Overview of music traditions in the U.S. state of Alabama
Alabama
has played a central role in the development of both
blues
and
country music
.
Appalachian folk music
,
fiddle
music,
gospel
,
spirituals
, and
polka
have had local scenes in parts of Alabama. The
Tuskegee Institute
's School of Music (established 1931), especially the Tuskegee Choir, is an internationally renowned institution. There are three major modern orchestras, the
Mobile Symphony
, the
Alabama Symphony Orchestra
and the
Huntsville Symphony Orchestra
; the last is the oldest continuously operating professional orchestra in the state, giving its first performance in 1955.
State song
[
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]
The
state song
of Alabama is entitled "
Alabama
". It was written by
Julia Tutwiler
and composed by Edna Gockel Gussen. It was adopted as the state song in 1931.
A State Senate bill (SB-458) was passed 32?1 in 2000 to move "Alabama" to the status of State Anthem, with "
Stars Fell On Alabama
", a song written in 1933 whose most popular release was by
Jimmy Buffett
in 1972 becoming the new State Song, and "
My Home's in Alabama
" (1980) by the
Country
group
Alabama
would become the State Ballad, but the bill failed in the State House.
[1]
Other grass roots efforts to make "
Sweet Home Alabama
" (1974) by
Lynyrd Skynyrd
the state song have also failed, but the song's potential official status made a comeback when the State Tourism Agency chose the song as the centerpiece of its 2008 marketing campaign.
[2]
Recording studios
[
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]
Muscle Shoals, Alabama
is renowned worldwide as one of the epicenters of the music industry, having been the birthplace of a number of classic recordings. The studios of the
Muscle Shoals
area (
Florence
,
Sheffield
,
Muscle Shoals
, and
Tuscumbia
) figure prominently in the history of rock, country and R&B through the 1960s, 70s & 80s.
FAME Studios
,
Muscle Shoals Sound Studios
, Wishbone Studios, Quinvy Studios, East Avalon Recorders/ClearDay Studio, and others have recorded local musicians and international superstars alike. Notable artists have included
Aretha Franklin
,
Rolling Stones
,
Lynyrd Skynyrd
,
Otis Redding
,
Wilson Pickett
,
Bob Dylan
,
Paul Simon
,
Rod Stewart
,
Willie Nelson
,
Hank Williams Jr
,
Roy Orbison
, and countless others have recorded there. The notable studio house bands include
The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section
,
The Swampers
, The Muscle Shoals Horns, and The Fame Gang.
Though not as popular a recording center as before,
Muscle Shoals
continues to be an important contributor to American popular music and is home to a number of the world's most successful songwriters, musicians and producers.
Single Lock Records
currently operates a recording studio, record label, and performance venue in the area.
The
Hangout Music Festival
(est. 2010) is an annual 3-day music festival held at the public beaches of
Gulf Shores
, Alabama.
Halls of fame
[
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]
The
Alabama Music Hall of Fame
was created by the Alabama state legislature as a state agency in 1980. A 12,500 square foot (1,200 m²) exhibit hall opened in
Tuscumbia
in 1990.
The
Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame
(AJHoF) is located in
Birmingham
, housed in the historic
Carver Theatre
. It was founded in 1978 and opened a
museum
in 1993.
Styles of music
[
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]
Indigenous music
[
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]
Soul/R&B
[
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]
Many artists in the realms of
rhythm and blues
and
soul music
have emerged from Alabama over the past 50 years, including
Wilson Pickett
,
Percy Sledge
,
Martha Reeves
of
Martha and the Vandellas
.
Rick Hall
established FAME Studios. In 1966, Rick Hall helped license
Percy Sledge
's "
When a Man Loves a Woman
", produced by
Quin Ivy
, to
Atlantic Records
, which then led to a regular arrangement under which Atlantic would send musicians to Hall's Muscle Shoals studio to record.
[3]
The studio produced further hit records for
Wilson Pickett
,
James & Bobby Purify
,
Aretha Franklin
,
Clarence Carter
,
Arthur Conley
, and Otis Redding enhancing Hall's reputation as a white Southern producer who could produce and engineer hits for
black Southern
soul singers.
[4]
He produced many sessions using guitarist
Duane Allman
. Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham wrote "
I'm Your Puppet
" for
James & Bobby Purify
.
[5]
Members of
The Commodores
are from
Tuskegee
.
