REDNECK: In modern usage a redneck is a stereotypical southern United States socially conservative, fiscally liberal, rural, working class white person with northern European ancestry. In layman’s terms Rednecks are often rude and crude Southerners, occasionally prone to violence, have proclivity (but not always) for NASCAR, certain types of Country music, and beer drinking. They can live in trailers, but not always.
They are often mistaken for white trash but there’s a difference. Rednecks are usually hard working and have jobs while White trash tends to be lazy. They are most likely blue collar. Not all rednecks are racists, but many are. They’re not all loud and brassy, but many can be.
My good friend Bubba (that’s not his real name but it suits his perceived persona) reminds me of a Vidalia onion because there are several layers to his personality. He typically has strong opinions on most topics and is not afraid to voice them. In his biblically allotted 3 score years and ten he has achieved more in his lifetime than many of us can only imagine. He has enjoyed a successful career as a mechanical engineer, has owned several music shops, and ran a successful business as an art dealer. But the underlying theme to his perpetual motion is music along with the love and support of his family.
He began learning and playing music at the age of 5, and studied to be a concert pianist until deciding at 15 years of age that he no longer had the inclination to light up Carnegie Hall. However, his love of music continued and he turned to the clarinet which he played in the High School band. One day, he was invited to join his friend’s popular music band providing he could play saxophone. He ran home and persuaded his mom to buy him a saxophone and has had a love affair with the instrument ever since. His first gig was at the local YWCA in Macon, Georgia in stark contrast to several years later when he played before a New Year’s Eve crowd of 3000 raucous fans at the Marriot Resort, Fairhope, Alabama supporting The Classic Four.
He served six years in the regular army and his love for music continued unabated. He was assigned to play in the army band, but hooked up with local bands in need of a saxophone player on his weekends off. Following discharge from the army his quest for a better paying job to support his young family led him to Atlanta where he quickly found a musical venue, The Little Oak Tavern, to his liking.
I’m not sure whether growing up in Macon, Georgia was fortuitous or his destiny, but in his formative years Bubba rubbed shoulders with future rock and roll of famers. He grew up in the same street as Phil Lowndes, founder of Macon based Capricorn Records, who managed Otis Redding early in his career and guided the Allman Brothers to fame and fortune.
On a Sunday he would play in jam sessions at the Elk Club where featured vocalists may have included the late Otis Redding, or Little Richard. One time he witnessed Little Richard getting arrested in downtown Macon for kissing his boyfriend in public, and he cried when he learned Otis had been killed in a plane crash in 1967.
Attempting to pigeon hole Bubba into one category of music is almost impossible. I asked him what type of music was the most difficult to play. He paused a moment and replied: “There are several types of music but they all contain the same notes which are just arranged differently. If one hears a musician bleating about being unable to play in a particular key or style, he can’t truly call himself a genuine musician.”
Capricorn Records spearheaded the rise of Southern Rock, and the success of the Allman Brothers paved the way for other Southern rock bands, including Atlanta Rhythm Section, South Carolina based Marshall Tucker Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd also founded in Jacksonville. Bubba made it to the Georgia Rock and Roll Fame with Hayloft Jamboree with whom he played for over 6 years. In the late fifties the band had their own weekly TV show which gave them greater prominence on the local music scene.
Bubba arrived in Atlanta about the same time as “Underground Atlanta” officially opened in 1969 with new restaurants, bars, nightclubs and music venues installed in the old individual storefronts. At the time, Fulton County was the only county in the state of Georgia that permitted mixed alcoholic beverages to be served, provided that men wore coats and ties in places that served them. As a result, Underground Atlanta quickly became the center of downtown Atlanta nightlife.
Among the more popular spots in Underground Atlanta were Dante’s Down the Hatch, Scarlett O’Hara’s, The Blarney Stone, The Rustler’s Den, The Front Page, The Bank Note and Mulenbrink’s Saloon, where Atlanta’s Piano Red under the name Dr. Feelgood and the Interns, played from 1969 to 1979. Bubba played in a band called Night Shift at Scarlet O’Hara’s for a couple of years which he considers were some of the most enjoyable times in his musical career.
The heyday of Underground Atlanta lasted for only half a decade. When neighboring Dekalb County relaxed their restrictions on alcohol consumption in the early 1970s, new bars sprouted up in other parts of the city, generating competition. The dress code restrictions were dropped and fights began to break out. The construction of the MARTA East Line beginning in 1975 tore out several blocks of clubs and eliminated parking. Crime became uncontrollable and the area was considered dangerous. In 1980, Underground Atlanta was closed. A few businesses struggled to stay open but by 1982 they left and the area was once again abandoned.
Underground Atlanta may have closed but Bubba kept on playing. One of his subsequent gigs was at the famous Fox Theater when Chuck Leavell hired Bubba to play in a cover band for a rock revival concert featuring The Ronettes, Lou Christie, and Duke of Earl. Chuck Leavell currently plays keyboards for The Rolling Stones and Bubba continues to play in not one but two bands; Junction Band on a weekly basis and Swing South on special occasions.
In a recent advertisement flyer, Junction Band was described as “one of the most popular local country and western swing bands to emerge from the dirt roads of metropolitan Atlanta. Bubba didn’t particularly care for the “country and western” handle and preferred to be known as a band that can play “music for all occasions.” You can catch up with Junction Band at local venues around Atlanta on most weekends while Swing South will be playing at the Georgia Mountain Fair in October.
In between passing his musical knowledge onto grateful young students, he is currently producing a CD entitled “Dos Old Hombres” featuring tall horses (camels) which will be released later this year. Does Bubba qualify to be a redneck? No, but he could be a good ol’ boy. Good Ol’ Boys are the average white male southerner. Middle class, usually college educated, the good ol’ boy is simply an all around fun loving southern boy. He likes to tell a good joke, but tends to watch his mouth around the ladies. He likes to go fishin’ and huntin’ and can do all the outdoors stuff including golf, but could also hold his own in an ivy league setting. However, there is one thing I know for sure; Bubba is by no means “average.” He is a remarkable man who has enjoyed life to the full, and it’s not over until the fat lady sings!
NB: this post is dedicated to “ Nu-Way Weiniers Inc.” in Macon; an institution since 1916 and voted one of America’s ten best hot dog joints by Gourmet Magazine in 2001.
