Feature

“My dad was a bluegrass guitar player and loved traditional country, bluegrass, and gospel,” Charlie Starr says when asked what music he heard as a child. “My mom liked the Stones, the Beatles, and Bob Dylan. And my sister liked Rock 103.” Speaking by phone two days before Christmas from his Atlanta-area home, Starr – a Chattahoochee Valley native, having bounced across the river a few times growing up between Chambers County, Alabama and Troup…

Music, sweet music, filled the air in downtown Columbus on a warm Wednesday evening in November. The streets were alive and abuzz as middle-aged rock and rollers poured out of restaurants and bars on Broadway, giddy to see classic rock favorites “Foreigner” on their farewell tour stop at the RiverCenter. Meanwhile, the sweet sound of live music wafted from the Loft’s balcony onto the street below and baptized believers and non-believers alike. Such a vibrant…

Columbus has a rich jazz history which can often be overlooked. Ma Rainey, who is widely considered the “Mother of The Blues,” was born here and is a Columbus icon. Jazz has been a staple in our city over the decades through venues such as The Liberty Theater, which was part of the legendary “Chitlin Circuit,” and The Loft, which has been a patron of jazz since opening its doors in the 90s. Even as…