Randy Newton: Author of Growing Up Milledgeville

Randy Newton: In the Bible Belt, musicians have quite a range — from rap to soul to country — and the variety of characters brings the charm and southern grit out during each performance. Listening to a local musician tells stories is very similar to listening to a band that made it big. Talking to people pursuing their dreams, one hears stories of triumph, growth and heartache — stories that transcend local boundaries and the radio waves. For a lot of musicians, church brought out their musical roots. And for one storyteller, Randy Newton, church was just the start for him. At 13, Newton was given a guitar and ever since, his heart has belonged to the song. Growing up in the area, his stories range from local dive bars to restaurants playing, singing and dancing along with multiple bands he has been a part of over the years. “I grew up at a place called the Twilight Restaurant,” Newton said. “Everybody had their first beer and their first kiss at the Twilight. It opened up in the late ‘40s, but it hit the big time in like ’59. It had 25 curb hops, sold 60 cases of beer a night on the curb. In the middle of the curb was a patio, on the backside of this thing was a two-story building that had glass. They turned records. People that were down on the dance floor could look up and say, ‘play Fats Domino,’ or something like that. And they turned records and there was a speaker at all four corners.” Twilight was the place. Whether after Friday night football games or for a date night, it was the joint for music. Newton credits the restaurant for truly giving him his love of music. “In the kitchen were the cooks,” he said. “Jessie Hamilton, who worked for us from age 15 to age 39 was like my big brother, and he was playing the radio and it was always the soul music … and I fell in love with all the black music. On the jukebox and on the curb, they, of course, were playing all the popular music.” From soul to pop — locals danced the night away in the ‘60s at Twilight, but several other local spots were growing in popularity as well. “Swampland, this place that for 27 years was the longest-running show of its type in Toomsboro. Every Saturday night, local bands would come and play and it was the place to be for everybody in Middle Georgia,” Newton said. At the Swampland, Newton recalled, everybody who was somebody was there — politicians, reporters, everybody who was somebody was there. Newton has been a part of several bands, each making a name for itself locally and each coming with its own stories. “We had played every song we knew, twice,” Newton recalled about a performance with one of his bands. “The place was standing up — nobody would leave. We did one song three times. Me and my wife’s big hit was ‘Good Hearted Woman,’ Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, it was a big hit back then and me and her did that song the third time, the place was totally insane. I got chill bumps just thinking about it now.”