A Grave Expedition
Take a road trip to discover these musicians' final resting places in Georgia.
In the introduction to "Tombstone Tourist," author Scott Stanton notes that he was inspired to write the 2003 book — a guide to the gravesites of famous musicians — after a visit to Rose Hill Cemetery in Macon, where Duane Allman and Berry Oakley are buried. While there have long been cemetery enthusiasts who enjoy taking photographs, making gravestone rubbings, or just sitting in quiet contemplation, for many music fans, the opportunity to visit the gravesite of a favorite artist is an emotional gesture of respect and tribute.
With such a rich music heritage, it’s only natural that from the coast to the mountains, the Peach State is dotted with the final resting places of many a picker, strummer, and soul-shouter — some of whom lived long, full lives and others who were taken far too soon. Although any list would inevitably be incomplete, here are a few gravesites that fans visit. Remember to be respectful — a grave is hardly the place to “leave a mark” or litter — and let your fascination be your guide.
Below, use the itinerary to discover final resting places from the mountains to the coast for Georgia's famous musicians, and listen to music by blues artists in the "Resting in Georgia" playlist.
1. Fiddlin’ John Carson (1868 – 1949)
Sylvester Cemetery, Atlanta
Tucked away on a quiet, residential street in East Atlanta is one of the city’s oldest cemeteries, dating back to the mid-19th century. Until a few years ago, passers-by might not even have realized that Sylvester Cemetery existed because it was so overgrown and unkempt. But volunteers restored the venerable shady resting ground to something resembling its former glory, and as they’ve done so, one gleaming white marker has reclaimed its rightful prominence. The obelisk, which depicts a man with a fiddle in his hands and a foot on an outline of the state of Georgia, marks the grave of “Fiddlin’ John” Carson, the country music pioneer and champion fiddler who first performed live on Atlanta’s WSB Radio on Sept. 9, 1922.
2. Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes (1971 – 2002)
Hillandale Cemetery, Lithonia
The 2002 death of R&B star Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes in a Honduras car accident shocked the musical world. After an outpouring of grief, the events leading up to the death of the popular TLC singer/rapper were captured in the documentary film "The Last Days of Left Eye." The Lisa Lopes Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to providing youth from low-income communities and diverse cultural backgrounds with opportunities to succeed in life and education, was founded in Lopes’ memory. Fans can pay their respects at Hillandale Cemetery in Lithonia near Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area.
1. Ricky Wilson (1953 – 1985)
Oconee Hill Cemetery, Athens
Ricky Wilson, founding member of The B-52s along with his sister Cindy Wilson, Keith Strickland, Kate Pierson, and Fred Schneider, had recorded three albums with the group and was in the process of recording the fourth, "Bouncing Off the Satellites," when he died in 1985 of AIDS-related complications. Known for his distinctive open tunings, Wilson, a self-taught guitarist, is buried in his hometown of Athens in Oconee Hill Cemetery, where a pyramid-shaped stone marks his final resting place.
2. Duane Allman (1946 – 1971) & Berry Oakley (1948 – 1972)
Rose Hill Cemetery, Macon
In Macon, historic Rose Hill Cemetery contains the graves of not only Duane Allman, Gregg Allman, and Berry Oakley of The Allman Brothers Band, but of Martha Ellis, the namesake inspiration of the band’s classic “Little Martha.” ABB pilgrims often end a visit to The Allman Brothers Band Museum at the Big House in Macon, where they can engage with stories of the band’s lives and music, with an excursion to Rose Hill.
3. Emmett Miller (1900 – 1962)
Fort Hill Cemetery, Macon
Emmett Miller is hardly a household name, but novelist, biographer, and magazine writer Nick Tosches has dubbed him “one of the most intriguing and profoundly important men in the history of country music” and has done much to engender fascination with this shadowy 20th-Century figure, who influenced Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers, Bob Wills and Merle Haggard. (For an introduction, seek out Tosches’ book "Country.") Pilgrims may find the gravesite of this mythic minstrel at Fort Hill Cemetery in Bibb County, near Macon.
1. Blind Willie McTell (1898 – 1959)
Jones Grove Baptist Church Cemetery, Thomson
Just south of Thomson, in a rural area called Happy Valley, in Jones Grove Baptist Church Cemetery, sits the gravesite of country blues pioneer Blind Willie McTell, perhaps best known for penning the Allmans’ classic “Statesboro Blues.” Curiously, what you’ll not find is the original marker, which had the wrong first name, but a corrected marker donated nearly 20 years ago by David Fulmer, Georgia author and producer of the documentary "Blind Willie’s Blues." There is also a historical marker honoring McTell near the cemetery at the intersection of Wren’s Highway and Happy Valley Road. Thomson honors its native son each September with the Blind Willie McTell Blues Festival.
1. Johnny Mercer (1909 – 1976)
Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah
Famed singer, composer, and lyricist Johnny Mercer rests in Savannah’s Bonaventure Cemetery, not far from the Back River in the tidal estuary surrounding the low country city — since renamed Moon River in honor of one of Mercer’s biggest hits. The four-time Academy Award winner is buried in a plot with many other members of the Mercer family, whose origins go as far back as the colonial era in Savannah, and several of their gravestones have Mercer lyrics inscribed on them. There’s also a small bench with a sketch of Mercer’s profile and the titles of several of his classic songs inscribed on it.
1. Ma Rainey (1886 – 1939)
Porterdale Cemetery, Columbus
Credited universally as “The Mother of the Blues,” Gertrude “Ma Rainey” Pridgett first performed on the stage of Springer Opera House in her hometown of Columbus in 1900. She became a Vaudeville performer, and Rainey was able to successfully move into the recording industry and cut over 100 songs for Paramount Records in the 1920s. She is buried in Porterdale Cemetery, which is just a few blocks from the Ma Rainey House and Blues Museum, where fans learn more about her interesting life and role as a pioneer of American blues music.
1. Fletcher Henderson (1897 – 1952)
Greenwood Cemetery, Cuthbert
Bandleader, arranger, and pianist Fletcher Henderson is buried in his hometown of Cuthbert in Greenwood Cemetery. As leader of his own influential big bands in the 1920s and 1930s and later as pianist and arranger for the Benny Goodman Orchestra, Henderson is credited as an innovator who helped define the sound of big band jazz and give birth to the Swing Era. Sadly, his gravestone had been in poor condition when former band member Chet Krolewicz saw a picture of it and paid to have it cleaned and restored. He added a plaque recognizing Henderson’s influential musical contributions.
2. Jimmy Bryant (1925 – 1980)
Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Berlin
Billed as “The Fastest Guitar in the Country,” Ivy J. “Jimmy” Bryant was a top session guitarist in Los Angeles and Nashville in the 1950s and 1960s. One reviewer called Bryant’s fast, precise, and complex playing “a revelation,” while the innovative instrumental recordings he cut with pedal steel guitarist Speedy West earned widespread critical acclaim when they were reissued in the 1990s. Buried just outside his hometown of Moultrie in Berlin’s Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Bryant’s huge guitar-shaped gravestone is inscribed “Jesus’ Guitar Man.”
