Macon's reputation as a "Music City" is gaining international attention.

Fodor's Travel website ranks the heart of Georgia hub as No. 2 on it's list of America's 12 Best "Music Cities" outside of Nashville.

Coming in behind Clarksdale, Mississippi, known as "Ground Zeror of the Blues," Macon's listing is music to the ears of the Macon-Bibb County Convention & Visitors Bureau that promotes the town as being "Where Soul Lives."

CVB President and CEO Gary Wheat called last week's publication of ranking "outstanding news."

"We were fired up to get the news," Wheat said.

"It's definitely exciting," said CVB vice president of marketing Valerie Bradley, who just returned from a tourism junket promoting Macon at the Canadian Music Week.

Bradley met with journalists, travel writers and promoters who were eager to learn more of Macon's music history.

"They were obviously familiar with a lot of our artists," Bradley said.

Fodor's names Macon music legends Otis Redding, Little Richard and the Allman Brothers Band as getting their start in the community and includes the contributions Capricorn Records made to the Southern Rock era.

The short entry on Macon didn't mention award-winning country singer Jason Aldean, who grew up here and graduated from Windsor Academy.

The article mentions the Allman Brothers Big House Museum, which hosted a post-funeral celebrations in honor of Gregg Allman following his death last year.

The ranking gives a shout-out to the H&H restaurant downtown where Mama Louise Hudson fed hungry band members before their big break.

The soul food eatery is also one of the stops on Rock Candy Tours, which highlights the town's music history and is run by the daughter of one of the Capricorn Records executives.

Fodor's also boasts of the current live music venues at historic Grant's Lounge and the Hargray Capitol Theatre and plugs the summer Bragg Jam music festival in honor of local musicians Brax and Tate Bragg who died in a car accident nearly 20 years ago.

Bradley said she hoped the article will increase the number of visitors coming to Macon.

"Any opportunity we have in a publication like this, we are able to communicate our message of music heritage and history," she said.

Rounding out the dozen music meccas are: Muscle Shoals, Alabama; Jacksonville, Florida; Shreveport, Louisiana; Richmond, Virginia; North Carolina's Triangle of Chapel Hill, Raleigh and Durham; Cleveland, Ohio; Helena, Arkansas; Omaha, Nebraska; Bristol, Tennessee and Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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