Seal Place

Seal Place is a small non-through street in midtown Atlanta that runs a short, straight line from Monroe Drive to Monroe Circle. Near Monroe Drive's intersections with Virginia Avenue, 8th and 10th Streets, it is an easy walk to Piedmont Park. In the early 1970s, the small neighborhood was home to numerous creative individuals representative of the counterculture of the time: artists, musicians, journalists, photographers, actors, architects, designers, and others. The rock club Richards was just around the corner, as was the homecooking of The Silver Grill. Arlan's, a 24-hour supermarket fronting Ponce de Leon Avenue, was easily reached via a rear cut-through off Monroe Circle at Greenwood. It was a unique place in a unique time.

The Great Speckled Bird

Published in Atlanta from 1968 to 1976, The Great Speckled Bird was one of the longest-running and highest quality underground newspapers of the era. Reporting on both politics and popular culture, The Bird, as it was commonly known, linked left-leaning activists and rebellious youth throughout Georgia and across the South.

The Great Speckled Bird, named after a traditional folk song of the same name made popular by country musician Roy Acuff, originated among Atlanta's small community of New Left activists, particularly those associated with Emory University. After publishing an anti-Vietnam War newsletter on Emory's campus during the fall of 1967, graduate students Tom and Stephanie Coffin met that December with students from other local colleges, as well as with regional political activists, in the hopes of creating a multicampus underground newspaper. The talks resulted in the formation of The Great Speckled Bird.

Volume 1, Number 1, March 15-28, 1968

The first issue was published in March 1968. The newspaper became so popular with the Atlanta New Left and countercultural communities that within six months it went from being a biweekly newspaper to a weekly publication. A large part of its appeal lay in the variety of stories it published. While many underground papers dealt solely with politics, The Bird also allotted space to the counterculture. A typical issue would contain a story about antiwar protests alongside a review of a recent rock concert. It frequently published articles on the women's movement, abortion, racial issues, and gay liberation.

The Great Speckled Bird relied on a network of volunteers to sell the newspaper on street corners, college campuses, and in high schools. The radical content of the paper and the "hippie" dress of the volunteers often led to harassment by local authorities. Atlanta police, for various reasons, arrested people selling the newspaper on street corners on charges ranging from jaywalking to distributing pornographic material. City building and fire inspectors routinely visited the house in which the staff worked, and schools banned the publication from their campuses. In May 1972, The Bird's offices were firebombed, but the paper continued to publish thanks to the generous support of Atlanta media, donations, and other community backing. The dedicated staff emerged more motivated than ever, working out of temporary quarters until a new location was secured.

By summer of 1970 The Great Speckled Bird had become the largest paid weekly newspaper in Georgia, with a circulation of 23,000 copies. That number declined, however, over the next several years, and by 1976 the newspaper experienced severe financial difficulties. 

Despite efforts to keep the newspaper afloat, the final issue was published in October 1976. (Two attempts to revive the paper, in 1984 and 2006, were unsuccessful.) 

Sources: 
http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/great-speckled-bird 
http://www.library.ufl.edu/spec/pkyonge/greatspeckled.htmThe Great Speckled Bird; Volume 5, Number 19,; May 5, 1972

Support Southern Music

In the early 1970s, Capricorn Records founder Phil Walden created the simply-designed "Support Southern Music" promotional button. It purposefully read "Music," not "Rock," to extend inclusion to all styles, although "Southern Rock" would emerge as the catchphrase describing the burgeoning music genre of that period. The button served as a wink and a nod amongst Southern music insiders and supporters with belief that something of epic proportion was happening, beginning with the success of the Allman Brothers Band.

