Where to experience the music history of “the Liverpool of the South.”
What do R.E.M., the B-52’s, and Widespread Panic have in common?
These bands all got their start in the sleepy college town of Athens, Georgia, an incubator for some of the greatest musical talent of the 20th century, earning the city its moniker of “the Liverpool of the South.”
Home to the University of Georgia (UGA), the country’s first land-grant university, and spared the Civil War destruction that decimated nearby Atlanta, Athens has long been a thriving Southeastern cultural hub. In the early 20th century, its famed Morton Theatre drew legendary musicians like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington to the city. This rich musical heritage and university environment—combined with influential clubs like 40 Watt and the Georgia Theatre and independent record stores like Wuxtry where eventual R.E.M. bandmates Pete Buck and Michael Stipe would meet—created the perfect conditions for birthing some of the best bands of the 1970s and 1980s.
Here’s where to experience the history of this modern music mecca today.