Rock/Pop
[
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]
Rock and pop musicians from Alabama are
Southern rock
/pop/R&B band
Wet Willie
, the rock band
Brother Cane
, the power pop band
Hotel
of Birmingham,
Bill McCorvey
of the country band
Pirates of the Mississippi
, songwriter/producer
Walt Aldridge
, and
Tommy Shaw
of the rock band
Styx
. Dan Penn, from Alabama , worked with the Box Tops. The Birmingham area has had more than its fair share of
American Idol
contestants do well, including second season winner
Ruben Studdard
(who played football for
Alabama A&M University
).
Blues and Jazz
[
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]
WC Handy
, often referred to as the "father of the blues", was born and raised in
Florence, Alabama
, which since 1982 holds an annual
WC Handy Music Festival
"to preserve, present, and promote the musical heritage of Northwest Alabama". The festival is usually held in the summer, and cake and other foods are typically served.
Piedmont
and
country blues
singer, guitarist, and songwriter
Ed Bell
was born near
Fort Deposit
.
Though born in Frayser, a community in North Memphis, Tennessee,
Johnny Shines
, Blues singer and guitarist, moved to Holt, Alabama, in Tuscaloosa County, in 1969, where he lived until he died. Shines died on April 20, 1992, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.[1] He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame later the same year.
Alabama has a rich
jazz
heritage, being the birthplace of such greats as
Lionel Hampton
,
Erskine Hawkins
,
Nat King Cole
,
Cleveland Eaton
,
James Reese Europe
,
Cootie Williams
,
William Manuel Johnson
,
Urbie Green
,
Ward Swingle
,
Cow Cow Davenport
, members of
Take 6
and many more. Tubist
Howard Johnson
of the
Saturday Night Live
band hails from
Montgomery
. The museum of the
Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame
honors many of these fine musicians. In the 1930s and 40s, college dance bands, such as the Alabama Cavaliers, the
Auburn Knights
and the
Bama State Collegians
played an important role in the history of jazz in the South.
Birmingham, Alabama
boasts several active big bands, including the SuperJazz Big Band, the Joe Giattina Orchestra, the Night Flight Big Band and the
Magic City Jazz Orchestra
, founded and directed by
Ray Reach
. In addition, there is a world-class horn section, the Tuscaloosa Horns, comprising some of Alabama's finest jazz/soul/funk instrumentalists. Also the newest/youngest break out big band in Alabama which incorporates everything from Duke Ellington to Bob Marley; the New South Jazz Orchestra which prominently features the Tuscaloosa Horns and the composing/arranging skills of members of the Tuscaloosa Horns.
Ward Swingle
, world-famous multiple Grammy Award-winning jazz vocal composer and pianist, hails from
Mobile
.
Birmingham contributed prominently to the history of jazz in America. It is the hometown of numerous influential jazz musicians, including bassist
Cleveland Eaton
, pianist and vocalist
Ray Reach
, guitarist
Johnny Smith
, trumpeter and bandleader
Erskine Hawkins
, trumpeter and arranger
Tommy Stewart
, trumpeter
Nelson Williams
, composer
Hugh Martin
, arranger
Sammy Lowe
, bandleader
Sun Ra
, vibraphonist and bandleader
Lionel Hampton
, singer and guitarist
Odetta
, John Propst (pianist for
Pete Fountain
and
Boots Randolph
) and many more. Historical areas such as
Tuxedo Junction
and the Fourth Avenue Historic District played an important role in the evolution of jazz in Birmingham and the United States.
Gospel
[
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]
Gospel music has an especially long tradition in the state, among both the
white
and
black
populations. Given the strongly religious coloring of Alabama's population historically, the genre is one example of many shared phenomena between the historically segregated cultures of the state. The two traditions are, however, distinct, and entail key distinctions, with Southern gospel incorporating elements of bluegrass and country music more strongly than "black" gospel.
Celtic
[
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]
The state also has a
Celtic music
scene, which has produced bands like
Henri's Notions
, After Class, and the Birmingham-based
harpist
Cynthia Douglass
, as well as a number of piping bands and promotional Celtic organizations.
Sacred Harp
[
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]
Alabama is the leading state for
Sacred Harp
singing. More annual singings are held in Alabama than in any other state.
[6]
The Sacred Harp: Revised Cooper Edition
, a version of
The Sacred Harp
used across the southern parts of
Georgia
, Alabama,
Mississippi
, and
Texas
,
[7]
is published by the Sacred Harp Book Company of
Samson, Alabama
.
[8]
The Sacred Harp/Shape Note Music and Cultural Center is located in
Bessemer, Alabama
.
