ATHENS — Otis Redding, James Brown, R.E.M. and OutKast, among others, will soon share a spotlight.
Georgia’s rich and diverse musical heritage will be on display in downtown Athens later this year in the soon-to-open Classic Center Arena.
Exhibits will showcase the beginnings of soul and rhythm and blues in Macon and Augusta, the rise of alternative rock and new wave in Athens, and Atlanta’s southern hip-hop scene, The Classic Center announced in a press release.
“We are partnering with local artists and (the University of Georgia) to create an experience that looks and feels all about music,” said Paul Cramer, chief executive of The Classic Center.
Some of the items planned for display were previously housed in the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in Macon. When the museum closed its doors in 2011, many items and documents were stored in the UGA special collections library building and vault in Athens. That became part of the broader Georgia Music Collections, the state’s most diverse and extensive historical music collection.
“The exhibits (in The Classic Center) will be made up of items from the Georgia Music Collections,” said Ryan Lewis, UGA curator for the music collection. “Some of the items from the Hall of Fame collection (previously in Macon) will be included alongside items from other collections as well as a large number of new items that have been added to the collections in the last year.”
The Classic Center began construction last year on an arena project that will upgrade seating capacity to 8,500 for concerts, sporting events, conventions and more. A professional hockey team — the Athens Rock Lobsters, named after a B-52s song — will begin its first season of play with the arena as its home in October.
The music exhibits will be located in the arena’s concourse. Georgia State Rep. Houston Gaines and State Senator Bill Cowsert helped obtain $2.6 million in state funds to support the initiative. Dozens of artists will be featured, including the B-52s, Widespread Panic, Chet Atkins, Danger Mouse and also Capricorn Records and Atlanta Pop Festivals.
“We have some amazing items from the full history of Georgia music that will be on display this fall,” Lewis said. “It will be awesome for the city and the state.”
