Southern Say-So: Essays from a Southern Life
This is where I set my stories down — music and memory, gospel and grease, fame and family, and the true costs of carrying a song down the highway. I write about the South I know and the people I meet, the legends and the nobodies, the backroads and the backbeats.
If there’s something worth saying, you’ll find it here.
The Hidden Legacy of Marie Stephens: A Windrush Girl in Middle Georgia
From Kingston to Liverpool to Middle Georgia, Marie Stephens Thomas carries her Windrush family’s rhythm and resilience. The daughter of a Jamaican bandleader and an English mother, she honors a legacy of migration and music, keeping her ancestors’ song and memories alive in the heart of Georgia.
The Art of the Blues: Inside Macon’s All Blues Revival
Macon’s All Blues Music & Arts Revival gathers musicians and artists to celebrate the South’s living blues tradition. From Robert Lee Coleman’s opening set to Johnny Mo’s Church of Duane Allman, the day promises a mix of rhythm, reverence, and revival. Hosted through the good graces of the Macon Arts Alliance at the Mill Hill Community Arts Center, admission is free — and the spirit is wide open.
Meet Me in Macon: Your Guide to GABBAFest 2025
GABBAFest 2025 is a family reunion for ABB fans — four days of music, stories, and Southern soul in Macon, GA. Here’s your guide to the lineup, jam sessions, tree dedications, and where to be when the music starts.
From Backroads to Big Stages: The Red Clay Strays Story
The Red Clay Strays pour Southern soul, swampy gospel, and backroad rock into a sound that’s pure heart. From small-town nights to big stages, their story is just getting started.
Trio: Wildflowers & Paper Dolls
A record-store find on Macon’s Cherry Street sparks a story of Trio — Dolly, Linda & Emmylou’s timeless album — wildflowers, paper dolls, and a Southern Say-So for women’s voices.
Pinehurst: A Farming Town
In Pinehurst, Georgia, the world passes by on tractors, trains, crop dusters, and watermelon buses. A front porch essay on the beauty of staying still while everything moves around you.
Where I Get to Run My Mouth: A Southern Say-So Manifesto
Southern Say-So is my promise to that little girl I used to be: you get to say it now. All of it. The gospel, the gossip, the grief, the gladness.
A Return to Georgia
After two decades out West, Cindi Brown returns to her Georgia roots—and to herself. In this Porchlight essay, she reflects on small-town rhythms, neighborly kindness, and the soulful quiet of a country house on the edge of town.