Country, Bluegrass, and Old-time Music
[
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]
The State of Alabama has a rich history in
country
,
bluegrass
and
old-time
music. The influence of Mississippi
Delta blues
to the west and the ancient sounds of Appalachian Folk Music to the north blend with native Jazz sounds to form a brand of country music with a unique Alabama flavor. "Country music may be recorded in Nashville, but it was born in the Heart of Dixie." (Will Vincent, Tall Pines Bluegrass).
North Alabama's contribution to bluegrass music over the years has been exceptional. From former "Bluegrass Boys"
Rual Yarbrough
and Jake Landers, mandolin virtuoso Hershel Sizemore, fiddling legend Al Lester and the incomparable Claire Lynch, to modern day country-star-turned-bluegrass artist
Marty Raybon
, the list goes on and on.
Probably one of the most well-known musicians to ever hail from Alabama is
Hank Williams Sr.
, born in
Georgiana
. Hank's hits include "
I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
", "Lost Highway" and "
Jambalaya (On the Bayou)
". Hank and his wife Audrey are both buried in
Oakwood Cemetery
in
Montgomery
where the Hank Williams Museum resides downtown. A section of
Interstate 65
between Georgiana and Montgomery was commemorated the "Lost Highway" in memory of Williams in 1997.
Other notable residents include
Jimmy Buffett
, though born in
Pascagoula, Mississippi
, grew up in the
Mobile
area. Country star
Tammy Wynette
was born on the Mississippi/Alabama line.
The Louvin Brothers
were pioneers of tight harmony country and bluegrass vocalizations.
Vern Gosdin
is another influential country music legend who came from the state of Alabama.
Emmylou Harris
was born in Birmingham.
Shenandoah
from Muscle Shoals became major stars. The group
Alabama
from Fort Payne is often credited with bringing country music groups (as opposed to solo vocalists) into the mainstream, paving the way for the success of today's top country groups.
Musicians from Alabama
[
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]
Members of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame
[
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]
- Alabama
? country superstar band, based in
Fort Payne
- Arthur Alexander
? country-soul songwriter and singer, born in
Sheffield
- Ernest Ashworth
? country star and a member of the Grand Ole Opry for 44 years, known for his hit "
Talk Back Trembling Lips
", from Huntsville
- Blind Boys of Alabama
? gospel group, based in
Talladega
- Clarence Carter
? blues and soul singer, musician, songwriter and record producer, born in Montgomery
- Nat King Cole
? jazz and R&B musician/songwriter, born in
Montgomery
(d.1965)
- The Commodores
? soul/funk group formed in
Tuskegee
, had two number one Hot 100 hits, such as "
Three Times a Lady
" in 1978
- William Levi Dawson
? composer, organizer of the
Tuskegee School of Music
, from
Anniston
- Delmore Brothers
? from
Elkmont
- Cleveland Eaton
? jazz bassist, veteran of the
Count Basie Orchestra
and the
Ramsey Lewis Trio
, from Birmingham
- James Reese Europe
? ragtime and early jazz bandleader, arranger, and composer, born in Mobile
- Eddie Floyd
? soul-R&B singer and songwriter, born in Montgomery
- Joe L. Frank
? country music promoter from
Mt. Rozell
- Donna Jean Godchaux
? singer, best known for having been a member of the
Grateful Dead
from 1972 until 1979, born in Florence
- Rick Hall
?
record producer
from
Franklin County
- W.C. Handy
? father of the blues, born in
Florence
- Emmylou Harris
? country singer/songwriter, born in
Birmingham
- Erskine Hawkins
?
big band
leader
- Jake Hess
? gospel singer from
Limestone County
- Sonny James
? early country star, born in
Hacklebug
- James Joiner
? founder of
Tune Recording Studio
, songwriter, from
Florence
- Jamey Johnson
? singer, songwriter, and ACM and CMA award winner from
Enterprise
- Buddy Killen
? record producer and founder of
Dial Records
, executive at
Tree Publishing
- Louvin Brothers
? influential
close harmony
group, from
Section
- Chuck Leavell
? keyboardist, former member of the
Allman Brothers Band
, sideman for
Eric Clapton
and the
Rolling Stones
- Eddie Levert
? founding member of
The O'Jays
, born in
Bessemer
- Rose Maddox
? country singer-songwriter and fiddle player, who was the lead singer with the
Maddox Brothers and Rose
before a successful solo career, born in
Boaz
- Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section
? renowned studio band, consisting of
Jimmy Johnson
, guitar,
Roger Hawkins
, drums,
David Hood
, bass, and
Barry Beckett
, keyboards
- Jim Nabors
? actor and singer of standards and gospel, born in Sylacauga, attended the
University of Alabama
- Odetta
? singer, actress, guitarist, lyricist, and a civil and human rights activist, born in Birmingham
- Spooner Oldham
? songwriter & keyboardist, born in
Centre
- Dan Penn
? singer, songwriter & record producer, from
Vernon
- Sam Phillips
? founder of
Sun Records
, born in
Florence
- Wilson Pickett
? R&B star, born in
Prattville
- Curly Putman
? songwriter from
Princeton
- Martha Reeves
?
