Comments on: John Denver to the rescue

By: Kip Burke

Kip Burke — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 18:33:02 +0000

As Gawd is my witness, I thought Peaches existed to give me a place to meet girls. You could tell so much by which albums a girl was looking at, thereby saving yourself from the horror of waking up with a Slim Whitman fan…

By: lee

lee — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 22:57:00 +0000

tons of memories , I was the first (original) manager of the store. Built from ground zero and initiated the footprints, a time I will never forget, complete with the most talented , knowledgeable , friendly staff in the entire world. of an era now gone..

By: E. Evatt

E. Evatt — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:48:53 +0000

Sorry to jump into this discussion a little late, but I wanted to say Hi to you, Jeff….missed you at the family reunion this year. In fact, we missed all the Cochrans! I am new here – Googled Darryl Rhoades and was led to this site. It is great and I just realized it was you who wrote this article.
To answer Cliff’s post above:
I am Woman, hear me b**ch
Buy my Records, Make me Rich!

By: Cliff Green

Cliff Green — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:58:19 +0000

I thought I was the oldest guy around, but everybody remembers Peaches! Jeff, thanks for the memories. I want to combine something you mentioned with one of Linday Lou’s recollections.
Darryl Rhoades and his Ha-Ha Vishnu Orchestra was one of the great Atlanta musical acts of all time. Lindy brought up Helen Reddy. Do any of you remember Darryls’s version of “I Am Woman”?
One of the guys in the band, he had a black mustache, would come out in a blonde wig and a pink prom dress while carrying a broom and would do the Ha-Ha’s version. The refrain went:
I am inane.
I am an imbecile.
I’m commercial.
OK. You had to be at the Great Southeast Music Hall to appreciate the effect.
I do want to complain about another of Lindy’s statements: “the monotonous droning of Anne Murray.” I, for one, have always enjoyed a woman with a baritone voice. I’m sure I’m not alone in this.
Seriously, everyone, thanks for the memories.

By: Suzanne Murphy

Suzanne Murphy — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:28:35 +0000

I loved Peaches, too. It was always fun to go there. What a great little story. I can’t wait to read more of your stories.

By: Mindy Mailman

Mindy Mailman — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 15:04:43 +0000

My first bookcase in my apt on Buford Hwy was made from Peaches crates, balanced on brown shag carpeting). What a great place that was. Loved reading your story and am glad that it had a happy ending!

By: Bill King

Bill King — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 20:05:49 +0000

Damn, I miss Peaches. That’s where you and I met many decades ago, Jeff.

Nice piece.

The most insane thing ever was when the store was sold and a dispute over ownership of the handprints resulted in them being busted apart by jackhammer. A friend got a piece of the McCartney/Wings set.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 14:51:43 +0000

This also brought back fun memories of spending the night on the sidewalk at Peaches waiting in line for concert tickets before computers. It’s easier now but not as much fun!

By: Mary Lee (aka Bootsie Lucas)

Mary Lee (aka Bootsie Lucas) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 13:53:51 +0000

what a great story!!!!!! had no idea that the peaches store saw so much drama. i lived 90 miles away at the time, and when we came to atlanta, peaches was the place to go. i think i even had a fruit crate (for records?) with the peaches logo on it. or am i making that up?

By: Dallas

Dallas — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:37:02 +0000

Great story. Wish I’d seen that mountain in the store.

By: Lindy Lou

Lindy Lou — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:36:06 +0000

Jeff, I laughed out loud at this many times, especially the vision of you guys trying to hide behind John Denver’s mountain and exclaiming “oh take me home country roads.” I did not live in Atlanta to experience Peaches, but I know where it was and have heard other tales. And I certainly lived through this time musically for the good and bad. Speaking of bad, you forgot to mention the monotonous droning of Anne Murray and Helen Reddy and that unforgettable favorite, “Disco Duck.” Although a big Lou Reed fan (in my pseudo-hippie crowd his “Take a Walk on the Wild Side” and the whole Transformer album was an ancedote to the drizzly tunes on the radio of the time ) but at least you can dance to Donna Summer (which I did like crazy in platform shoes in my subsequent, yet brief, disco days!). I was in Atlanta in time for the Limelight, whose legacy remains by the shopping center still dubbed “the disco Kroger.”

By: Tim Oliver

Tim Oliver — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 11:18:25 +0000

Man, I remember, EXACTLY, that musical time ! Elton John negated his melodious, sensitive songs by dressing like Donald Duck. The Bee Gees went from mending broken hearts to telling us we should all be dancing, in really high falsetto. John Denver wasn’t singing about the Rocky Mountains making him high. No wonder quintessential nice guy, Lou Reed, said “Can you imagine some kid thinking he’d love to grow up to play on a Donna Summer album?”

By: Tracey Paul

Tracey Paul — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 02:27:45 +0000

Ah, Peaches. Great story, Jeff. One of the other store clerks at the time remembers a customer looking for a specific record: “Uh, s’cuse me: You got any bad rock shit that you can jam off of late at night?” And I quote.

By: Alice Murray

Alice Murray — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:36:29 +0000

What a great memory. I hadn’t thought of Peaches in years. And I’m really glad the story had a happy ending. Keep posting! Your talent wasn’t served in all those years of selling ads down on Marietta Street.

By: Kerfeld

Kerfeld — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:02:03 +0000

Atlanta — the city too busy to police.

Nice article, Jeff. The Peaches on Stewart Avenue never had the same cachet.