The earliest music in
North Georgia, including what is now Athens, was that of the
Native Americans of the area, principally the
Creek and the
Cherokee. Athens was officially chartered in 1806, and began growing rapidly near the middle of the nineteenth century. By the time of the
American Civil War in the 1860s, the city was an important part of musical life in Georgia. The war accelerated the development of the city's musical importance, as Athens was largely spared widespread destruction while the larger city of Atlanta took a long time to recover. Major touring acts like the Dixie Family and The Slomans visited Athens during the war; the Dixie Family, a prominent touring group, performed disastrously, according to local newspapers, who said that the highlight of the performance came from four local African American musicians, and the Dixie Family had absconded with the concert's proceeds, which had been promised to the local Ladies Aid Society. In the 1870s, the city was almost half African American, and local black-owned industry flourished; among the residents was
Bob Cole, born in 1868 to a musically active family. Cole later became a pioneer in African American theater, known for works like the 1898 musical
A Trip to Coontown and the song "La Hoola Boola". African American industry, churches and other institutions grew rapidly in prominence through the end of the nineteenth century. The city's African American community was well established by the beginning of the twentieth century, when the corner of Lumpkin and Washington Streets became a major center for the city's black culture. This area was known as Hot Corner, and was owned by a number of black professional businesses, as well as many performance spaces and a renowned
opera house in the Morton Building which hosted such national figures as
Louis Armstrong and
Duke Ellington. The Morton Theater was one of the preeminent venues in the city in the early twentieth century, and is the only such theater to survive to the present, though it was not in operation for many years, until re-opening in 1993. Studio 1093 was rented to R.E.M. and remained an Athens staple until 2018 playing host to both established musicians and those just starting out. Ort's Oldies, a used record store on Jackson Street, and its proprietor,
William Orten Carlton, commonly known as "Ort", were among the institutional figures that made the Athens music scene possible. Ort had an excellent memory for rock trivia, which served him well in running the store. Perhaps more importantly, his off-the-wall sense of humor and warmly iconoclastic personality (and his thrift-sale wardrobe) were regularly on display at parties, gigs and musical venues around town. A final element in creating and sustaining the Athens musical culture was UGA's
Lamar Dodd School of Art. The great majority of Athens' musicians and their fan base were associated with the college's liberal arts curriculum, and the School of Art, rather than the music department, was the area where the creative and musical alliances that later defined the scene began forming in the 1970s.
Michael Stipe of R.E.M. was an art major (although he did not graduate), and the Art School incubated other major figures such as all four of the members of Pylon were art students there including Curtis Crowe, founding member and drummer for
Pylon. The cinematographer for the documentary film
Athens GA: Inside/Out was
James Herbert, a professor at the School of Art. Herbert went on to direct music videos for various Athens bands, including fourteen for R.E.M. Rock photographer
Jason Thrasher has documented many Athens musicians in his 2017 book,
Athens Potluck. performing in 2007. From left to right: bassist Scott Rowe, drummer Chad Williams (obscured except for his hands), singer Linda Hopper, and guitarist and backing vocalist Ruthie Morris The B-52's and R.E.M. became by far the most famous musical products of Athens in the 1980s, when both bands released a string of hits. The band's danceable sound, a blend of
new wave,
post-punk,
jangle pop,
alternative rock and
funk rock, influenced the Athens music scene and the 1980s American pop underground.
