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 selfstated 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 Francine 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.
BILL GRAVES
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.