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Atlanta Music Legend Bill Lowery dies at age 79
Memorial Service: 2 p.m. Friday, June 11, 2004
H.M. Patterson & Son, Oglethorpe Hill.
4550 Peachtree Road, NE. Atlanta, GA 30319
Bill Lowery
October 21, 1924 - June 8, 2004Music impresario Bill Lowery didn't just know a good song when he
heard it. He published, recorded and promoted it to hit status.For 52 years, the Lowery Group has given listeners music they can
hum all day: the rock classic "Be-Bop-a-Lula," country hits "I Never
Promised You a Rose Garden" and "Games People Play," the disco
staple "I Love the Nightlife" and quirky novelty tunes such as "Ahab the
Arab."Mr. Lowery, 79, of Atlanta died Tuesday of cancer at Haven House
Hospice. The body was cremated. The memorial service will be 2 p.m.
Friday at H.M. Patterson & Son, Oglethorpe Hill.“He was the first person to be inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of
Fame, and everyone agreed on that," said U.S. Sen. Zell Miller
(D-Ga.). "His patience in working with a stable of artists and
songwriters helped produce hit after hit after hit. Bill Lowery was a
genius when it came to spotting talent and hit song.,"The Lowery Group's catalog of 7,000 songs includes tunes by such
writers as Joe South, Mac Davis, Jerry Reed and Buddy Buie. He
recorded Brenda Lee, Billy Joe Royal, Joe South, the Atlanta Rhythm
Section and Alicia Bridges.Mr. Lowery, who started in Atlanta as a disc jockey on WGST radio,
was a leader in industry professional associations and was inducted
into many music halls of fame. A scholarship in his name was
established at Georgia State University.In lieu of flowers, the Lowery family requests that donations be made to the
Bill Lowery Scholarship Fund at Georgia State University.Survivors include his wife, Billie Lowery; a son, William "Butch" Lowery
III of Atlanta; two daughters, Terri Drake of Loganville and Cheryl
Goodridge of Atlanta; eight grandchildren; and eight
great-grandchildren.
