Sunday, September 07, 2008
A+E, Music, In this Issue...
Out of tune
The 20 most shocking moments in Georgia music history
Out of tune
Ludacris: Spark St. Jude; Little Richard: Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes: Dave Hogan/Getty Images; Andy Lyons/Getty Images; James Brown: Aiken County Sheriff’s Office via Getty Images; Peter Buck: Scott Gries/Getty Images; Bill O’Reilly: Giulio Marcocchi/Getty Images
The scene of Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes’ fatal auto accident in Honduras in 2002.
Orlando Sierra/AFP/Getty ImagesBetween Atlanta’s ever-expanding hip-hop hub, Athens’ creative atmosphere, world-famous recording studios and a host of famous sons and daughters, Georgia enjoys a rich musical legacy. But it hasn’t all been harmonious. From high-profile arrests to headline-making feuds and young lives cut tragically short, the state has seen its share of outrageous, scandalous, jarring and just plain shocking moments. Here are 20 such events that, for better or worse, shook us up and left a lasting impact.
20. GREASE IS THE WORD
The Hampton Grease Band’s “Music To Eat” wasn’t a bestselling album by any means. In fact, reports have the original 1971 release listed as the second-worst-selling album in Columbia Records’ catalog (second only to a yoga record). No matter: The mighty two-record set, filled with spacey ruminations from highly original founders Harold Kelling, Glenn Phillips and Bruce Hampton, went on to influence an appreciative generation of like-mined iconoclasts and in the process, became a treasured collector’s item.—Lee Valentine Smith
19. CAPRICORN RECORDS SAYS GOODBYE—TWICE
In the mid-’70s, Macon-based Capricorn Records was king of the music world with its Southern rock repertoire. But what goes up must come down, and the label crashed in 1979, felled by excess, lawsuits and the advent of disco. Ever the entrepreneur, founder Phil Walden returned in 1991, striking gold with such acts as Widespread Panic, 311 and Cake in the mid-’90s. But a regime change at distributor Mercury, more money mismanagement and the defection of those bands to other labels heralded the end of another short golden era. Capricorn shuttered its doors for a second time, likely forever, in 2001.—Hal Horowitz
18. ROSA PARKS VS. OUTKAST
In today’s overly litigious society, you haven’t made it until someone’s served you a subpoena. But to be sued by a living civil rights icon? That’s gotta smart. A lawsuit was filed on Parks’ behalf against LaFace Records and Atlanta hip-hop duo OutKast in 1999 over the use of her name in the title of the song “Rosa Parks.” (Parks isn’t mentioned in the song itself, although its chorus—“Ah ha, hush that fuss/ Everybody move to the back of the bus”—alludes to her famous refusal to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in 1955.) Years of legal wrangling followed, with relatives of Parks (who fell into increasingly ill health) claiming the suit was more about her lawyers than Parks herself. The issue was finally settled in 2005, with OutKast agreeing to record a tribute to Parks that so far has not surfaced.—Kevin Forest Moreau
17. LUDACRIS BEEFS WITH OPRAH
One expects rappers to feud with other rappers; it’s part of the job description. But when Atlanta hip-hop star Ludacris, aka Chris Bridges, took on talk show host/demigod Oprah Winfrey, the world took notice—possibly curious to see if the all-powerful media maven would crush Bridges like a bug. Luda accused Winfrey of unfair treatment in attacking him for lyrics about “bitches” and “hos” during a show about the race-relations movie “Crash” (in which Bridges had a role) and for editing out his responses. He also accused Winfrey of a bias against hip-hop, a charge echoed by rappers Ice Cube and 50 Cent. The spat ultimately died down, although Luda fired a parting shot, asking God to forgive Winfrey on a song from his 2006 album “Release Therapy.”—K.F.M.
16. LAFACE RECORDS LEAVES ATLANTA
From the moment producers Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and Antonio “L.A.” Reid founded the Atlanta-based LaFace Records in 1989 as a joint venture with Arista, the imprint began solidifying the city’s status as “the Motown of the South.” Throughout the ’90s, the label shot several local acts into the music-industry stratosphere, including TLC, Toni Braxton, Goodie Mob, OutKast and Usher. When BMG, Arista’s parent company, bought out Reid’s and Edmonds’ 50 percent share in LaFace and relocated the label to Los Angeles in 2000, Atlanta lost a feather in its cap. While Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def continues to distribute hot local and regional talent to the world, the undisputed hip-hop capital of the South (and perhaps the world) no longer boasts a homegrown label with a legacy of hitmakers as powerful and potent as LaFace’s.—K.F.M.
15. JAMES BROWN SAYS IT LOUD
We tend to take for granted the impact James Brown had on the civil rights movement, and the black community in general, when he released a string of fiery, socially conscious funk singles that appealed to the head and the hips. “Say it Loud (I’m Black and I’m Proud),” “Talking Loud and Saying Nothing,” and “I Don't Want Nobody to Give Me Nothing (Open up the Door, I'll Get It Myself)” were potent shots of soul power that energized and emboldened the black populace in ways no other black performer had yet achieved.—H.H.
14. DJ’S MIXTAPE DRAMA
Tyree Simmons, aka DJ Drama, was already a big name in the hip-hop world for his “Gangsta Grillz” series of underground mixtapes. But with his January 2007 arrest on racketeering charges, Drama became the focal point of a fierce music-industry debate over mixtapes—album-length bootleg CDs used as promotional tools by artists to fill the time between major-label releases. Police raided the Atlanta office, confiscating recording equipment, four vehicles and tens of thousands of CDs. Drama and his colleague DJ Cannon were charged with felony violations of Georgia’s Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organization laws for their role in producing the unlicensed compilations, targeted by record labels for their unauthorized use of copyrighted tracks.—K.F.M.
13. ALL’S NOT SWEET IN SUGARLAND
Every band has internal frictions and disagreements from time to time, and the ultra-successful Sugarland, originally formed as a country supergroup side-project in the blissful folk-haven of Decatur, has certainly had its share of high-profile discontent. Talented songwriter and co-founder Kristen Hall left the band in 2006, leaving Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush as the sole remaining performers. Now Hall, backed by a phalanx of powerful entertainment lawyers, is suing the band’s burgeoning empire for a continuing share of its considerable profits from recordings and merchandise. The internal upheaval is by no means rare, but it proves once again that the sweetest harmonies can often leave a sour after-taste.—L.V.S.
12. PETER BUCK FLIES THE NOT-SO-FRIENDLY SKIES
R.E.M.’s normally genteel guitar slinger has never courted controversy or unwarranted attention, which made his embarrassing “air rage” incident in 2001 on a flight from Seattle to London all the more surprising. Buck became the focus of unflattering international publicity when, after a few drinks, he reportedly disobeyed the commander of the plane, overturned and damaged British Airways crockery and acted in a “threatening” manner toward crew members. The matter was finally settled when bandmates and friends came to his defense in court.—L.V.S.
11. BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE
They say a love affair can burn like an eternal flame. But in the case of the tumultuous union of the late TLC singer Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes and burly Falcons wide receiver Andre Rison, the fire became all too literal. Lopes made headlines when she set fire to Rison’s palatial Alpharetta home in 1994. But surprisingly, the ember of their relationship was never fully extinguished; several years later, the two announced their engagement. They never married, but remained close friends until Lopes’ untimely death in 2001.—L.V.S.