Festivals

Now every weekend in Piedmont Park was a free mini festival. We had some great bands in the area.

Atlanta Pop Festival 1970 at Byron, Ga

Atlanta music fans owe Alex Cooley for bringing the city into a modern age of music. Alex Cooley ran his family’s pizza parlor when he began trying out promoting local musical events. He attended the Miami Pop Festival in 1968 and decided to bring a festival to Atlanta. He did in 1969, and followed with many of the acts from the festival that ended the day before plus the Grateful Dead playing for free in Piedmont Park. Alex then started The Electric Ballroom and later The Great Southeast Music Hall to showcase local bands with national acts. In 1970 Alex held a second Pop festival.

Music Midtown

Starting in 1994, Alex’s Music Midtown, the largest 3 day event in the U.S. ran until 2005, usually in May. With over 100 acts, an average of 300,000 people attended each year. For several years it was actually on The Strip at 10th and Peachtree. Recently Music Midtown has returned to Piedmont Park under Alex’s partner.

And The Allman Brothers returned to Piedmont Park 2007

Alex Cooley interview
Alex Cooley opened Atlanta to the music world, and vice versa. He also brought MidTown Music Festival to The Strip!
He has some very interesting things to say.

Thanks Alex for all the great music ...
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Alex Cooley
MysterE and Patti Kakes with Alex Cooley

Thanks Alex for all the great music over the years.

Thanks especially for bringing The Grateful Dead to Piedmont Park.

Starting in 1994, Alex’s Music Midtown, the largest 3 day event in the ...
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Duane Blalock’s Atlanta Pop festival photos

Photos from The Facebook group Atlanta Pop Festival – I was there or was I?

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Schroder’s Magic Tent
From left to right: Lance, Mark Goodfriend, Schroeder, Lee Shannon & Stevie Parker.

The tent on the right has quite a history of it’s own. It came from a Sears’ store in Denton, TX. Renée & I rode ...
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First Pop Festival experience
Monday, August 31, 2009

I grew up in Griffin, GA; a small town south of Atlanta. I had the pretty normal life of a small town boy and as I grew into my teens I began listening to FM rock stations and hanging around with some of the musicians and others considered a little on the ...
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Memories of The Dead in Piedmont Park 7/7/69
We were married 07/07/69 at the “Free Concert” in the park after the 1st Atlanta POP.

Schroeder & Renée

The Piedmont show which actually 2 or 3 days after, Tuesday I believe was the result of politics. According to the Great speckled Bird, “How could we charge $$$ for music … even $13.50 a day.” ...
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A Bus Stops in Piedmont Park July 7, 1969
A Bus Stops in Piedmont Park July 7, 1969

July 7, 1969 Piedmont Park with The Grateful Dead

(c) 1998 Patrick Edmondson (Excerpted from a longer work in progress)

You have to understand; it was the sixties. Things were different then. In Atlanta there had started to be free concerts held in Piedmont Park. ...
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And to think that I saw it on Peachtree Street…”
And to think that I saw it on Peachtree Street…”

©Patrick Edmondson 2012

Friday July 3^rd, 1970 I was working the morning traffic selling The Great Speckled Bird at 14^th and Peachtree. There was going to be a Pop Festival that weekend in Byron, Ga near Macon. The first Pop Festival had been wonderful, but the ...
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What Beast is this that crawls to Byron to be born?
From The Great Speckled Bird July 7, 1970 pg. 2-3

Let us celebrate the triumph of Byron. WE DID A ...
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Byron links
For my money Carter Tomassi took THE photographs to capture the flavor of this happening.

Appreciate Carter’s Photographic Essay here.

Carter has started a central place to collect people’s memories.

Lots of good stories and you can add your own about the festival. There is an area for special moments, too.

Were you at The Free Stage? – Carter ...
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