother, Rufus Perryman, whose nickname was Speckled Red, grew up in Atlanta where they both played boogie-woogie piano. Speckled Red made a number of recordings before the second world war, whereas Piano Red began his recording career in the 1950s. After living in a variety of cities, Piano Red returned to Atlanta later in his life where he performed his music regularly in local bars.
Tinsley Ellis was born in Atlanta and grew up in south Florida. After returning to Atlanta to attend college, he played with a group, The Heartfixers. Ellis recorded a number of blues albums with this group before going on to a solo career. Illinois born Fran-cine Reed grew up in Arizona before she moved to Atlanta. She provided blues vocal accompaniment for Lyle Lovett before recording two blues albums of her own. Reed performs regularly at Blind Willie's, a venue that specializes in vintage local blues.
Julius "Lotsapoppa" High, Sandra Hall, and Luther "Houserocker" Johnson are other local blues performers that appear regularly at Blind Willie's. These blues artists originally played in clubs on Auburn Avenue up through the 1970s. Auburn Avenue was the center of local blues in Atlanta dating from the early 1950s. Major blues venues included the Royal Peacock, Poinciana, and the Elks Club.
Decatur Street established itself as the first center for both local and national blues artists dating from the early 1920s and continuing through the 1940s. Two vaudeville theaters on that street, known as the "81" and the "91," showcased the talents of Bessie Smith, "Butterbeans and Susie" (the stage names for Joe and Susie Edwards), and Willie McTell among others. A building of the Georgia State University campus stands on the location today.
Bibliography
Cobb, James C. Georgia Odyssey. Athens and London: The University of Georgia Press, 1997.
Coleman, Kenneth, ed. A History of Georgia. 2nd ed. Athens and London: The University of Georgia Press, 1991.
Oliver, Paul. Blues Fell This Morning. New York: Horizon Press, 1960.
___. The Story of the Blues. London: Chilton Books, 1969.
