GETTING THERE
One of Georgia’s bestknown sons, Ray Charles, famously sang “Hit the Road Jack” — and I needed no further encouragement to follow his advice and set off on the music trail, discovering the state’s rich musical history. Along the way, I discovered there’s Jewish heritage to be found among the blues and soul legends, starting in Savannah, where the state was founded.
The idea was for it to act as a buffer between the rich colony of Virginia to the north and the Spanish colony of Florida, and in 1733 British soldier James Oglethorpe named the state after his patron George II. He laid his city out in a grid pattern, arranged around 25 squares, 22 of which still survive.
Just five months after the colony was established, 41 mainly Sephardi immigrants arrived after a difficult journey from London. Congregation Mickve Israel, is one of the oldest in the United States and the current synagogue, located on Monterey Square, was consecrated in 1878. It’s the only purely Gothic Revival synagogue in the United States and contains a museum with 500-year-old Torah scrolls and letters from presidents Washington, Jefferson, and Madison.
Escaping damage in the Civil War, most of Savannah’s historic mansions — built by plantation owners — have survived. Cobbled streets by the river are crammed with bars and restaurants and a paddleboat ride gives you an idea of what those early settlers must have felt when they arrived. Songwriter Johnny Mercer hailed from here and it’s easy to see where he got the inspiration for his famous song Moon River.
But it was time for me to hit the road and set out north and west to Atlanta — on the way paying homage to Blind Willie McTell, the famous blues guitarist who had many hits in the 20s and 30s. He’s from the tiny village of Thomson, right in the heart of the Bible belt, and as I get closer there are wooden churches every half mile.
Jones Grove Baptist church is where he’s buried, with a picture of a 12 string guitar on his headstone. I take a picture and as I’m about to get
DELTA flies to Atlanta and Savannah from Heathrow. Flights start from around £550. delta.com For more information about Georgia, visit exploregeorgia.org