Oct 15, 2011 the original muscle shoals sound studio 19691978 and its successor 19781990s turned out hundreds of nationally charted singles. Rick hall, the producer who forged the southern soul style known as the muscle shoals sound, died on tuesday at his home in muscle shoals, ala. Author event with carla jean whitley, author of muscle. An illustrated encyclopedia of america recording studios of the twentieth century. We are all in this together and the stories of our music will soothe our souls. Muscle shoals research florence, al muscle shoals gold. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading muscle shoals sound studio. We will be sharing some of our favorite videos, books and interviews associated with muscle shoals sound and the muscle shoals music scene while we are closed for the covid19 outbreak. Fame was the foundation that produced muscle shoals sound studio, the nutthouse and. Apr 21, 2014 muscle shoals premieres on pbs independent lens on april 21, 2014. Carla jean whitley is a writer, editor and teacher based in birmingham, alabama, where she is managing editor. An estimated four hundred gold records have been recorded in the muscle shoals area.
Feel free to share some of your favorites with us as well. The group closed the jackson highway studio in 1979, moving the operation to alabama avenue. Muscle shoals sound studio 3614 jackson highway sheffield, al 35660. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. Muscle shoals ebook written by laura flynn tapia, yoshie lewis. Under the spiritual influence of the singing river as native americans called it, the music of muscle shoals is some of the most important and resonant of all time. Many of those are thanks to muscle shoals sound studio and the muscle shoals rhythm. They produced hit records that shaped the national and international history of popular music. Though small and distant from the main recording locations of the american music industry, fame has produced many hit records and was instrumental in what came to be. As a sound engineer and producer, hall and his rhythm section, the swampers, were a group of talented session musicians that created a unique sound hard to duplicate anywhere else in the world. Hall changed the course of popular music history in the early 1960s when he opened his fame recording studios in the tiny town of muscle shoals, ala. A heady history of brewing in the magic city, muscle shoals sound studio. The muscle shoals rhythm section roger hawkins, jimmy johnson, barry beckett, and david hood, often affectionately called the swampers is widely regarded as one of the most important american recording studio house bands emerging in the golden age of rock and soul.
How the swampers changed american music and balancing act. Muscle shoals sound studio opened in early 1969 by the muscle shoals rhythm section also known as the swampers david hood on bass, jimmy johnson on rhythm guitar, roger hawkins on drums, and barry beckett on keys. This is the story of legendary record producer rick hall and his historic role in the development of the worldfamous muscle shoals sound. The quartets members initially began working under contract during the mid60s at fame studio in. They included the records listed above, which also share something else in common. Muscle shoals sound studios label releases discogs. Muscle shoals sound studio by carla jean whitley isbn. The muscle shoals sound studio was formed in sheffield, alabama, in 1969 when a group of four session musicians called the swampers decided to leave the nearby fame studios in muscle shoals to. One of the reasons for the towns notoriety is the muscle shoals sound studio.
The tennessee river provides one natural boundary on its meandering, 652mile run from knoxville, tennessee, to the ohio river outside paducah, kentucky. Muscle shoals artistic roots learning adventures pbs. How the swampers changed american music whitley, carla. Artists in search of the mythical muscle shoals sound flocked to the new studio.
Both the city and the florencemuscle shoals metropolitan area including four cities in colbert and lauderdale. In an obscure northwest corner of alabama, a littleknown piece of music history is up for sale. The muscle shoals sound studio was a recording mecca for rhythm and blues, rock and pop artists in. She is a freelance writer whose work frequently appears in bookpage, lonely planet, birmingham magazine and other publications. The muscle shoals sound finally gets its due the new york times.
Thanks in part to the muscle shoals documentary and the beats by dr. Greg allman, bono, clarence carter, mick jagger, etta james, alicia keys, keith richards. Inside muscle shoals, the legendary studio that gave. Remembering rick hall and the musical alchemy of fame studios.
Muscle shoals sound, sheffield, alabama they were called the swampers. Read muscle shoals sound studio how the swampers changed american music by carla jean whitley available from rakuten kobo. Whitley cohosted and produced the triple take podcast, and is the author of three books, birmingham beer. The muscle shoals sound created at fame is often associated with the rival muscle shoals sound studio founded in 1969 by the swampers after an acrimonious split with hall. The jackson highway location is a museum during the day and a working, recording studio in the evenings. However, he has focused much of his research and writing about the muscle shoals recording studio, people from alabama in all genres of music and americans in the southern gospel music field, chiefly from the southeastern region of the.
Many of those are thanks to muscle shoals sound studio and the muscle shoals rhythm section, dubbed the swampers. Muscle shoals by laura flynn tapia, yoshie lewis books. The muscle shoals sound finally gets its due the new. Local studios and artists developed the muscle shoals sound, including fame studios in the late 1950s and muscle shoals sound studio in 1969. Carla jean whitley author of muscle shoals sound studio. Together, the two towns comprise half of north alabamas quad cities.
In 1969, after a split with hall, the swamperswho were now working with jerry wexler, a partner in atlantic recordsopened the rival muscle shoals sound studio, where the staple singers, paul. A music fans guide to muscle shoals this is my south. Its about rick hall, the founder of fame studios in alabama, which is credited with developing the muscle shoals sound. Initially they worked for rick hall, the founder of fame studios and they are recognized. Sep 20, 2003 in an obscure northwest corner of alabama, a littleknown piece of music history is up for sale. They began working together at rick halls fame studio in muscle shoals, alabama where they became wel. Not long after, the city of muscle shoals became known as the hit recording capital of the world. The man from muscle shoals tells the story of legendary record producer rick hall and his historic role in the development of the worldfamous muscle shoals sound. Visit the studios with the muscle shoals sound studio tour in sheffield alabama or the muscle shoals vip music tours the. A journey to the crossroads of rock n roll and too hot to handle. Jul 22, 2015 the muscle shoals sound finally gets its due. Rick hall made music history when he founded fame recording studios, the first professional recording studio in the entire state of alabama.