Motown
lead singer, born in
Eufaula
- Lionel Richie
? singer/songwriter, see also
Commodores
, born in
Tuskegee
, had five number one Hot 100 hits, including "
All Night Long (All Night)
" in 1983
- Jimmie Rodgers
? early country star, born in
Geiger
(d.1933)
- Tommy Shaw
? guitarist, singer, songwriter, rock bands Damn Yankees and Styx. Born in Prattville
- Billy Sherrill
? country producer, with 74 top 10 hits, born in
Phil Campbell
- Percy Sledge
? 1960s soul star, born in
Leighton
- Candi Staton
? singer-songwriter, born in
Hanceville
- Sun Ra
? jazz musician and composer, born in
Birmingham
- The Temptations
? four members:
Eddie Kendricks
(
Union Springs
),
Paul Williams
(
Birmingham
),
Melvin Franklin
(
Montgomery
), and
Dennis Edwards
(
Fairfield
)
- Dinah Washington
? jazz and blues singer, born in
Tuscaloosa
- Wet Willie
? Southern rock band from Mobile
- Jerry Wexler
? New Yorker with
Atlantic Records
, responsible for the rise of Muscle Shoals
- John T. "Fess" Whatley
? music educator, worked with the
Jazz Demons
, the first jazz band in Birmingham
- Hank Williams
? country music pioneer, born in
Georgiana
(d. 1953), buried in Montgomery
- Tammy Wynette
? country singer, lived in
Red Bay
(d.1998)
Other musicians from Alabama
[
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]
- Act of Congress
? band from Helena
- Alabama Shakes
? band from
Athens
, had a number one Billboard 200 album
Sound & Color
in 2015
- Hank Ballard
? R&B performer and songwriter, wrote "
The Twist
", lived in
Bessemer
- The Band Perry
? country trio from Mobile
- Belle Adair
? indie pop-rock band from Florence
- Bo Bice
? runner-up,
American Idol
Season 4
- Bibi Black ? trumpeter from
Huntsville
- The Bridges
? band from
Oxford
- Tony Brook
? songwriter, from
Luverne
- Brother Cane
? alternative band, based in
Birmingham
- Jimmy Buffett
? popular singer/songwriter, from
Mobile
, attended
Auburn University
for a year
- Oteil Burbridge
? jazz bassist, member of the
Allman Brothers Band
, from
Birmingham
- Larry Byrom
? rock guitarist, from
Huntsville
- Nell Carter
? Broadway and TV, born in
Birmingham
- Course of Nature
? alternative rock band from
Enterprise
- Seaborn McDaniel Denson
? Sacred Harp teacher and composer
- Thomas Jackson Denson
? Sacred Harp teacher and composer
- The Dirty Clergy
? garage rock/pop band from Marion County
- The Dexateens
? rock band, originated out of Tuscaloosa
- Doe B
? rapper from Montgomery
- Drive-By Truckers
? alternative rock band of Shoals-area natives
- Eddie Floyd
? R&B singer, born in
Montgomery
- Flo Milli
- rapper from Mobile
- William Lee Golden
? baritone singer with the country & gospel group
The Oakridge Boys
, lives in Brewton
- Gucci Mane
? rapper from Bessemer
- Lionel Hampton
? jazz vibes pioneer, lived in
Birmingham
- Ty Herndon
? country singer, lives in
Butler
- Taylor Hicks
? winner,
American Idol
Season 5, had a number one Hot 100 hit with "
Do I Make You Proud
" in 2006
- Brent Hinds
? singer/songwriter and guitarist, from Pelham, of heavy metal band
Mastodon
- Charlie Hodge
? musician for
Elvis Presley
, member of the "
Memphis Mafia
", born in
Decatur
- Lonnie Holley
, artist and musician from Birmingham,
Dust-to-Digital
Records
- Adam Hood
? singer/songwriter from
Opelika
- Hotel
? pop-rock band from Birmingham from 1973?1982, recorded 2 albums with MCA Records, some chart success; very popular regional act in their day
- The Immortal Lee County Killers
?
punk blues
band from
Auburn
, 1999?2007
- Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit
? an Americana band from Muscle Shoals, had a number four album on the Billboard 200 with
The Nashville Sound
in 2017
- Joe
? from Opelika, had a number one Hot 100 hit with "
Stutter
" ft.
