The Producers

An early 80s band, The Producers, is playing at the Avon Theatre, and I’m going! I doubt you are, and why would you? 

I lived in Avondale Estates from 1971 to 1986. Avondale was, and still is, a cute little enclave tucked just inside the I-285 perimeter on the east side of Atlanta. The town is 1.23 square miles and has streets with English names like Wiltshire, Nottingham, and Stratford.

Avondale was created by the purchase of the community of Ingleside by George Francis Willis, who laid out the town and gave it its name, after Shakespeare’s Stratford-upon-Avon.

The Avon Theater is part of the Historic Avondale Estates Tudor Village building that was constructed in 1924 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Originally housing City Hall and the local U.S. Post Office, both were relocated in 1938 to construct the Avon Theater, which has been either the Town Centre or Avon Theatre ever since.

The theater has served as a live performance venue showcasing dance, wrestling, boxing, movies, dance, and more. I recall it mostly as a recording studio, but many artists have used the space, including Elvis Presley, The Allman Brothers Band, R.E.M., Drivin’ N’ Cryin’, B-52’s and many more. Now, it’s a live performance by The Producers!

The Producers were an Atlanta band of the early 80s. They had some regional hits, mostly in the Southeast, and cracked the U.S. Billboard charts with “What She Does to Me” (#61), but had radio airplay with “What’s He Got” (#108), “Certain Kinda Girl”, “I Love Lucy” (my favorite), and “Who Do You Think You Are?” 

They are playing in the Avon Theatre, so I couldn’t pass up the chance to get served a heapin’ helpin’ of nostalgia. I’m dragging a few of the kids along, but they can grin and bear it since I attended many a middle school band performance. 

I’m doing a “crazy fan” thing as well. I have The Producers first album (self-titled) hanging in my man cave. I’m taking the album to see if the band members will sign it for me. I’ve never done that before, but other than Brooks and Dunn, I’ve never met band members at a concert. There was that notorious fling with Linda Ronstadt, but my therapist is helping me move on from that.

Next week, I’ll tell you how my nostalgia trip went.

Kelly Burke was born in Knoxville where he spent his younger years, followed by high school years in Atlanta where he graduated from Georgia Tech. He then graduated from Mercer Law School. He has been in private practice, a magistrate judge, and an elected district attorney. He writes about the law, politics, music and Ireland. He and his wife enjoy gardening, playing with their Lagotto Ramanolo named George Harrison, and spending time with their grandchildren.