Richards

• 931 Monroe Drive NE (near 8th and Virginia Avenue), Atlanta GA 
• Owners: Rich Floyd, Richard Bryan
• Capacity: 800
• Opened: Thursday, February 1, 1973
• Closed: December 1974

1973

• Elephant's Memory, Mose Jones - February 1-3
• Wet Willie, Ned - February 5-10
• Bo Diddley, Marshall Tucker Band - February 12-16
• Bob Seger, Acrobat - February 19-24
• Bonnie Bramlett, Little Feat, Elf - February 26-28
• White Witch, Little Feat - March 1-3
• Little Feat, Mother's Finest - March 5-10
• Elephant's Memory, Roadapple - March 12-17
• If, Warm - March 19-24
• Hookfoot, Uncle Jam Band - March 26-31 
• Nitzinger, Navasota - April 2-7 
• Marshall Tucker Band, Hydra - April 9-14
• Pure Food & Drug Act with Harvey Mandell, Charlie Daniels Band - April 16-21
• Cold Blood - April 23-25 
• Terry Reid - April 26-28
• Flash Cadillac & The Continental Kids - April 30-May 5
• "Benefit for Wounded Knee" [Defense Fund] - May 6
• Pretty Things - May 7-8
• Cactus, Pretty Things - May 9-12
• Cactus, Warm - May 14-18
• McKendree, Warm - May 19
• Spooky Tooth - May 22-24
• Mose Jones, Jam Factory - May 28-June 2
• Bonnie Bramlett, Little Feat, Target - June 5-9
• Tim Buckley, Status Quo - June 11-16
• Charlie Daniels Band, NRBQ - June 18-22
• King Crimson, NRBQ - June 23
• Terry Reid, Kudzu - June 25-27
• Manfred Mann, Kudzu - June 28-30
• Tower of Power, Brother Bait - July 2-7
• Chambers Brothers, Stories - July 9-11
• Stories, Mose Jones- July 12-14
• Nitzinger, Warm - July 16-21
• Cactus, Bachman-Turner Overdrive - July 23-28
• Lynyrd Skynyrd, Mose Jones (Al Kooper's Sounds of the South label press party) - July 29 
• Mose Jones, Lynyrd Skynyrd - July 30-August 4
• Fanny, Navasota - August 6-8
• Navasota, Dogwood - August 9-11
• Country Joe McDonald & His All Star Band, Elijah - August 13-18
• Freddie King, El Roacho - August 20-25
• Spirit, Warm - August 27-29
• Robin Trower, Warm - August 30-September 1
• Bonnie Bramlett, Lynryd Skynyrd - September 3-5
• Rory Gallagher, Sopwith Camel [One night someone paid Sopwith Camel to play "Hello, Hello" five times.] - September 10-15
• Little Feat, Mother's Finest - September 17-20
• Mother's Finest - September 21-22
• Flo & Eddie, Dogwood - September 24-28
• National Lampoon's Lemmings - September 29
• If, Lynyrd Skynyrd - October 2-6
• Iggy & The Stooges, Hydra [Elton John showed up in a gorilla costume one night.] - October 8-13
• Teenage Lust, REO Speedwagon - October 15-17
• Teenage Lust, Tucky Buzzard - October 18-20
• Fanny, Hookfoot - October 22-25
• Hookfoot - October 26-27
• Cactus, Younguns - October 29-31
• Elvin Bishop, Younguns - November 1-3
• The New York Dolls, Public Foot - November 5-10
• Tim Buckley, Warm - November 13-17
• Chambers Brothers, Mother's Finest - November 19-21
• Captain Beyond, Mother's Finest - November 23-24
• Captain Beyond, Copper Hill - November 26-28
• Buddy Miles, Copper Hill - November 29-December 1
• Frampton's Camel, Law - December 3-5
• Birtha, Law - December 6-8
• Delaney Bramlett, Hall & Oates - December 10-15
• Muddy Waters, Orleans - December 17-22
• Lou Reed, Acrobat - December 26-29
• Captain Beyond, Papa Doc - December 31

