Lit Chat with Michael Ray Fitzgerald

Willow Branch Library sits in a corner of Willow Branch Park, a popular location for local musicians during the late 1960s to develop and expand their audience. Named after the “Human Be-In,” San Francisco’s 1967 counterculture celebration, Jacksonville’s “be-ins” spawned several notable acts, including the Allman Brothers Band.

In Jacksonville and the Roots of Southern Rock, Michael Ray FitzGerald digs into the history of bands like the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd and how Jacksonville played a role in bringing these bands to a national audience. FitzGerald and Alan Bliss, CEO of the Jacksonville Historical Society, will talk about this and more live at the Willow Branch Library!

This event will be held with a small audience live at the Willow Branch Library, or you can watch it virtually via Zoom. FitzGerald will be signing books before the event starting at 6:00, and the audience is welcome to stay after the Lit Chat to explore the Willow Branch Library’s exhibit on the 1968 be-ins.

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Michael Ray FitzGerald is a freelance writer and media historian. He has written hundreds of articles for local, regional, national and international publications.

FitzGerald, a former career musician, has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Jacksonville University, a master’s in mass communication from University of Florida, where he also taught journalism, and a doctorate from University of Reading in Berkshire, England. He also taught at University of North Florida, Flagler College, and College of Coastal Georgia.
Learn More About Michael Ray Fitzgerald