road trip
Capricorn Rises Again
A Southern Rock Celebration in Macon, Georgia
:by Michael Buffalo Smith My friend Joey Parrish (who played
bass on my latest album, Makin it Back to Macon) drove us down to Macon in his huge black truck that I call “the Death Star.” If Darth Vader drove a truck, it would be this one! We set out on Monday morning, Decem- ber 2, 2019. I can’t remember a time when I have been more excited. After all, I was a huge fan of everything Capricorn Records during the seventies. I had already been turned onto the Allman Brothers via their landmark At Fillmore East album when Don Kirshner changed my life forever by airing Saturday Night in Macon, Georgia on his late-night Rock Concert program in 1973. That was my turning point. Being from Spar- tanburg, I was familiar with our boys, the Marshall Tucker band, and I had recently started digging on the music of Wet Willie, so the Kirshner show drew me in, with the All- mans, Tucker and Wet Willie, and even come- dian Martin Mull to boot! I would be remiss if I did not mention
at the outset of this article how personally grateful I am to Mercer University, the Moon- hanger Group, and everyone who worked to- gether to bring Capricorn back to life. After all, a few years ago, the building was dead in the water. I had expressed an interest myself in seeing the building restored as a museum, but was told time and time again that the damage to the structure was so bad that it would be cost prohibitive to attempt a
restoration. The powers that be were very close to simply tearing it down. I’m not sure exactly what the order of fortunate events were that came through, but I for one am very happy it all came to be. Capricorn is back, recording and has wonderful rehearsal spaces and a museum. It is a wonderful addition to Macon that now features the Allman Brothers Big House Museum; Rock Candy Tours; the H&H Restaurant; Grant’s Lounge; Rose Hill Cemetery – all surrounding the picturesque campus of Mercer University. Macon is truly a vacation destination for Southern music
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