Decatur’s new music mural, the artists, its purpose + why it matters

It’s hard to quantify the amount of artistic talent now emblazoned on a wall in downtown Decatur, from the music artists depicted to the visual artist who created the mural. The artwork shows the late, River City-born music producer Johnny Sandlin in bold color, flanked by nine of the many artists he worked with throughout his career.

In mid-July, muralist Steven Teller of St. Augustine, Florida, completed the work commissioned by Sandlin’s daughter, Leigh Ellen Sandlin-Cauthen, president of The Johnny Sandlin Foundation for Music and the Arts.

I ran into Teller at a local coffee shop not long after he began painting in May. Now the mural is complete, here’s what he shared about how it came to be, what it’s for and why.

Meet the mural artist

Teller says art has been part of his world as long as he can remember, with his mother an art history major, his grandmother an artist and both parents being from New York, where he gained early exposure to world-class art on visits to the city’s museums.

He also credits excellent teachers who encouraged him to pursue art, specifically one high school teacher who set him on the path to attend Savannah College of Art and Design from 2008 to 2012.

Already a huge music fan, Teller was at a festival when he noticed another artist selling posters he’d made around the campsite. Inspired, he began making music-related posters to sell at festivals and shows. Soon, he expanded to doing murals at festivals and landed his first permanent mural gig with a music venue in Jacksonville, Florida.

“Since that very moment, I have never stopped getting gigs from that very first one. I started to realize, like, every painting you do is kind of like a billboard for another piece.”
_{Artist Steven Teller}

What brought the artist to Decatur

While this is his first mural in Alabama, Teller has created more than 50 so far in the Southeastern and Western United States, Mexico and Costa Rica. Teller’s mural featuring the Allman Brothers Band for H&H Restaurant in Macon, Georgia, exemplified his “billboard” theory, catching the eye of Cauthen and inspiring her to bring him to Decatur.

The two have been in talks planning the piece for about two and a half years, he says.

Beyond his belief in the power of public art to make a positive impact on people’s days and lives, he says this piece is most exciting to him because it represents the Johnny Sandlin Foundation for Music and the Arts and its mission to uplift music and the arts through scholarships, education and community programming.

“This piece is kind of like the ground stone or footing for that, a symbol of what Johnny’s legacy is in the area and create a little more of a ripple effect. When people see it, they may ask, ‘Who is that, and why is this happening down here?’ Hopefully, in years to come, [the foundation] will be recognized for moving some students forward.”
_{Artist Steven Teller}

The artistic process

Part of the challenge was narrowing down the list of people to include, because Sandlin’s list of credits is so vast. Of the nine people they ultimately chose to flank Sandlin in the mural, brothers Gregg and Duane Allman were a must.

“That was the big start, obviously. Johnny was the drummer in the [Allman Brothers Band predecessor] band Hourglass, and the Allman brothers used to practice in what became [Johnny’s] studio later on, the guest house in the back of his parents’ property.”
_{Artist Steven Teller}

By the 1970s, Sandlin added producing to his repertoire and is best known for working with the brothers on “At Fillmore East,” “Eat a Peach,” “Brothers and Sisters,” and “Win, Lose or Draw” during that era.

Sandlin returned to Decatur in the 1980s and founded Duck Tape Studios, where he continued to work with major artists over the next several decades. He passed away in 2017 at age 72.

Who’s depicted in the mural

Of the many choices Teller and Cauthen considered, the following are depicted in the new music mural:

• Jimmy Hall
• Oteil Burbridge
• David Hood
• Derek Trucks
• Bonnie Bramlett
• Johnny Sandlin
• Duane Allman
• Gregg Allman
• John Bell
• Chuck Leavell

🎸Fun fact: Five of them were part of The Allman Brothers Band at one point or another — the Allmans (obv.), Oteil Burbridge, Leavell and Trucks.

When I stopped by to get a few photos of the completed mural one recent sunny Sunday, it was already serving its purpose of getting attention, inspiring selfies and sparking conversations.

I met and heard stories about Bob Dylan, the Amazing Rhythm Aces and Jerry Wexler from former Muscle Shoals Sound Studio engineer David Yates, who’d day-tripped over from Joppa with his wife, Debbie, to see the mural. As we talked, a couple of young families from Madison wandered over to admire the work, as well.

Here’s how to go see it for yourself:
📍217 Moulton Street East, Post Office Box 1702, Decatur, AL 35602

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