The Performers
Back in its heyday, the Roxy Theatre was more than just a place to catch a movie. It also played host to live music and local shows. The Roxy is perhaps most noteworthy as being a place where some patrons said they caught an early glimpse of a young Otis Redding.
We were able to reach two former artists and talk to them about what it was like to perform at the Roxy and in Macon in the 1950s.
Hamp Swain, The King Bee
Hamp “King Bee” Swain was Macon’s first African-American DJ and began his career in radio at WBML. It was a time when DJs had the power to make or break an act. Swain became known early on as the first DJ to put James Brown on the radio as he played an a cappella version of “Please, Please, Please.”
After kickstarting his career, Swain moved to WIBB and started “The Teenage Party” — a radio show featuring local talent.
The show started out at the Roxy on Hazel Street, but stayed there very briefly before moving to the Douglass.
“We outgrew the Roxy Theatre,” he said.
Although the party did not stay at the Roxy for a long time, Swain said the Roxy was a nice and convenient place for their patrons. When the show moved to the Douglas, Swain said the crowd was unbelievable.
He said the show started at 11 a.m., but people would show up at 9 a.m. and the line would stretch all the way around the block with people waiting for admittance. Swain is also credited with being one of the first to recognize the talents of a young Otis Redding, who competed in the Teenage Party shows.
Swain’s radio career ended in 1980 and he was later inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and the Douglass Theater Walk of Fame. Swain said he had an exciting career that he enjoyed very much.
Produced by Jenna Eason
Ron Wheeler
Ron Wheeler grew up in the Macon area and was a huge participant in Macon’s music scene. In his youth, Wheeler performed with The Playboys, Roy Mathis, Percy Welch and Otis Redding.
Wheeler was one of the several artists who performed in interracial music groups across Macon. While his experience in the Roxy Theatre was limited, Wheeler does recall attending talent contests where Otis Redding reigned as the uncontested winner.
Wheeler’s memories of the area surrounding the Roxy and the Tybee neighborhood were made up of music and racial tension. These areas were not so much discriminatory as territorial. If you didn’t know anybody in the area, you had no business being there, he said.
As Macon began to develop into a well-known music scene, racial tensions began to fade away. Now, Wheeler is a music manager and producer in Orlando, Florida.
Produced by Taylor Drake
