The Music of Prohibition
The modern notion of prohibition brings up imagery of 1920s women dancing the Charleston in a speakeasy. Georgia’s lengthy prohibition period was filled not only with early jazz but also barrelhouse blues, bluegrass and other folk music.
The songs linked below will give you a feel for the music of prohibition-era Georgia and some contemporary tunes that harken to the days of illegal liquor and the “sporting life” on Decatur Street.
The songs linked below will give you a feel for the music of prohibition-era Georgia and some contemporary tunes that harken to the days of illegal liquor and the “sporting life” on Decatur Street.
Bessie Smith, known as the Empress of the Blues, and Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, known as the Mother of the Blues, sang at clubs on Decatur Street during prohibition. Their marvelous voices evoke for a listener the experience of prohibition in Atlanta.
Gertrude “Ma” Rainey – Barrel House Blues (1923)
Bessie Smith – Preachin’ The Blues (1927)
Bessie Smith – Me and My Gin (1928)
Lowe Stokes, Clayton McMichen, and Riley Puckett were folk singers that chronicled the rural experience of prohibition in Georgia.
Clayton McMichen and Riley Puckett – A Corn Licker Still In Georgia Pts. 1 & 2 (1927)
Perhaps our favorite: Lowe Stokes – Prohibition is a Failure (1929)
Clayton McMichen – Prohibition Blues (1932?)
Problems with illegal alcohol didn’t end with prohibition. Bluesman Tommy Brown and the quartet Echoes of Zion sang about a tragic alcohol poisoning event in Atlanta’s history in the 1950s. (You can read the story of John "Fat" Hardy on p. 131 of Prohibition in Atlanta: Temperance, Tiger Kings & White Lightning.)
Tommy Brown – Fat Hardy’s Tardy (1951)
Echoes of Zion – Atlanta's Tragic Monday (1951?)
“I thought we’d drop down by Decatur Street, and see what the happenings was…” – Red’s How Long Blues, from Atlanta Bounce, by William “Piano Red” Perryman.
The barrelhouse blues lived on with Atlanta great William Lee "Piano Red" Perryman, who played at Muhlenbrink’s Saloon (named after a historic Atlanta saloonist) in Underground Atlanta during its heyday.
Piano Red – Wild Fire (1957)
Prohibition still influences music today, as with Uncle Dell Conner’s song “Runnin' Shine” that recounts moonshine trippin' from Dawsonville to Atlanta.
Uncle Dell Conner - Runnin' Shine (2007?)
Gertrude “Ma” Rainey – Barrel House Blues (1923)
Bessie Smith – Preachin’ The Blues (1927)
Bessie Smith – Me and My Gin (1928)
Lowe Stokes, Clayton McMichen, and Riley Puckett were folk singers that chronicled the rural experience of prohibition in Georgia.
Clayton McMichen and Riley Puckett – A Corn Licker Still In Georgia Pts. 1 & 2 (1927)
Perhaps our favorite: Lowe Stokes – Prohibition is a Failure (1929)
Clayton McMichen – Prohibition Blues (1932?)
Problems with illegal alcohol didn’t end with prohibition. Bluesman Tommy Brown and the quartet Echoes of Zion sang about a tragic alcohol poisoning event in Atlanta’s history in the 1950s. (You can read the story of John "Fat" Hardy on p. 131 of Prohibition in Atlanta: Temperance, Tiger Kings & White Lightning.)
Tommy Brown – Fat Hardy’s Tardy (1951)
Echoes of Zion – Atlanta's Tragic Monday (1951?)
“I thought we’d drop down by Decatur Street, and see what the happenings was…” – Red’s How Long Blues, from Atlanta Bounce, by William “Piano Red” Perryman.
The barrelhouse blues lived on with Atlanta great William Lee "Piano Red" Perryman, who played at Muhlenbrink’s Saloon (named after a historic Atlanta saloonist) in Underground Atlanta during its heyday.
Piano Red – Wild Fire (1957)
Prohibition still influences music today, as with Uncle Dell Conner’s song “Runnin' Shine” that recounts moonshine trippin' from Dawsonville to Atlanta.
Uncle Dell Conner - Runnin' Shine (2007?)