JOHN CHARLES GRIFFIN Macon’s Man of Words, Man of Music
by Michael Buffalo Smith John Charles Griffin is a man of many tal-
ents. He is a writer, a poet, a photographer, a musician (drummer, harp player, singer), and a promo- tional machine. His latest achievement is the publication of a book of po- etry and photo- graphs called After the Melt- down. We caught up with our friend by phone while he as at The All- man brothers Band Big House and Mu- seum in Macon. He moved around a few times so that we could get a clear signal, ending up in Berry and Linda Oakley’s old room. To me, it seemed fitting that “Mr. Macon.” as I have dubbed him, was speaking to me from such a magical, historical place. The first thing I wanted to ask John was
just what drives him to be such a supporter of Macon, Georgia’s music scene.
“Macon is a town where you have ao much
rich musical and literary and cultural history that sometimes it takes a few people- Alan Walden, your good friend Alan, Willie
Perkins- who tour managed The Brothers- and the staff at The
Big House - we have sort of had to lead
the charge in keeping musical and cultural activities alive in Macon, Georgia,”
says Griffin. “And Ed Grant at Grant’s Lounge has gotten
onboard, and we feel like it’s our duty to
maintain the legacy that has been a part
of the vast history of this country.”
Among his many and varied skills, John is quite the artistic
photographer. “I like to shoot photographs of things that are off
the beaten path,” he
says. “I’ve found spots where there are
old cars in the middle of the woods. I took a picture of an old car down by the river, it might be a Ford Fairlane, but has got kudzu growing all over it, but it still has the shape of the vehicle. The car is all rusted out and on blocks. I did a little documentary a few years
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