Rachel wells hall music math1/31/2024 ![]() It had been confiscated a few weeks earlier at the Cove, another, but OfĬourse, I was not old enough to get in, nor did I have any fake ID since Six feet tall, and I weighed about one hundred and fifty pounds. Met one night when he asked me for identification. It was one of the few gay clubs in the city, but the biggest, and Part-time jobs, at Chuck’s Rathskellar in Atlanta. ![]() Success in getting in, but I was persistent.Ĭlay Millwood was the bouncer, among having other The calls of the night life were beckoning me, and though I was underageīy about six months, I still found it exciting and daring to try andįriday night was a different adventure and challenge, with little He would let me pay rent weekly.įinally, I was able to settle down with a real job and a comfortable ![]() One person who didn’t take from me was RichardĮvening, I was able to rent a room in one of the houses that was a justĪ few blocks away from Ansley Mall where I started my new job as a salesĬlerk at the Super- X drug store. But despite the inconveniences, life at this point was at To me, and then there were those who just used me for the moment. Restaurants, I would also hop from bed to bed in order to have a place Jumping from job to job, busing and waiting tables at various low-end Unfortunately for me, I had so much to learn.įour months after my arrival and three cases ofĬrabs later while living as a homeless free spirit, I was finallyīeginning to understand the basics of gay survival. Hair grow long and flowing, and I’d possess some kind of free spirit andįortunately for me, the hippy movement would soon be on the way out. My thought was that I would be a hippy, letting my short brown I didn’t know who I would meet or where I’d sleep.īut I wasn’t worried I knew I would survive. Reason, and maybe because I was focused on the lights in the distance, I remember learning the song in the eighth grade, and for some Like thousands of southern gay young men in theĮarly Seventies, I made my pilgrimage to Atlanta.Ī wet January evening that I found myself on a Greyhound bus with elevenĭollars in my pocket, leaving my hometown and headed for the big city,Īll the while I kept hearing Petula Clark’s voice in my head singingĭowntown over and over. Watched over me through the years despite the misdirections that IĪnd a very special thanks and love to Larry (HotĬhocolate) for being the nurturer that I’ve always needed to Herman forĪnd of course, thanks to all of those who everĪpplauded and wanted more of Rachel Wells. I want to give thanks to my early mentors, Wendy Grape, Dee Dee Daniels,Īnd Lavita Allen to my life-long friends, Charles and all theįleury’s (Johnny, Helen, Diane, and Janice) Spirit or embellish the truth I just want to record a history and Vignettes that I remember that usually bring a smile to my face and I want to convey that many of the following stories are simple As there are two sides to every story, I’m sure there areĭifferent perspectives to the events and images that I’ve written about. Some who graced its oaken boards made it big, some just made it, and aįew were flashes, but they were all very important in the scheme of lifeĪre not. Sweet Gum Head, but not all were fortunate enough to perform on its So many entertainers crossed the threshold of the It was the era of the Sweet Gum Head, the It was a time for disco,ĭrugs, and of course, drag. It was a time for growing up and creating a subculture that wouldįlourish and nurture an abundance of followers. Identity searching, and a time for defying traditional taboos and laws. It was a great time to be alive in the Seventies,Įspecially for those of us in our twenties and residing in gay Atlanta.
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