The American Music Show
The American Music Show was a weekly public‑access TV variety program that ran in Atlanta, Georgia from 1981 to 2005. It was created by Dick Richards, James Bond, Potsy Duncan, and Bud "Beebo" Lowry. The show aired on People TV and featured drag and musical performances, funny sketches, interviews, and reports from around the city. It became a key part of Atlanta’s LGBT community and is considered an important archive of LGBT Atlanta history. RuPaul appeared often, starting in 1982.
Most episodes were shot on a tiny budget in Richards’s Inman Park home (about five dollars for a VHS tape) and also included on‑location segments around Atlanta, capturing moments from cruising trails in Piedmont Park to the construction of Freedom Parkway. The style was low‑budget and campy, with a vibe people describe as John Waters‑like absurdism.
Many performers appeared over the show’s 24 years, including Jayne County, Lady Bunny, The Fabulous Pop Tarts, The Now Explosion, The Singing Peek Sisters, Lahoma van Zandt, and DJ Larry Tee. Larry Tee later helped popularize electroclash and supported bands like Scissor Sisters, while members of The Fabulous Pop Tarts went on to produce RuPaul’s Drag Race with RuPaul.
The show also aired short films like Starbooty’s Revenge and Comes the Blood, as well as recurring funny segments such as “Who’s Home Drunk?” and music‑focused episodes like the “Space Seed Video Freak Out Party.” It even ventured into politics; in 1987, RuPaul and Wanda Peek confronted the Ku Klux Klan at a rally in Cumming, Georgia.
The original VHS tapes from The American Music Show are now kept at Emory University’s Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library. Dick Richards also co‑founded Funtone USA with Ted Rubenstein, releasing music by several performers, including RuPaul’s first records. Funtone’s motto was, “If it’s not fun, don’t do it!”
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 13:27 (CET).