Numbers, The Cove, The Answer, Chuck’s Rose Room, Hollywood Hots, The Onyx Bar and the lesbian bar, Tallulah’s, were also known for drag acts. Other early bars of note included Weekends and Illusions, where a young RuPaul got his start, often performing with Lady Bunny, who was RuPaul’s roommate for a while. Another performer who made noise during this time was Diamond Lil. Its chief competitor during that time was the Locker Room, where Lily White was the headliner. Manning Harris, an Atlanta writer, has vivid recollections of going there frequently, enjoying the performers in a packed house.
It presented entertainers such as Rachel Wells and Lavita Allen. Acknowledged as one of the first Atlanta bars that featured drag is Sweet Gum Head, a premiere drag bar during the 1970s on Cheshire Bridge Road. While it’s impossible to list every local establishment that has hosted drag over the years, many have stood out. The journey to get to that point, though, has taken some time. The success of RuPaul’s Drag Race has made the art form even more mainstream and made a city heralded for its drag excellence even more loaded with visible talent. In Atlanta these days, it’s fairly easy to find a gay bar that has some sort of drag show or competition at least once a week.
