Athens Music Walk of Fame

The Athens Music Walk of Fame is a relatively new addition to town, celebrating the longstanding music scene and wide range of artists who have called Athens home. In 2020, ten inductees were honored with plaques installed in the sidewalk of a 2 block area of downtown defined by Pulaski Street, West Washington Street, North Lumpkin Street, and West Clayton Street. Also within that 2 block area are the famous music venues The 40 Watt Club, The Georgia Theater and the Morton Theater. There’s even an app that tells you about each artist as you approach their nameplate.

Artists honored range from bluesman Neal Pattman to early 20th century composer and African-American spiritual preservationist Hall Johnson to rock acts like the B-52s and R.E.M.

If you want to dig deeper into the musical history of Athens, the folks at visitathensga.com have made a detailed map (available in Google Maps or PDF download). It focuses on the sites of the 70’s & 80’s (think R.E.M., B-52s, Pylon era) but there are a few important spots from earlier decades, too.

About the Author

Brent Petersen is the Editor-in-Chief of Destination Eat Drink. He currently resides in Setubal, Portugal. Brent has written the novel “Truffle Hunt” (Eckhartz Press) and the short story collection “That Bird.” He’s also written dozens of foodie travel guides to cities around the world on Destination Eat Drink, including in-depth eating and drinking guides to Lisbon, Porto, Sintra, Monsaraz, and Evora in Portugal. Brent’s podcast, also called Destination Eat Drink, is available on all major podcasting platforms and is distributed by the Radio Misfits Podcast Network.