The Stacks: The Last Days of the Original Allman Brothers In addition to producing musical phenoms like Otis Redding, Little Richard, and Jason Aldean, Macon has raised several notable pro boxers an old chestnut goes that, back in the day, you had to sing or swing your way out of Macon. Founded as a trading post between New Orleans and New York, Macon developed into a thriving railroad junction in the late 19th century. Macon, Georgiaĭrive 3.5 hours north from Jacksonville to Macon, a charming burg in the Georgia Piedmont. JAX boasts some of the prettiest beaches on the East Coast-think powdery sand and sapphire water-and Neptune Beach, near downtown, is a local favorite for fun in the sun. Right by the beach is Beach Hut Cafe, a no-frills eatery owned by the mother of Fred Durst, Jacksonville native and Limp Bizkit front man. For more casual venues, head to Intuition Ale Works or Jack Rabbits Live for stiff drinks, live music, and all-around revelry. Augustine Amphitheater, 45 minutes from Jacksonville, is among Florida’s most hallowed stages-a venue cherished by Lynyrd Skynyrd, Marshall Tucker Band, and the Allman Brothers-and today, you can still catch big-name acts at the Amphitheater. After touring the Ritz, grab a beer in the surrounding neighborhood of LaVilla, once hailed as the “Harlem of the South.” The Ritz Theater houses a museum dedicated to Jacksonville’s music history, and regularly hosts live performances in the evening. While the iconic Southern balladeers made their name in Georgia, they never forgot their roots in north Florida.Ī mainstay of Jacksonville’s African-American community for more than century, the Ritz Theater was an essential stop on the famous Chitlin Circuit, a string of venues across the South that welcomed Black performers during segregation. The Gray House, a suburban residence in JAX, is the site where, in the late ’60s, a series of psilocybin-fueled jam sessions convinced two brothers and their friends to form a band, the Allman Brothers. The following road trip, cutting across the heart of the South, showcases five cities seminal to rock history: Jacksonville, Macon, Muscle Shoals, Chattanooga, and Memphis. The open road, another quintessential symbol of America, pairs as deliciously with rock ’n’ roll as infatuated groupies with lead guitarists. Rock ’n’ roll now belongs to the world, but its native country is the American South, and that distinctive Southern drawl of its youth will never entirely fade. But in all languages and cultures, it evokes that same sweet emotion of freedom, rebelliousness, and the thrill of being young. Promiscuous by nature, it blends seamlessly with local rhythms wherever it goes-amalgamating accordion riffs in Argentina, Tuareg melodies in Algeria, or Viking poetry in Iceland. From the Sahara to the Steppes, from the suburbs of the Midwest to the slums of Medellín, rock ’n’ roll-the devilishly charming bastard child of the blues and country music-crosses every linguistic, cultural, and even religious barrier. Rock ’n’ roll is arguably America’s most successful cultural export.
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