The world-famous Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama was my favorite thing on the Southern States Tour. The name of this area originates from a misspelling of the shellfish which congregate on the shoals of the adjacent Tennessee river, but the town is much better known for its recording facility.
Founded in 1969 by four session musicians from the nearby FAME Studios, the studio attracted noted artists from across the United States and Great Britain. The founders, Barry Beckett (keyboards), Roger Hawkins (drums), Jimmy Johnson (guitar) and David Hood (bass) were known initially as "the second FAME Gang" but soon became famous as The Swampers. The studio band is widely credited with crafting the unique "Muscle Shoals Sound" in conjunction with producer Rick Hall.
The first album recorded at Muscle Shoals was Cher's "3614 Jackson Highway" which took the street address of the studio for its title.
Over the years, artists who recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio included Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Percy Sledge, Duane Allman, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Joe Cocker, Paul Simon, Bob Seger, Rod Stewart, Cat Stevens, Bob Dylan, Cher, George Michael, the Black Keys and perhaps most famously, the Rolling Stones. Over three nights in December 1969 the Stones tracked "You Gotta Move," "Brown Sugar" and "Wild Horses."
Everyone says Graceland is smaller than you'd expect, but it was the size of the studio building at Muscle Shoals which surprised me - it's tiny:
There is a small office/waiting room/gift shop at the front of the building and beyond that the studio occupies all of the ground floor. The photo below was taken inside the studio looking towards the rear where the control room is located.
Looking back towards the studio entry door. The couch and chair in this area have been here since the studio opened.
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| Mick Taylor of the Stones in front of said furniture |
The vocal booth is located at the front left corner of the studio. The fuzzy photo below shows Mick Jagger recording the percussion for "Brown Sugar" in the vocal booth.
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| Me in the vocal booth |
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| Me recording harmony vocals for my next single. |
Jimmy Johnson's guitar setup is at the left side just beyond the vocal booth:
The original studio piano and a period organ take up the remaining space at the left side between the guitar station and the control room:
The control room is located at the rear. All the equipment in the studio is either original or of the correct period....and it all works - recordings are regularly made in the studio to this day.
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| Rolling Stones in the control room |
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| Me listening to a playback in the control room |
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Tape machine located outside the control room
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David Hood's original bass guitar and amps are located at the right rear of the studio adjacent to the exterior door and the "listening porch".
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| Bass chart for "Still Crazy After All These Years" |
The drum booth is located towards the rear of the right side:
At the right side in front of the drum booth is the studio bathroom where Keith Richards wrote the guitar parts for "Wild Horses;" it was the only quiet space he could find!
It was common practice at the studio to stand outside on the porch to listen to playbacks....this area became the "listening porch."
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| Stones on the porch listening to a playback |
The basement below the studio was used for office space, song writing rooms and, since Muscle Shoals is located in the dry Colbert County, a secret speakeasy:
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| Amy Sheep behind the bar |
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| Me on the speakeasy couch |
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| In the room at the rear of the basement |
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| Rolling Stones invoice for studio time and tape |
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