AllMusic wrote that Pylon's "role as elder statesmen of the alternative rock explosion is unassailable". They released three albums, three singles and an EP during their on-and-off-again career. Much of their early material along with rarities was reissued by
New West Records as part of a boxset titled
Box. The boxset also includes a 200-page hardcover book with new interviews with the surviving members of the band and testimonies from members of R.E.M., The B-52's,
Gang of Four,
The Bongos,
Mission of Burma,
Sleater-Kinney,
Beat Happening and
Sonic Youth among others. Other 1980s local bands with nationwide alternative followings included
Love Tractor,
Oh-OK, with Michael Stipe's sister
Lynda Stipe, vocalist
Linda Hopper (later of
Magnapop) and future solo performer
Matthew Sweet. The members of R.E.M. have remained fixtures in Athens as they have also become international stars, helping out local performers like
Vic Chesnutt, the
Chickasaw Mudd Puppies and
Jack Logan. Athens's modern contributions to the field of bluegrass include the
Packway Handle Band and
BlueBilly Grit. Athens's local country scene has never been as significant as the profusion of indie rock bands; however, modern Athens rock takes many elements from the folk, bluegrass and country traditions, including such bands as the Normaltown Flyers. The band
Drive-By Truckers, Power Play and the
Holman Autry Band, have done much in recent years to make
country rock a major part of Athens's musical identity. Later bands, such as The Broken String Band, have emerged influenced by the
folk-rock genre. The rapper
Bubba Sparxxx, originally from South Georgia, has also helped diversify Athens's country heritage by adding a rural image and elements of country music to his
Dirty South style of
hip hop music. Folk artists and singer-songwriters have always flourished in the Athens atmosphere, albeit, as mentioned, not as significantly as pop and rock. Some of Athens's most notable solo singer-songwriter performers are Vic Chesnutt,
Corey Smith,
T. Graham Brown,
John Berry,
Patterson Hood, along with younger, emerging musicians like
Thayer Sarrano and T. Hardy Morris. Athens also has an Irish band community, including several Irish folk bands, such as The Green Flag Band. Athens also was the launching point for some nationally recognized contemporary Christian music artists, including
Mark Heard, who started playing while a student at UGA, and the
Vigilantes of Love. A
Latin music scene has emerged since 2019 with a diverse array of different musical styles that include
bossa nova,
samba,
salsa music and
tango. According to
Flagpole Magazine, Latin music was once relegated to the fringes of Athens music, but has become a much larger part of the music scene. Latin events hosted in Athens include the LatinxFest, Argentina Food, Wine and Culture Festival, Milonga Tropical, and regular Latin Night events presented by Athens Latin, hosted by rotating venues. Notable performers include Beto Cacao, Grogus, Incatepec,
Athens Tango Project, Quiabo De Chapeu, and Bichos Vivos. Musicians have also presented Latin music through stage play performances such as Lupita's Revenge, a silhouette puppet show in conjunction with a five-person band that plays a variety of Latin American musical styles in a multicultural theme. Local Athens musicians have been supportive of Latin music and there have been collaborative efforts between prominent Athens musicians and Latin music artists. Art Rosenbaum helped to produce Beto Cacao's album,
Undocorridos. There have also been collaborative efforts between
Will Cullen Hart, from
The Elephant 6 Recording Company, Pylon's
Vanessa Briscoe Hay and Athens Tango Project.
Post-2000 Athens has been home to several notable acts, including
Kishi Bashi,
Dead Confederate,
Futurebirds,
Reptar, The Whigs, New Madrid, of Montreal,
Perpetual Groove,
Phosphorescent and
Lera Lynn. In 2017, Kindercore Records revamped as
Kindercore Vinyl, which is one of the few vinyl pressing plants in the United States. Kindercore has pressed for artists such as
Sufjan Stevens,
Cindy Wilson and
Willie Nelson. There have been a few documentaries released about this era. The 2018 documentary
Athens Rising: The Sicyon Project: Volume One, presents stories about the arts in Athens and features several acts from this era, including Athens Tango Project, Dimmen, Potted Plant, Half Acid, Linqua Franqa, Scooterbabe, Cinemechanica, Waitress, Blue Bodies, A. Mack, Joe Shadowy Peeples, The YOD, Follow Forever, KXNG BLANCO, Caulfield, WesdaRuler, Murk Daddy Flex,
Jay Gonzalez (Drive-By Truckers) and Calico Vision. The 2020 documentary
Athens, Georgia: Over/Under is an inside look at the
DIY scene of the town, featuring concerts and footage from 2010 to 2019. It was originally started as a project for WUOG. It is a semi-update of the 1987 film
Athens, GA: Inside/Out and features interviews and performances by
Reptar, New Madrid,
Nana Grizol,
John Fernandes, of Elephant 6 Collective,
David Barbe, Gordon Lamb of
Flagpole Magazine, Nate Mitchell of Wuxtry Records and many more. It serves as a counterpoint to the idealism of
Athens, GA: Inside/Out and shows the progress of the town from the viewpoint of director Thomas Bauer and The Rodney Kings, showing the rise of bands like Reptar and New Madrid in the 2010 scene, to later disintegration of bands, and ends with the closing of Go Bar on New Year's 2019.
Andrew N. Shearer, of
Gonzoriffic, cited it as a great follow up to the film in his podcast, and
Flagpole similarly noted it as being of significance, saying "It provides a pretty realistic impression of a particular time and place, without attempting to glamorize or mythologize itself." In August 2020, it was included in
Athens-Clarke County Library's archive of works of importance. == Video game ==