Sweet Georgia Brown's was a piano bar in Savannah, Georgia.[1] Located at 312 West St. Julian Street, on Franklin Square in Savannah's City Market,[2] the bar was co-owned by musicians Joe Odom[3] and Nancy Hillis,[4][5][6] real-life characters in John Berendt's book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1994).[7][8] "For over two years, it was the place everyone wanted to be in Savannah and everyone partied there until the wee hours," said Kathryn Gifford, a Savannah tour guide in 1997.[7] Emma Kelly, dubbed the "Lady of 6,000 Songs" by Johnny Mercer, regularly played at the bar.
| Sweet Georgia Brown's | |
|---|---|
 Sweet Georgia Brown's was located in this building in Savannah's City Market | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Savannah, Georgia, U.S. |
| Address | 312 West St. Julian Street |
| Coordinates | 32°04′52″N 81°05′43″W / 32.0810°N 81.0952°W |
The bar was named for "Sweet Georgia Brown", a song released in 1925 by Ben Bernie and Maceo Pinkard, with lyrics by Kenneth Casey.
A branch of Savannah's Candy Kitchen occupies the bar's former location today.
References
edit- ^ Gianetti, Candice; Russell, Jacqueline (1989). The American South '89. Fodor's Travel Publications. p. 110. ISBN 978-0-679-01696-0.
- ^ Williams, John C. (1989-02-12). "WHAT'S DOING IN: Savannah". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
- ^ Russell, Shawndra. "Music Matters: Savannah's Jeff Beasley got his start at Sweet Georgia Brown's". Savannah Morning News. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
- ^ Porter, Darwin; Prince, Danforth (1998-04-17). Frommer's Portable Charleston & Savannah. Wiley. p. 159. ISBN 978-0-02-862445-7.
- ^ "Nancy Hillis, ‘Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil’s’ Mandy, passes away" - Savannah Morning News, August 9, 2016
- ^ "'This is the real me'; 'Midnight' star Nancy Hillis shines light on her life in new book" - Bluffon Today, January 20, 2016
- ^ a b By (1997-03-16). "MIDDAY IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL: FANS OF BOOK FLOCK TO GEORGIA". Hartford Courant. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
- ^ Berendt, John (1994-01-13). Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Random House Publishing Group. p. 183. ISBN 978-0-679-42922-7.