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Atlanta (band)

{{Short description|American country music group}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2012}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Atlanta

| image = Atlanta promo photo.png

| caption =

| image_size =

| origin = Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.

| genre = Country

| years_active = 1982–1988

| label = MDJ, MCA, Southern Tracks

| past_members = Jeff Baker
Allen Collay
Alan David
Bill Davidson
John Holder
Tony Ingram
Brad Griffis
Bill Packard
Dick Stevens
Darrell McAfee
Jody Worrell

}}

Atlanta was an American country music group formed in 1982 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. Between 1983 and 1988, Atlanta recorded two albums for MCA Records and charted 9 singles on the Billboard country chart with 5 hits in the Top 40.

Chart history included two Top 10 country hits in "Atlanta Burned Again Last Night" and "Sweet Country Music". The latter was also the band's highest-charting single, peaking at #2 on Cashbox.

History

Atlanta was formed in 1982 by Brad Griffis (bass guitar), Bill Davidson (vocals, rhythm guitar), Tony Ingram (vocals, fiddle), Alan David (lead guitar), Allen Collay (keyboards), Bill Packard (keyboards), Jeff Baker (harmonica), Dick Stevens (bass), and John Holder (drums).{{cite book|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|title=Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008|publisher=Record Research, Inc|year=2008|page=35|isbn=978-0-89820-177-2}} Prior to the foundation, Ingram had recorded on Epic Records in the band Spurzz, and Stevens, Davidson, Griffis, and David had previously toured as a re-establishment of The Vogues.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=I5FVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6D8NAAAAIBAJ&pg=1135,885582&dq=the-vogues+brad-griffis&hl=en|title=Mason-Dixon's band bottom line is reaching for a million dollars|last=Barschel|first=Marion|date=September 4, 1982|work=The Leader-Post|page=A16|accessdate=August 3, 2011}} The group was founded through the assistance of record producer Larry McBride, who had also launched the career of Alabama. With nine members, Atlanta was the largest country music band at the time.

"Atlanta Burned Again Last Night" was the band's debut single, released in 1983 on the independent MDJ record label, which McBride owned.{{cite book|title=The Journal of country music|year = 1999|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gHIJAQAAMAAJ&q=%22atlanta%22+%22Sweet+country+music%22|volume=13–14|publisher=Country Music Foundation|page=109}} This recording spent seventeen weeks on the Billboard country singles chart, peaking at #9.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DFgsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Q84EAAAAIBAJ&pg=3736,500314&dq=atlanta-burned-again-last-night&hl=en|title=Atlanta Hits Top 10 for First Time Out|last=Davis|first=Doug|date=October 2, 1983|work=The Herald-Journal|accessdate=February 22, 2010}} This single was one of the highest-charting debut singles by an independently signed country music act.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rfAaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XUcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6725,4387365&dq=atlanta-burned-again-last-night&hl=en|title=Atlanta is big – real big|date=August 18, 1983|work=Bowling Green Daily News|page=14C|accessdate=February 22, 2010}}

After it came the #11 "Dixie Dreaming", the band's second and final MDJ release. By early 1984, MCA Records assumed promotion of the band's singles and albums, releasing "Sweet Country Music" early in the year. It became the band's highest-charting hit, reaching #5 on the Billboard country chart.{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:39fwxqr5ldae~T1|title=Atlanta biography|last=Ruhlmann|first=William|publisher=Allmusic|accessdate=February 22, 2010}}{{dead link|date=August 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} MCA released the band's debut album Pictures in 1984. MCA also released the singles "Pictures" and "Wishful Drinkin'", the latter of which was included in the film Ellie.

Before releasing the second album, Holder had left and Darrell "Boo Boo" McAfee joins on drums. Atlanta released its self-titled second album for MCA in 1985. It included the singles "My Sweet-Eyed Georgia Girl" and "Why Not Tonight", both of which peaked outside the Country Top 40. The band later moved to the Southern Tracks label as Davidson and David left and David was replaced by Jody Worrell on guitar, and releasing "We Always Agree on Love" and "Sad Clichés".