Mystikal
in 2001
- Jamey Johnson
? Montgomery, AL
- Merle Kilgore
? country musician, lived in
Cullman
- Will Kimbrough
? singer/songwriter, producer, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, lived in
Mobile
- Frederick Knight
? R&B singer, songwriter and record producer, born in Birmingham
- Nicolette Larson
? 1970s songwriter, lived in
Birmingham
- Marty Lott, a.k.a. "The Phantom"
? rockabilly, born in
Prichard
- Shelby Lynne
? country music artist, singer-songwriter from St Stephens
- Maddox Brothers and Rose
? influential early country group, from
Boaz
- Man or Astro-man?
? surf rock revivalists,
Auburn
- Maylene and the Sons of Disaster
? Southern metal band based out of
Birmingham
- Brian McKnight
? R&B singer and producer, born in
Huntsville
- Allison Moorer
? Academy Award nominated country folk musician from Frankville
- Tommy Oliver
? pedal steel guitarist, lives in
Tuscumbia
- Wayne Perkins
? guitarist, singer, songwriter,
Muscle Shoals
studio musician, played on
Rolling Stones
album, from Birmingham
- Susanna Phillips
? soprano, winner of the Metropolitan Opera's 2010 Beverly Sills Artist Award, born in
Huntsville
- The Pierces
? Catherine & Allison Pierce, singers from Birmingham
- Shane Porter
? founder of the New South Jazz Orchestra, published composer/arranger, free-lance trumpeter, pianist, member of the Tuscaloosa Horns, from
Tuscaloosa
- Mac Powell
? founding member of
Christian Rock
band
Third Day
? born in
Clanton
- Ray Reach
? jazz pianist, from
Birmingham
- Rich Boy
? rapper, real name Maurice Richards, born 1985 in Mobile
- Rush of Fools
? alternative Christian band from Birmingham.
- Sex Clark Five
? strum and drum, alternative rock from
Huntsville
- St. Paul & the Broken Bones
? soul band from Birmingham
- State Line Mob
?
Southern rock
,
Country
duo group,
Florence
&
Muscle Shoals
natives, 2008 Winners of 2 Muscle Shoals music awards for Best new artist & Best new country album of the year.
- Tommy Stewart
? composer, arranger, pianist and trumpeter based in
Birmingham
- Ruben Studdard
? winner of
American Idol
, Born in
Birmingham
- Take 6
? contemporary gospel group, from
Huntsville
- Maria Taylor
? singer from Birmingham
- Toni Tennille
? half of 1970s hitmakers
Captain & Tennille
, born in
Montgomery
- Willie Mae "Big Momma" Thornton
? blues and R&B artist, born in
Ariton
- Trust Company
? rock band from Montgomery
- Drake White
? from Hokes Bluff
- Waxahatchee
? an indie music project by musician Katie Crutchfield from
Birmingham
- John Paul White
? alt-folk musician, former member of
The Civil Wars
, resides in
Florence, Alabama
- Hank Williams Jr.
? country music star, lived in
Cullman, Alabama
- Yelawolf
? (Michael Wayne Atha) rapper and singer-songwriter from Gadsden
See also
[
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]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
[1]
Archived
April 6, 2006, at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
[2]
[
dead link
]
- ^
"Quin Ivy - Biography & History"
.
AllMusic
. Retrieved
January 2,
2018
.
- ^
"Otis Redding Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More"
.
AllMusic
.
- ^
"Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham interview"
.
Furious.com
. Retrieved
November 25,
2021
.
- ^
"Directory of Singings 2015"
. Mcsr.olemiss.edu. October 15, 2015. Archived from
the original
on January 21, 2015
. Retrieved
October 26,
2015
.
- ^
James B. Wallace (June 4, 2007).
"Stormy Banks and Sweet Rivers: A Sacred Harp Geography"
. Southern Spaces
. Retrieved
October 26,
2015
.
- ^
"Chapter 1- Tunebooks, Music Books, and Hymnals"
. Mcsr.olemiss.edu. Archived from
the original
on December 29, 2014
. Retrieved
October 26,
2015
.
External links
[
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]