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.

Meet Me in Macon: Your Guide to GABBAFest 2025
Cindi Brown Cindi Brown

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.

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Trio: Wildflowers & Paper Dolls
Cindi Brown Cindi Brown

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.

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Pinehurst: A Farming Town
Cindi Brown Cindi Brown

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.

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A Return to Georgia
Cindi Brown Cindi Brown

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.

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