By Clay Johnson
Published: Thursday, March 3, 2005
For years our state has been housing a historical musical monument within its borders. I've always been amazed by its presence. It is so close-by, yet it has an historic musical importance that designates a permanent place in the hearts of many who adore the art form it helped sustain and shape. Perhaps it is not the most influential or most important musical landmark, but it was ours.
Muscle Shoals Sound Studios was founded in 1969 by Jimmy Johnson, David Hood, Barry Beckett and Roger Hawkins. These four men comprised the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, also known as the Swampers, and the house band for the studio. Located in a former casket warehouse in Sheffield, they sometimes referred to the studio as "the burlap palace." Atlantic Records producer and executive Jerry Wexler helped the boys out in the early days by sending a number of Atlantic's talents down here to record.
The first product of the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio was Cher's 1969 3614 Jackson Highway, which was named for the address of the studio. Soon artists like Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, Lulu, and Joe Cocker were recording singles and albums at Muscle Shoals.
In 1971, the Rolling Stones set up camp and recorded some tracks for their classic Sticky Fingers album at the Swampers' home turf. Apparently both "Brown Sugar" and "Wild Horses" were products of this stay. Not long after, Bob Seger recorded his Back in '72 album at the Shoals, and later went on to record four more albums there. Paul Simon reportedly searched around for the black musicians who had played on the Staple Singers' "I'll Take You There," only to find that he was in fact searching for the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section ("four white boys," as the story famously calls them). He went on to record for his 1973 There Goes Rhymin' Simon and some later projects at their studio.
Willie Nelson, Traffic, Percy Sledge, Boz Scaggs, Millie Jackson, and others produced with the Swampers during this era. The Simon and Garfunkel reunion single "My Little Town," from Art Garfunkel's solo 1975 album Breakaway, had come through the Shoals. Rod Stewart recorded for his Atlantic Crossing LP at the Sheffield-based hit factory, where he also did work for his later hit "Tonight's the Night." Cat Stevens, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and many others continued the studio's winning tradition.
1978 found the studio moving to a new location in a 31,000 square-foot restored historical building which formerly housed a United States Naval Reserve unit. Still in Sheffield but now located on the Tennessee River, Muscle Shoals Sound Studio's success story continued. 1979 alone found Joan Baez, James Brown, Isaac Hayes, Dire Straits, and Jimmy Buffett, among many others, working there. Bob Dylan also recorded his faith-influenced Slow Train Coming in Sheffield, with Mark Knopfler among the studio musicians (a year later, Dylan returned for studio time toward his subsequent album Saved).
Throughout the '80s, artists such as Levon Helm, Eric Clapton, Glenn Frey, Julian Lennon, and Carlos Santana recorded at Muscle Shoals. The Oak Ridge Boys worked on several LP's there throughout the decade. The group Alabama produced "There's No Way" at the studio, while T. Graham Brown, Sawyer Brown, and (apparently) George Michael joined a growing list of artists who had worked with Muscle Shoals. The next decade saw Etta James, Faith Hill, Melissa Etheridge, Joe Nichols, and others become part of that list.
For over three decades artists of incredibly high caliber have produced excellent music through the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. Some say the reason for its success lies with the Shoals Rhythm Section. The group, and indeed the studio and state that housed them, was immortalized in Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" with the lines "Now Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers, and they've been known to pick a song or two. Lord they get me off so much; they pick me up when I'm feeling blue-now how 'bout you?"
The "four white boys" have definitely been a part of the studio's allure. Bob Seger said that "the wonderful thing about them is the second you started playing the song, it sounded like a record." Their work with other artists obviously inspired many to come and work with them. Wexler said that they "played the blues so authentically that it caused a lot of head-scratching."
But some say the magic of Muscle Shoals lay in its aura, its atmosphere, and its location. It is located away from the hustle and bustle of the big city, and thus it allows for music to be the focus with minimal distraction. Yet there is also the element of being ensconced in the heartland and a place of strong musical tradition. Inspiration is mandatory when surrounded by such history.
In any event, the storied studio closed its doors on January 14 after recording its last sessions in December. The owners (Jackson, Mississippi's Malaco Records) cited declining business as the reason for Muscle Shoals to end its day in the sun. Major equipment from the studio has been sold to studios in Los Angeles and Detroit. Certain memorabilia from the studio may be donated to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The new owner of the property is a local film production company.
This is a sad day for Alabama and for music lovers. Muscle Shoals Sound Studio has produced some landmark recordings from major artists, and it was located in our state. I've always been proud of its legacy, and, while that aspect of the studio will live on, it is no longer active and so it truly is history. Yet this should not diminish the pride we should feel about the musical heritage of Alabama and the state's place in musical history.
A Rolling Stone article on the subject quoted co-founder David Hood as saying the following: "I don't want the closing of Muscle Shoals Sound to make anybody think that music is no longer happening here. It's been happening since before I started, and it's still going on today. It was always the people."