Today, both locations of muscle shoals sound studios are open daily for public tours. Jun 29, 2015 not long after, the city of muscle shoals became known as the hit recording capital of the world. Visit the studios with the muscle shoals sound studio tour in sheffield alabama or the muscle shoals vip music tours. Historic markers around town show where important music events took place. Jan 03, 2018 rick hall, the producer who forged the southern soul style known as the muscle shoals sound, died on tuesday at his home in muscle shoals, ala. The muscle shoals sound studio, muscle shoals, alabama contributor names highsmith, carol m. Fame was the foundation that produced muscle shoals sound studio, the nutthouse and sundrop sound at single lock records studios that gave a voice to artists like driveby truckers, jason isbell and the 400 unit and john paul white. While fending off a budding rivalry in the muscle shoals heyday with muscle shoals sound studio, which was formed by the swampers and would find huge success of its own, hall maintained confidence. From its establishment in 1969 by the muscle shoals rhythm section msrs until the mid1980s, the muscle shoals sound studios msss in sheffield, colbert county, was one of the most soughtafter recording studios in the nation. Nouveau studio muscle shoals sound a sheffield, alabama. Muscle shoals sound studio an estimated four hundred gold records have been recorded in the muscle shoals area. The legendary muscle shoals studio defined the sound of southern soul before becoming one of the goto studios for the biggest names in music. Muscle shoals by laura flynn tapia, yoshie lewis books on. We go to muscle shoals sound studio to learn about the history of the studio.
The day aretha franklin found her sound and a bunch of. The musical legacy of the recordings made at the studio rivals the sounds of detroit, memphis, and philadelphia. Aug 19, 2018 director greg camaliers great documentary muscle shoals, the story of a small town with a big sound, has a moment when the phenomenal output of the new studio set up by guitarist jimmy johnson. Towards the end of her short history of the muscle shoals sound studio. Fame was the foundation that produced muscle shoals sound studio, the nutthouse and sundrop sound at single lock recordsstudios that gave a voice to artists like driveby truckers, jason isbell and the 400 unit and john paul white. How the swampers changed american music kindle edition by whitley, carla jean. Dre foundation, these studios have been restored for visitors. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. They began working together at rick halls fame studio in muscle shoals, alabama where they became wellrenowned in the recording industry. The muscle shoals sound studio, muscle shoals, alabama. Muscle shoals sound studio carla jean whitley inkstained.
Located on the banks of the tennessee river, muscle shoals, alabama is the unlikely breeding ground for some of the most creative. Muscle shoals was regarded as the hit recording capital of the world. Among the first were the rolling stones, who in 1969. Inside muscle shoals, the legendary studio that gave aretha. Sep 04, 2014 parnassus books is thrilled to welcome carla jean whitley for a discussion and signing of her new book, muscle shoals sound studio. Muscle shoals sound studio is a recording studio in sheffield, alabama formed in 1969 by four session musicians called the muscle shoals rhythm section and affectionately called the swampers who had left rick halls nearby fame studios in muscle shoals to create their own recording facility. Among the first were the rolling stones, who in 1969, on their first american tour in four years, stopped off. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read muscle shoals. It is located along the tennessee river in the northern part of the state and, as of the 2010 census, the population of muscle shoals was,146. Muscle shoals is the largest city in colbert county, alabama, united states. Although a great deal has been written about muscle shoals sound studio and fame, neither studio s history had been captured in a book. Fame florence alabama music enterprises studios is a recording studio located at 603 east avalon avenue in muscle shoals, alabama, an area of northern alabama known as the shoals.
Since the 1960s, the city has been known for music. Mick jagger, left, and keith richards are depicted in a photo from the rolling stones december 1969 recording session at muscle shoals sound studio in sheffield. For additional information on the muscle shoals sound studio, see randy mcnutts guitar towns. Jul 22, 2014 muscle shoals sound studio paperback how the swampers changed american music. Muscle shoals sound studio is a recording studio in sheffield, alabama formed in 1969 by four. Title the muscle shoals sound studio, muscle shoals, alabama contributor names highsmith, carol m.
Author event with carla jean whitley, author of muscle shoals. Muscle shoals sound studio ebook by carla jean whitley. Muscle shoals sound studio opened in early 1969 by the muscle shoals rhythm section also known as the swampers david hood on bass, jimmy. Fame studio musicians referred to as the muscle shoals rhythm section gained notoriety as a result of the studios success and are part of the legacy of the muscle shoals sound. The alabama avenue location is open as a museum and a concert hall offers scheduled musical and historical events.
Barry beckett keyboards, roger hawkins drums, jimmy johnson 4 guitar and david hood bass they became known as the muscle shoals. The original muscle shoals sound studio is actually located in a cramped building in nearby sheffield. An estimated four hundred gold records have been recorde. Located on the banks of the tennessee river, muscle shoals, alabama is the unlikely breeding ground for some of the most creative and defiant music in american history. This book provides an overall view of the studio and its history. The day aretha franklin found her sound and a bunch of men. Muscle shoals sound studios encyclopedia of alabama. Us recording studio founded in 1969 by four musicians, who left the nearby fame recording studios, to build up their own work station. Writerphotographer bill jarnigan, who lives in the region around muscle shoals in florence, al, writes about a variety of subjects. One of the anthems of the civil rights movement was respect yourself by the staple singers, recorded at muscle shoals sound studio released in october of 1971 on the stax label. Aug 17, 2018 artists in search of the mythical muscle shoals sound flocked to the new studio.
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