Muscle Shoals – a powerhouse of hit music

Source: msnha.una.edu

Muscle Shoals, Alabama is not the typical place one would expect music elite to record their songs and albums. More often, one thinks of Los Angeles, Nashville, or New York City for such an endeavor. But, this smallish metropolitan area tucked into the scenic northwest corner of Alabama and nicknamed The Shoals, has been a recording powerhouse for many decades. At last count, an estimated 400+ gold records have been recorded here – that’s minimum album sales of 500,000 and many went on to be platinum (exceeding 1,000,000 albums sold) and multi-platinum.

Inside the restored Muscle Shoals Sound Studio – Source: tripreporter.co.uk

The Shoals metropolitan area contains approximately 150,000 residents and includes the primary cities of Florence (yellow on map below), Muscle Shoals (orange), Tuscumbia (green), and Sheffield (lavender). It is pretty safe to say that no other place on Earth has more recording studios per capita than The Shoals.

Source: colbertcountytourism.org

Referred to as the “Hit Recording Capital of the World,” the music industry is so important to The Shoals, that a National Heritage Area has been established in the region, with a significant focus the music recorded here. The Shoals is also home to the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, the birthplace/museum of blues great W.C. Handy, and the Library of African American Digital Music. Lastly, the long tradition of music making here is continued by the University of North Alabama’s multiple music studios in Florence.

Alabama Music Hall of Fame – Source: alamhof.org

The list of performers who have recorded at one of the studios here is like a Who’s Who of rock, country, blues, rhythm & blues, gospel, soul, and other genres. This post will identify the studios that have made Muscle Shoals an epicenter of music and list the names of many stars who have recorded at the various studios. The studios are presented in alphabetical order:

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Cypress Moon Studio

(2005-present) – Sheffield, Alabama

Source: tennesseerivervalleygeotourism.org

The building once was the expanded location for Muscle Shoals Sound Studio (1979-1985). A list of artists who recorded there are shown under a separate listing.
Served as the recording studio for Jackson, Mississippi based soul and blues music label Malaco Records from 1985 to 2005. Among the artists who recorded there were:
- Johnny Taylor
- Bobby Bland
- Z.Z. Hill
- Little Milton
Became Cypress Moon Studios for music and film recording/production in 2005

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East Avalon Recorders

(1977-1988 and 2001-present) Muscle Shoals, Alabama

Source: discogs.com

Established by Wishbone engineer Steve Moore, who owned it until 1988
Notable artists who have recorded here include:
- The Forester Sisters (2 albums)
- Alan Jackson
- B.J. Thomas
- The Kendall’s (2 albums)
- George Jones
- Hank Williams Jr.
- Johnny Paycheck (1987) – album Modern Times
- Clarence Carter (1981) – album In Person

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FAME Recording Studios

(1959-present) – Muscle Shoals, Alabama

Source: pinterest.com

Birthplace of the “Muscle Shoals Sound”
Began in Florence, but moved to Muscle Shoals in 1961.
More than 300 million records sold that have been recorded here
Pop, rhythm & blues, and country music primarily produced here
Artists who have recorded here include:

- Etta James (1960) – album Tell Mama
- Otis Redding (1966) – song “You Left the Water Running”
- Wilson Pickett (1966-1968) – album The Sound of Wilson Pickett
- Aretha Franklin (1969)- album I’ve Never Loved a Man they WayI Love You
- Bobbi Gentry (1967) – portions of her album Fancy
- Clarence Carter (1968)
- Liza Minelli (1970) album New Feelin’
- Little Richard (1970) – album The Rill Thing
- The Osmonds (1971) – album Osmonds

Source: famestudios.com/our-history/

- Donny Osmond
- Mac Davis (1971) partially recorded the album Baby, Don’t Get Hooked on Me
- Duane Allman (1972) – portions of the album An Anthology
- Marie Osmond (1974)
- Paul Anka
- Ray Stevens
- Tom Jones
- Billy Ocean
- Andy Williams (1975) – songs “Tell It Like It Is” and “Going Through the Motions”
- Charlie Daniels
- Conway Twitty
- Tammy Wynette & George Jones (1980) – album Together Again
- Oak Ridge Boats (1982) – album Bobby Sue partially recorded here
- Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers
- Jerry Reed (1982) – album The Bird
- Shenandoah (1988 and 1989) – albums The Road Not Taken and Extra Mile
- John Michael Montgomery (1994) – song “I Swear”
- Tim McGraw (1995) – song “I Like It, I Love It”
- Reba McEnitre
- Dixie Chicks – song “One You’ve Loved Somebody”
- Martina McBride
- George Strait
- Alabama
- Billy Ray Cyrus
- Kenny Chesney
- Drive By Truckers (2004) – album The Dirty South
- Jason Isbell (2007) – album Sirens of the Ditch
- Band of Horses
- Alicia Keys (2012) – song “Pressing On”

Alicia Keys at FAME Studio – Source: pinterest.com

- Phish (2013 ) – portions of the album Fuego
- Demi Lovato (2018)

Demi Lovato (right) – Source: al.com

- Vince Gill (2018) song “True Love”
- Willie Nelson and Lee Ann Womack (2018) – song “Gotta Serve Somebody”
- Greg Allmän (2016) – album Southern Blood
- Alan Jackson (2018) – song “Wild Horses”
- Alison Krauss (2018) – song “Come & Go Blues”
- Steven Tyler (2018) – song “Brown Sugar”

Source: famestudios.com/our-history/

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