Atlanta Celebrates Black Music

By Carol Carter

Last Updated May 27, 2026

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The Ray Charles Performing Arts Center, a modern brick building with large windows and a curved roof, stands prominently on a tree-lined street in Atlanta, Georgia. — The Ray Charles Performing Arts Center on the Morehouse College campus will be the headquarters for Atlanta’s celebration of Black music. (Photo courtesy of Ray Charles Performing Arts Center)

Atlanta will celebrate Black music starting May 25 with bamX, an inaugural 13-day event. Scheduled during Black Music Week (bamX) are panel discussions that spark ideas, awards that honor the legacy of Black music and showcases that shine the spotlight on rising talent and big moments. The bamX-BAM! Awards will honor those who move the industry forward and also recognize industry pioneers, innovators, leaders, executives and entrepreneurs. Further, the awards will serve as a bridge between Atlanta and the global music community, focusing on “An Era of Soul.”

The Smithsonian Institution notes that “African American influences are so fundamental to American music that there would be no American music without them.”

Black Music = Cultural Heritage

A woman in a black dress and high heels dances with a man in orange pants and a vest in front of an audience seated on chairs in Atlanta, Georgia. — Friday Jazz at the High Museum of Art is a testament to Atlanta’s love of music. The event typically sells out. (Photo courtesy High Museum of Art)

“People of African descent were among the earliest non-indigenous settlers of what would become the United States, and the rich African musical heritage that they carried with them was part of the foundation of a new American musical culture that mixed African traditions with those of Europe and the Americas,” according to the Smithsonian. “Their work songs, dance tunes and religious music — and the syncopated, swing, remixed, rocked and rapped music of their descendants — would become the lingua franca of American music, eventually influencing Americans of all racial and ethnic backgrounds. The music of African Americans is one of the most poetic and inescapable examples of the importance of the African American experience to the cultural heritage of all Americans, regardless of race or origin.”

President Jimmy Carter, perhaps partially because of his Georgia roots, understood this. So, in 1979, he designated June as Black Music Month. In 2009, President Barack Obama renamed the observance African American Music Appreciation Month.

A cluttered vintage record store with customers browsing through records and memorabilia in Atlanta, Georgia. — Jack the Rapper will be remembered during Black Music Week. He was a radio personality on Atlanta’s WERD, the country’s first Black-owned radio station, picutured above. (Photo by Aubree Dumas)

Atlanta’s celebration of Black music comes courtesy of bamX or Black Music Week and is presented by the Black American Music Association (BAMA) in partnership with Unite Atlanta. On the schedule are panel discussions, an industry expo, an awards ceremony and the 2026 Walk of Fame inductions.

Where to Enjoy your Favorite Black Music Every Day of the Week in Atlanta

Schedule

A grand, two-story lobby with a curved staircase, adorned with framed photographs and a large mural depicting a performer on stage in Atlanta, Georgia. — Most of the events during Atlanta’s celebration of Black music will occur at the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center. (Photo courtesy of Ray Charles Performing Arts Center)

May 25-27. Africa Day/Mzansi-Atlanta Creative Industry Expo of South Africa at the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center (RayPAC) on the campus of Morehouse College and at MODEx Studio in Buckhead.

bamX partners with South Africa to celebrate Africa month in Atlanta to recognize the diaspora roots of Black American music. There will be three days connecting South Africa and Atlanta through music, events, culture with exhibitions, panels, networking and cultural experiences.

The Maznsi Creative Industry Expo of South Africa connects Southern African and African creatives with global markets, focusing on music, fashion, film, visual arts and technology. The expo facilitates business-to-business matchmaking, investment dialogues and export readiness for African entrepreneurs. The target audience is government officials, creative entrepreneurs, industry representatives and investors from the 16 South African Development Community countries.

May 28. As part of the bamX Health Matters Summit, panel discussions will focus on health — mental, physical and soul.

Fireside chat with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens at The Gathering Spot on Howell Mill Road

Press conference and media day at Georgia State Capitol

May 29. There will be a Jack the Rapper (remix) conference, panels and showcases. Jack the Rapper was a radio personality on Atlanta’s WERD, the country’s first Black-owned radio station.

Underground Mixer by Core Entertainment at Center Stage Theater

May 30. Jack the Rapper (remix) Panel discussions continue, along with the bamX-Mzansi Community Backyard Party and talent showcases

May 30. UniverSoul Circus Act & Community Giveback in partnership with Unite Atlanta

June 1. The Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame VIP Honors Dinner celebrates the impact and cultural contributions that have shaped the world. The Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame induction scheduled for June 1 will be rescheduled.

June 2. The presidential leadership conversation on music, arts, culture, education and mentorship will feature the presidents of SCAD, Morehouse College, The Recording Academy and interim president and chair emerita of Spelman College at the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center on the Morehouse College campus.

June 2. BAMX-BAM! “An Era of Soul” will be held at SCADSHOW Theater Atlanta.

June 4. Dot Connectors, a panel on music and technology will be livestreamed.

June 16. ATL Rhythm Cup Youth Summer Soccer Series will be held at B.T. Harvey Stadium on the Morehouse College campus.

Black music, “America’s original music,” according to Michael Mauldin, founder of Unite Atlanta and bamX, “was born in the South. From spirituals to blues to jazz, soul, rock ‘n’ roll, funk and hip-hop — it became the mothership for all popular music genres. From Harlem to Detroit to the birth of Atlanta, the lineage is clear. What started in fields, churches, juke joints, speakeasys and neighborhoods became America’s most powerful cultural export.”

Atlanta’s Black Music Roots

For more things to do in Atlanta, check our calendar of events. Shop Black-owned Businesses Along the Atlanta Beltline.

Carol Carter was a founding staff member of Atlanta Business Chronicle where she later served as editor. She served as editor of seven magazines including a 150-year business history of Atlanta. She worked as a reporter for WXIA TV’s Noonday Show, has written for the New York Times and is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism. Carol is author of “Junior Dragster Dreams: How Sam Found His Own Ride,” a children’s book.

Originally Published May 11, 2026