1974

• Freddie King, Papa Doc - January 2-5
• Buddy Miles, Steamboat - January 7-9
• Bloodrock, Steamboat - January 10-12
• Chambers Brothers - January 14-16
• Stories, McKendree Spring - January 17-19
• Canned Heat, Texas - January 21-23
• Les Variations, Texas - January 24-26
• Cactus, Mose Jones - January 28-February 2
• Roosevelt Sikes, Big Walter Horton, Robert "Jr" Lockwood - February 4-6
• NRBQ, Bruce Springsteen - February 7-9
• Livingston Taylor, Mike Greene - February 11-13
• If, Mike Greene - February 14-16
• Spirit, 10cc - February 18-20
• 10cc, Mother's Finest - February 21-23
• Soft Machine, Painter - February 25-27
• Charlie Daniels, Painter - February 28-March 2
• Roy Buchanan, Silverhead - March 4-6
• Elvin Bishop, Silverhead - March 7-9
• Bonnie Bramlett, Warm - March 11-16
• Muddy Waters, Average White Band - March 18-23
• Quicksilver Messenger Service, Hall & Oates - March 25-28
• Hall & Oates - March 29-30
• John Lee Hooker, Willie Dixon - April 1-6
• Bob Seger, Kathi McDonald - April 8-10
• Bob Seger, BJ Thomas, Kathi McDonald - April 11-13
• Boz Scaggs, Outlaws - April 15-17
• Ted Nugent & The Amboy Dukes, Outlaws - April 18-20
• Robin Trower, Black Sheep, McKendree Spring - April 22-23
• Grin, McKendree Spring - April 24
• Grin, Law - April 25
• Ballin' Jack, Law - April 26-27
• Brian Auger's Oblivion Express, Steve Ball Band - April 29-May 4 
• Goose Creek Symphony, If, Grinderswitch (benefit for The Great Speckled Bird) - May 6
• If - May 7-8
• Sutherland Brothers & Quiver - May 9-11
• Fairport Convention with Sandy Denny, Thunderhead - May 13-15
• Ray Manzarek, Thunderhead - May 16-18
• Cactus, Flying Saucers - May 20-24
• Sutherland Brothers & Quiver, Flying Saucers - May 25
• Birtha, Larry Raspberry & The High Steppers - May 27-29
• Fanny, Larry Raspberry & The High Steppers - May 31-June 1
• Eric Burdon, Danny Kalb - June 3-8
• McKendree Spring, Bob "Catfish" Hodge - June 10-15
• Spencer Davis, Mose Jones - June 17-19
• Raspberries, Mose Jones - June 20-22
• Strawbs, Texas - June 24-26
• Birtha, Texas - June 27-29
• Elvin Bishop, Dion - July 1-5
• Dion, Dogwood - July 6
• Steeleye Span, Purlee - July 10-13 
• Chris Jagger, Average White Band - July 15-17
• James Montgomery Blues Band, Spencer Davis - July 18-20
• Tony Joe White, Babe Ruth - July 22-27
• Mike Greene Band - July 29-30
• Jobriath - July 31-August 3
• Richie Havens, Steve Barron - August 5-10
• Waylon Jennings, Elf - August 15-17
• Little Feat, Richard Torrance - August 22-24
• Barkays, Larry Raspberry & The High Steppers - August 26-28
• Barkays - August 29-31
• Albert King, Bill Chinook - September 3-7
• Howlin' Wolf, The Elders - September 9-14
• Ike & Tina Turner Revue, Jett Black - September 16
• Jett Black - September 17-18
• Bob Seger, Jett Black - September 19-21
• Birtha, Steve Barron - September 23-27
• Montrose, Larry Raspberry & The High Steppers - September 30-October 2
• Spencer Davis, Judd - October 3-5
• Little Richard - October 7-12
• Muddy Waters, Mighty Joe Young - October 14-19
• Outlaws, Carmen - October 21-23
• Liverpool, Outlaws - October 24-26
• Larry Coryell, Michael Urbaniak - October 28-30
• Wayne Cochran & CC Riders - October 31-November 2
• Captain Beefheart - November 4-6
• Frigid Pink - November 7-9
• Willie Dixon, Bill Chinook - November 11-16
• Grinderswitch, Warm - November 18-23
• Spirit; Dino & Sembello - November 25-27, 29-30
• Montrose, Judd, Stray Dogs - December 2-3
• Average White Band, Judd - December 4-7
• Quicksilver Messenger, Barnaby Bye - December 9-11
• Chambers Brothers, Barnaby Bye - December 12-14
• Bob Seger, Law - December 19-21