R.E.M., one of the most celebrated rock bands in America, had its roots deep in the red Georgia clay. Formed in Athens in 1980, the band’s rise from the college rock scene to international fame was long and steady. Despite its commercial success, R.E.M. maintained a reputation for hard work and an independent, no-compromise approach to its music.

In 1979 Michael Stipe, an art student at the University of Georgia (UGA), befriended Peter Buck, an Emory University dropout who worked at the Wuxtry record store in Athens. At a party the pair met Mike Mills and Bill Berry, friends from Macon, who were also students at UGA. Around March 1980 the four formed R.E.M. and began rehearsing in an abandoned Episcopal church, with Stipe handling vocals, Buck on guitar, Mills on bass, and Berry on drums. By the summer of 1980, R.E.M. was playing shows in Athens at Tyrone’s and the 40 Watt Club. Their single “Radio Free Europe” met with critical acclaim in 1981; Village Voice named it one of America’s best-ever singles, and the New York Times placed it among the top ten singles of the year. Chronic Town, 

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