Lamb family working to renovate Joe Lamb Grocery, turn it into a music venue

In the shade of a giant, sawtooth oak, between the cinderblock walls of what once was a corner grocery, you can almost hear the music.

James Lamb steps back into a memory every time he swings open the doors of his father’s old store. He shows up almost every day with a song in his heart and a personal jukebox of favorite songs on his lips. His son, Kerry, has a playlist of Elvis songs he hums to the whir of his power drill.

The real concert is still a few months away. By early fall, the Lambs hope to raise an imaginary curtain on the stage of their tiny music venue.

If you’re old enough to remember the Goat Man, who spent a lot of time in this neck of the woods, then you might have chugged down a cold bottle of Coca-Cola at Joe Lamb’s Grocery at the corner of Lucy Chapel and Cool Springs Road in rural Twiggs County.

“Daddy had a good name,’’ James said. “He was a hard-working man. He ran that grocery every day from 7 in the morning to 11 at night.’’

For years, it was the only grocery store for five miles in any direction. It was one-stop shopping for flour, milk and cans of sweet peas and Vienna sausage. And it was no secret some little old ladies were known to drop in to buy a can of snuff.

Outside, there were three full-service gas pumps. They also carried tires and kerosene, and you would get S&H Green stamps with every purchase.

“Sometimes, people would pull up, give you a dollar and want 50 cents worth of gas and 50 cents worth of baloney,’’ said Kerry, who worked at his grandfather’s store as a teenager.

Joe’s wife, Julia, never met a stranger and would hand out suckers to children. A group of local men would gather near the front of the store to chew tobacco and solve the problems of the world.

The store had a succession of owners after Joe sold the grocery in the early 1980s. Most recently, it had been a cabinet shop. Although it was added on to three times, it still was small – 75 feet long and 24 feet wide. It was vacant and had fallen into disrepair. The roof leaked. The electrical wiring was a tangled mess.

But, last August, James and Kerry rolled up their sleeves and began working to resurrect it as a small opry house. They plugged away as many as six hours a day, using almost every tool in the toolbox.

“We are possessed with it,’’ James said, laughing. “We want to fix it up, preserve it and have a place to make a little music. We also want to turn it into a museum of family pictures and old-timers from around here. It’s a way to honor my father.’’

In the height of the Great Depression, Joe Lamb bought a fiddle from his cousin for $5 and learned to play it when he was 18 years old. At night, he would head up to Bubba Nobles’ barber shop on Highway 358 and practice with other local musicians. On the weekends, they performed on stage at the school auditorium in Danville.

Joe Lamb died 30 years ago, but he left a musical legacy. One of his sons, Billy Joe Lamb, lives in Gordon and is a local legend, known for his piano playing in the style of Jerry Lee Lewis.

Kerry and his brother, James Jr., have been members of the Double Barrell Band for more than 40 years. Kerry plays the rhythm guitar, with James on bass.

It was 50 years ago this spring — on April 15, 1972 — his father took him and his brother to Macon to see Elvis Presley in concert at the Macon Coliseum.

“When he told us he got tickets to see Elvis, I said, ‘Who is that?’ I didn’t have any idea,’’ Kerry said. “But, to this day, it’s the best music program I have ever witnessed.’’

It changed his life. When he was a student at Bleckley County High School, Kerry ordered a guitar from JC Penney. Then, when he was working at the grocery and trying to save his money, a buddy brought a Fender guitar catalog to school.

“Lord, have mercy, that done it right there,’’ he said.

He went to Bibb Music in downtown Macon and spent $342 on a Fender guitar. He had to borrow money from his dad to finish paying it off.

The Lambs have not decided what they might call the music venue, but they know if they build it, folks will come.

“There is a lot of talent around, and they have agreed to come and play, so we’re excited about that,’’ Kerry said.

Said James: “Maybe we can have a little something to eat, enjoy some music and maybe have some sing-alongs. We are hoping to keep it civil and honorable for folks in the community.’’

It may not quite be the Grand Ole Opry, but he knows it’s going to be grand.

Ed Grisamore teaches journalism at Stratford Academy in Macon. His column appears on Sundays in The Telegraph.