Allen Collay (born Allen Callais on January 1, 1943, in New Orleans) died on February 16, 2010, at age 67.{{cite web |url=https://obits.nola.com/us/obituaries/nola/name/allen-callais-obituary?id=6829490|title=Allen Joseph Callais Obituary|date=March 25, 2010|accessdate=June 22, 2022|publisher=The Times-Picayune}}

Discography

=Studio albums=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
rowspan="2" style="width:10em;"| Title

! rowspan="2" style="width:18em;"| Album details

! colspan="3"| Peak chart positions

style="font-size:smaller;"

! width="45"| US Country
{{cite magazine|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=atlanta|chart=Country Albums C}}|title=Atlanta Album & Song Chart History – Country Albums|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Prometheus Global Media|accessdate=June 11, 2011}}

! width="45"| US
{{cite magazine|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=atlanta|chart=Billboard 200}}|title=Atlanta Album & Song Chart History – Billboard 200|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Prometheus Global Media|accessdate=June 11, 2011}}

! width="45"| CAN Country
{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-110.01-e.php?PHPSESSID=efaho9ah3c3bjkhui81nf0r2b3&q1=atlanta&q2=Country+Albums%2FCDs&interval=20|title=Results – RPM – Library and Archives Canada – Country Singles|work=RPM|accessdate=June 11, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023083911/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-110.01-e.php?PHPSESSID=efaho9ah3c3bjkhui81nf0r2b3&q1=atlanta&q2=Country+Albums%2FCDs&interval=20|archive-date=October 23, 2012|url-status=dead}}

scope="row"| Pictures

|

| 8

| 140

| 6

scope="row"| Atlanta

|

  • Release date: May 1985
  • Label: MCA Records
  • Formats: LP, cassette

| 33

| —

| —

colspan="10" style="font-size:8pt"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart

=Singles=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
rowspan="2"| Year

! rowspan="2" style="width:18em;"| Single

! colspan="2"| Peak chart
positions

! rowspan="2"| Album

style="font-size:smaller;"

! width="45"| US Country
{{cite magazine|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=atlanta|chart=Country Songs}}|title=Atlanta Album & Song Chart History – Country Songs|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Prometheus Global Media|accessdate=June 11, 2011}}

! width="45"| CAN Country
{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-110.01-e.php?PHPSESSID=tsbbpjcrrrpr2pe5map7ndmm41&q1=atlanta&q2=Country+Singles&interval=20|title=Results – RPM – Library and Archives Canada – Country Singles|work=RPM|accessdate=June 11, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023163844/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-110.01-e.php?PHPSESSID=tsbbpjcrrrpr2pe5map7ndmm41&q1=atlanta&q2=Country+Singles&interval=20|archive-date=October 23, 2012|url-status=dead}}

rowspan="2"| 1983

! scope="row"| "Atlanta Burned Again Last Night"

| 9

| —

| align="left" rowspan="5"| Pictures

scope="row"| "Dixie Dreaming"

| 11

| —

rowspan="3"| 1984

! scope="row"| "Sweet Country Music"

| 5

| 2

scope="row"| "Pictures"

| 35

| 31

scope="row"| "Wishful Drinkin'"

| 22

| —

rowspan="2"| 1985

! scope="row"| "My Sweet-Eyed Georgia Girl"

| 57

| —

| align="left" rowspan="2"| Atlanta

scope="row"| "Why Not Tonight"

| 58

| —

1987

! scope="row"| "We Always Agree on Love"

| 75

| —

| rowspan="2" {{n/a}}

1988

! scope="row"| "Sad Cliches"

| 70

| —

colspan="10" style="font-size:8pt"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart

References

{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atlanta (Band)}}

Category:Country music groups from Georgia (U.S. state)

Category:Musical groups from Atlanta

Category:Musical groups established in 1983

Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1988

Category:MCA Records artists