# Atlanta blues

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**Atlanta blues** refers to the local [blues](/source/Blues) scene in [Atlanta](/source/Atlanta), Georgia, United States, which had its heyday in the 1920s and 1930s. According to [AllMusic](/source/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](/source/Decatur_Street_(Atlanta))'s famed 81 Theatre".[1]

The oldest representative of the Atlanta blues was [Peg Leg Howell](/source/Peg_Leg_Howell), who made his first recordings in 1926. He was followed by [Blind Willie McTell](/source/Blind_Willie_McTell), [Barbecue Bob](/source/Barbecue_Bob), [Charley Lincoln](/source/Charley_Lincoln), and [Curley Weaver](/source/Curley_Weaver), with McTell typically being the most popular and acclaimed.[citation needed] Many of these musicians banded together into groups; the most popular of these bands were the Georgia Cotton Pickers.[2]

[Cora Mae Bryant](/source/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.[3] Also, Bryant's knowledge of early blues in Atlanta and Georgia was used as a source by the music historians [Peter B. Lowry](/source/Peter_B._Lowry) and [Bruce Bastin](/source/Bruce_Bastin).[4]

More modern blues performers who have come out of or near Atlanta include [Baby Tate](/source/Baby_Tate_(guitarist)), [Precious Bryant](/source/Precious_Bryant), [Beverly Watkins](/source/Beverly_Watkins), [Albert White](/source/Albert_White_(musician)), [Eddie Tigner](/source/Eddie_Tigner), [Robert Cray](/source/Robert_Cray), [Jesse Fuller](/source/Jesse_Fuller), [Jontavious Willis](/source/Jontavious_Willis), [Neal Pattman](/source/Neal_Pattman), [Guitar Gabriel](/source/Guitar_Gabriel), [Frank Edwards](/source/Frank_Edwards_(blues_musician)), [Ray Charles](/source/Ray_Charles), [James Wheeler](/source/James_Wheeler_(musician)), [Golden Big Wheeler](/source/Golden_Big_Wheeler), [Larry Johnson](/source/Larry_Johnson_(musician)), [Otis Redding](/source/Otis_Redding), [Joe Carter](/source/Joe_Carter_(guitarist)), [Luther "Georgia Boy" Johnson](/source/Luther_%22Georgia_Boy%22_Johnson), [Luther "Houserocker" Johnson](/source/Luther_%22Houserocker%22_Johnson), [Little Richard](/source/Little_Richard), [James Brown](/source/James_Brown), [Billy Wright](/source/Billy_Wright_(musician)),[5] and [Chick Willis](/source/Chick_Willis).[6]

A documentary film, *Northside Tavern: The Mostly True Story of the Golden Age of Atlanta's Most Exquisite Blues Dive*, was released on December 22, 2022.[7]

## References

1. Jason Ankeny. ["Georgia Blues (1928–1933) – Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits"](http://www.allmusic.com/album/georgia-blues-1928-1933-mw0000089524). [AllMusic](/source/AllMusic). Retrieved 2015-12-14.

1. ["Georgia Cotton Pickers Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More"](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/georgia-cotton-pickers-mn0000765263). *AllMusic*. Retrieved September 6, 2023.

1. ["American Blues-Music Maker Relief Foundation: Meet Cora Mae Bryant"](http://www.ibiblio.org/musicmakers/mm4000b/mm4003.html). *Ibiblio.org*. Retrieved 11 October 2018.

1. ["Cora Mae Bryant biography"](https://www.last.fm/music/Cora+Mae+Bryant/+wiki). *Last.fm*. Retrieved 11 October 2018.

1. [*Atlanta Magazine*](https://books.google.com/books?id=qOECAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA102&dq=%22Delta+Moon%22.+%22BLUES%22#q=%22Delta%20Moon%22.%20%22BLUES%22). June 2003. p. 102. Retrieved 2016-08-01.

1. ["Blues Music: Overview | New Georgia Encyclopedia"](http://m.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/blues-music-overview). *M.georgiaencyclopedia.org*. Retrieved 2015-12-14.

1. ["Northside Tavern: The Mostly True Story of the Golden Age of Atlanta's Most Exquisite Blues Dive"](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23753008/). *IMDb.com*. December 13, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2026.

## External links

- ["Southern Blues" in "Acoustic Guitar Magazine"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120110184727/http://www.acousticguitar.com/issues/ag118/feature118.html)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Atlanta blues](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_blues) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_blues?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.