Q: How did Luckie Street get its name? I know it's spelled different than lucky.
—Lance DeLoach, Thomaston
A: Atlanta's Luckie Street was named for a man who met a rather unlucky death. Solomon "Sam" Luckie was a popular Atlanta barber in the 1860s who also was one of the city's few free black men. Luckie had walked out of his downtown barbershop and was standing near a cast iron gas lamp at the corner of Alabama and Whitehall streets during the opening days of Union Gen. William Sherman's siege of Atlanta in the summer of 1864. A cannon ball ricocheted off of the lamp and bounced on the street, sending shrapnel in several directions. One piece "ripped into the unfortunate Luckie's leg," according to Marc Josef Wortman's "The Bonfire: The Siege and Burning of Atlanta." People took Luckie inside a store and then to the Atlanta Medical College, according to Franklin M. Garrett's "Atlanta and Environs: A Chronicle of Its People and Events, 1820-1870s," but a doctor couldn't repair the damage and amputated the leg. Luckie died a few hours later. One part of Luckie Street begins at Georgia Tech and continues south, where it becomes part of the Luckie Marietta District, an popular dining and entertainment area that includes many restaurants and entertainment venues. Luckie Street is cut by the park, but starts again on the other side of it (where the Tabernacle is located) and continues southeast to Woodruff Park, where it becomes Auburn Avenue.
Q: Georgia has a rich musical history. Who were the first Georgians to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
A: Well, good golly Miss Molly, Little Richard, Ray Charles and adopted Georgian James Brown were among the first class of inductees in 1986, a group that also included Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry, among others. It might be tough to believe, but Little Richard isn't his real name. Richard Penniman was born in Macon in 1932 and hit it big with several songs, including "Tutti Frutti" and "Long Tall Sally." Charles was born in Albany in 1930 and soon "displayed his genius by combining elements of gospel and blues into a fervid, exuberant style that would come to be known as soul music," according to the hall's website. James Brown was actually born in Barnwell, S.C., just over the Georgia line, but grew up in Augusta, often entertaining troops from nearby Camp Gordon (now Fort Gordon). Other Georgians, including Gladys Knight and R.E.M., hit the right notes in their careers and are now in the hall.
What do you want to know about Georgia?
If you’re new in town or have questions about this special place we call home, ask us! E-mail Andy Johnston at q&a@ajc.com.
About the Author
