Mrs. Carrie B. “Mama” Cunningham was a pioneering business leader who spent the majority of her adult life on Atlanta’s famous “Sweet Auburn” Avenue. Before establishing herself as a cornerstone of the local business community, she worked as a circus performer. Throughout her career, Cunningham was widely recognized for her distinct personal aesthetic, inspired by her deep fascination with the exotic peacock. She regularly adorned herself with peacock pins, earrings, and themed fabrics. Later, while managing her premier nightspot, streams of peacock feathers were reported to cascade from the upper windows of her building.
Cunningham was born on November 29, 1890, in Southwest Georgia. In 1949, Cunningham expanded her commercial presence by taking over the location of the former Top Hat Club on Auburn Avenue. Originally opened in 1937, the Top Hat Club had previously hosted iconic big band leaders like Cab Calloway and Louis Armstrong. Cunningham renamed the venue the Royal Peacock after her favorite bird. Under her direction, the club featured a carpeted dance floor surrounded by booths and tables that could accommodate nearly 350 patrons. It quickly established itself as the crown jewel of Atlanta’s rhythm and blues circuit throughout the 1940s and 1950s.
The Royal Peacock became a launchpad and marquee venue for legendary Black entertainers with first Atlanta appearances for the likes of artist and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte Jr., Aretha Franklin, and the Supremes. All made their inaugural Atlanta performances on her stage. Other entertainers such as Ray Charles, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, and Ike and Tina Turner regularly performed at the club.
Also in 1949, Cunningham broadened her footprint in hospitality by purchasing the McKay Hotel on historic Auburn Avenue. She renamed the property the Royal Hotel, located at 214 Auburn Avenue, and promoted it as the South’s most modern lodging facility. During an era of strict racial segregation when Black artists and travelers were forbidden from using downtown hotel facilities, the Royal Hotel provided critical, high-quality accommodations. Celebrated stars such as Nat King Cole and Billy Eckstine consistently resided at the Royal Hotel whenever they came to Atlanta for shows.
After decades of shaping Sweet Auburn into a world-famous epicenter for Black enterprise, Mrs. Cunningham experienced several years of declining health. She passed away on August 24, 1973, at a convalescent home in Northwest Atlanta. Her funeral services were held at Big Bethel A.M.E. Church, situated directly in the heart of the community she championed, and is buried at Atlanta’s Southview Cemetery.
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