The Shoals
Muscle Shoals has snared Aretha, Mick, and thousands of music lovers
To say that FAME Studios at 603 East Avalon Avenue in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, is at the corner of where and nowhere is pretty darn accurate. Surrounded by the typical strip mall development that mars landscapes across America, FAME sits in a hulking, unremarkable brown building along a gritty stretch of highway. There is absolutely nothing about this place that indicates it was once a petri dish for some of the most game-changing music in American history.
But in this northwestern Alabama respite, just about equidistant from Memphis and Nashville, Etta James recorded “I’d Rather Go Blind,” The Stones let loose “Wild Horses,” and the Staple Singers laid down the tracks for “I’ll Take You There.” And they were all backed by producer Rick Hall’s secret weapon: the studio’s rhythm section.
At a time when the state’s governor wanted “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever,” Hall, who still works at FAME [Editor's note: Hall has since passed away, in January 2018.], happily swapped prejudice for incendiary music. The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, fondly known as “The Swampers,” were Roger Hawkins, Jimmy Johnson, Barry Beckett, and David Hood—four local white guys (a fact that reportedly “gobsmacked” Wilson Pickett) who kept the beat on R&B (Wilson Pickett’s “Mustang Sally” and Etta James’ “Tell Mama”), deep soul (Aretha Franklin’s “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)”), singer/songwriter hits (Paul Simon’s “Kodachrome”), and blue-collar rock (Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll.”)
[Read this: A Music-Heritage Road Trip: The Americana Music Triangle provides a detailed driving guide through five Southern states.]
Although music is still being made at close to a dozen recording studios in town, it took the award-winning 2013 documentary film Muscle Shoals to shine a spotlight on the Shoals’ rich, rootsy legacy, a labor of love from filmmaker Greg “Freddy” Camalier with cameos by a slew of superstar artists, from Jagger to Bono to Aretha, recalling musical alchemy.
You wouldn’t be the first to watch the evocative documentary and then immediately point yourself in the direction of Muscle Shoals (just under seven hours from Baton Rouge, including a stunning stretch of the Natchez Trace parkway). Like Catholics to Lourdes, music lovers flock yearly to The Shoals (Florence, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia) to soak up the miraculous Muscle Shoals sound for themselves, touring studios so full of history that sightings of rock ‘n roll specters are sure to follow. And when the tours are over, there’s plenty left to do in The Shoals’ countryside of rolling hills and the Tennessee River’s rushing waters. Find our recommendations below:
Sounds
FAME Studios
603 East Avalon Avenue
Muscle Shoals, AL
Still a working studio, this is where the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section got its start. The place oozes history, and the décor is beyond retro. In the last fifty years, FAME recorded or published music that sold more than 350 million copies—a fact that recently got Johnny Depp’s attention. He is producing a TV series with IM Global TV based on Rick Hall’s autobiography, The Man From Muscle Shoals: My Journey from Shame to Fame. Tours run Monday through Friday, at 9 am and at 4 pm, and on Saturdays, 10 am–2 pm.
Muscle Shoals Music Foundation
3614 North Jackson Highway
Sheffield, AL
Founded by The Swampers as Muscle Shoals Sound Studio after they split from Hall and FAME. The likes of the Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, Paul Simon, and Cher recorded some of their biggest hits in this nondescript building in Sheffield. Recently renovated by Apple/Beats, the working studio can be toured hourly from 10:30 am–3:30 pm Monday through Saturday.
Cypress Moon Studios
1000 Alabama Avenue
Sheffield, AL
“Cypress Moon Studios” on Facebook
Originally The Swampers’ second home on the river. Artists including Bob Dylan, Julian Lennon, Bob Seger, and Steve Winwood recorded hits here. Now called Cypress Moon, concerts are held in the historic studios where many music icons recorded. (256) 764-1434 to set up a tour.
Alabama Music Hall of Fame
617 Highway 72 West
Tuscumbia, AL
Although this Tuscumbia site could use an update, it does pay homage to Alabama music makers including Tommy Shaw of Styx, Lionel Richie, Bobby Goldsboro, Jim Nabors, Emmylou Harris, and more. Climb aboard Alabama’s tour bus or make your own sound in an actual recording booth. Tours run Tuesday through Saturday, 9 am–5 pm.
Hear it live: There’s a vibrant little music scene in the Muscle Shoals area, and you just never know who is going to take the microphone—those Swampers may be in their early 70s, but they can still rock. Check out the Positive Vibe music jam most Sundays at Stephano’s, a kid-friendly Italian restaurant (no booze) that draws enthusiastic locals and the occasional Grammy award winner. Other venues include Swampers, The Wild Lilly, Warehouse 414, On The Rocks, and The Back Porch.
[You might like: Civil War Troubador.]
Tastes
Barbecue is revered in this part of Alabama—sloppy, juicy, smoky goodness that drips down your chin if you aren’t careful. Three altars to swine not to miss: Brooks Barbecue and Rick’s Barbecue, both in Muscle Shoals, and Bunyan’s Bar-B-Que in Florence. Bring your own bib.
Have a beer at Singin’ River Brewing Company in Florence, where the microbrew maestros honor the music and region with their own “Swamper,” a robust porter as genuine and authentic as that soulful Swamper sound. singinriverbrewing.com.
For a more upscale dining experience, reserve a table at Odette, where chef Josh Quick and owner Celeste Pillow deliver a menu of farm-influenced, innovative New American fare with Southern and global flavors (try the pan-roasted grouper with beet risotto). odettealabama.com.
Also in the darling downtown of historic Florence, lunch, brunch, or dine at City Hardware, Rick Elliott’s hardware store-turned neighborhood restaurant that specializes in locally sourced Southern comfort cuisine. cityhardwareflorence.com.
Sights
Helen Keller was born and reared in Ivy Green, her family’s home in Tuscumbia. Visit where real-life scenes from The Miracle Worker played out. You’ll see the famous pump where Keller first connected language to her dark and soundless world as well as reminders of Keller’s inspiring story. helenkellerbirthplace.org.
Tom Hendrix, who sadly passed away just a few months ago, built a stone tribute to his great-great-grandmother, a Yuchi girl forced to travel the Trail of Tears from her home by the Tennessee River to Oklahoma. She spent five years walking back to Alabama, keeping a journal along the way. Hendrix had her journals translated in the 1980s and honored her spirit by building the largest unmortared rock wall and memorial to a Native American woman in the United States. Tom’s Wall makes an appearance in the Muscle Shoals documentary. ifthelegendsfade.com.
Built for $12,000 in 1939, the same year Frank Lloyd Wright delivered his treatise on organic architecture, The Rosenbaum House is a low-slung structure of cypress, glass, and brick that is still outfitted with Wright’s original furniture and hardware today. Currently, it’s the only Wright structure in the Southeast that’s publicly accessible. wrightinalabama.com.