TARA DYER STOYLE: All genres of music have Georgia flavor

I am proud to be from the South, and even more so to be a Georgian. I love Georgia, and if you don’t we can’t be friends.

This state has a perfectly balanced landscape of mountains, the ocean, tall pines, rivers, lakes and waterfalls. We have long summers and short winters and flip-flops can be worn nearly year-round. But the best thing about Georgia is our people … a melting pot of eccentric characters. Yes, there is still some racial and socioeconomic division here, but as a rule Georgians are the most loving and talented people on the planet.

One thing Georgia has generously contributed to the world is music.

Lee County gave “American Idol” its Season 11 winner, Phillip Phillips. Rock n Roll Hall of Famer and R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe is from Georgia. So are blues greats Ma Rainey and Robert Cray and Jazz musicians, Hank Mobley and Jimmy Garrison.

Of course Georgia has its share of famous country singers … Zac Brown, Jennifer Nettles, Travis Tritt, Luke Bryan, Alan Jackson, Trisha Yearwood, Kip Moore, Kane Brown, Jason Aldean, Cole Swindell and Billy Currington just to name a few. And although our country game is strong, Georgia isn’t just mass producing top 40 country stars. Our rock n roll, soul and R&B offerings are pretty impressive. Legends like Ray Charles, Gladys Knight and Otis Redding came from around here, and unique bands and artists like The B-52’s, Widespread Panic, Indigo Girls, Oukast, CeeLo Green and Drive By Truckers are national — and Peach State — treasures.

My choice for best Georgia band (featuring my all-time favorite voice) is the Allman Brothers Band. Pioneers of Southern rock, Gregg Allman and his older brother Duane formed the Allman Brothers Band in 1969. And although they weren’t originally from Georgia, the band’s manager convinced them to move to his home base in Macon that same year. Georgia became their home, where they wrote and produced incredible music and where each would eventually die and be buried.

I’m sure you recognize some or all of the musicians I’ve mentioned, but there’s another group of talented musicians you might not have heard of … most aren’t played on the radio and don’t play in huge auditoriums. The best they can hope for is to get paid for what they do and possibly achieve “local celebrity” status. When you hear they’re playing, go out and see one or all of these Georgia bands/musicians: Unbreakable Bloodline, Grand Ville, The Mood Doctors, Days To Come, La Bete, Ninety5, Monsoon, The Darnell Boys, Bo Dean and the Poachers , Rock Kandy, Kayson Layne , Daniel Masters or one of the many other Georgia gems.

If you are near a venue that supports local artists, please spend your money there. They are offering their community the gift of live music, and with that comes a camaraderie that is only shared by the musicians and fans involved in the music scene.

I say again … I love Georgia, it’s rich folks, poor folks, the ones in the middle, the ne’r-do-wells, saints and sinners. And one place I know I’ll see a good mix of Georgia natives and transplants is at the next concert or festival, at a pub, restaurant or dive bar. And it will be the music that has brought us out of our comfort zone and into the real world, where we are all just people trying to enjoy life with a good band playing in the background.

Tara Dyer Stoyle is the operations manager of Rock 105 radio, WFFM 105.7 and 100.9, in Tifton. She has been an on-air personality for 22 years.