‘Something in the Water’ highlights Macon’s monumental musical history

Step aside, Memphis. Macon is the true birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll and soul music.

At least, that’s what historian Ben Wynne argues in his new book, “Something in the Water: A History of Music in Macon, Georgia, 1823-1980”

“Something in the Water” follows the history of music in Macon and includes the stories of the city’s famous musicians, such as Otis Redding, Little Richard, the Allman Brothers Band, and others who recorded at the famed Capricorn Studios.

“The musicians that came out of Macon, some of them had global impact. And the entire fabric of American popular music, I mean, you can thank Macon for part of it,” Wynne said.

“Something in the Water” was published late last year by Mercer University Press as a part of their “Music in the American South” series.

Marc Jolley, the director of Mercer University Press, was looking for someone to write a book on Macon’s music history for almost two decades when he approached Wynne about the opportunity.

“I was looking for something, somewhere to write that history because I knew it needed to be put down but put together well,” Jolley said.

Wynne, a Mississippi native and professor of history at the University of North Georgia, had previously written the book “In Tune” about music in Mississippi, but was unaware of Macon’s long history with music.

“I saw all the fertile ground [in Macon] for research. It was a no-brainer. I wanted to do it. I thought it’d be a fun project and it ended up being a very in-depth project that took a lot of time and energy, but it was a labor of love,” Wynne said.

Wynne used archival material from The Macon Telegraph and nightclub ads to conduct his research.

“Something in the Water” is not only the story of Macon music and musicians, but is also the story of the racial and cultural heritages of the region, Jolley said.

“Music was the thread that pulled us together, rather than divided us apart, and this book shows a lot about that heritage and how that took place,” Jolley said.

Macon’s music history is often ignored and undervalued, but its importance to the emergence of soul and rock music cannot be overstated, Wynne said.

“Macon can hold its own with any music city in America,” Wynne said.

“Something in the Water” is available for purchase at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and the Mercer University Press website.

This story was originally published March 21, 2022 at 1:00 AM.