NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES REGISTRATION

NFS

Form

10-900

(Rev.

10-90)

United

States

Department

of

the

Interior

National

Park

Service

NATIONAL

REGISTER

OF

HISTORIC

PLACES

REGISTRATION

FORM

"7

#'''

i

J

1.

Name

of

Property

historic

name

Muscle

Shoals

Sound

Studio

other

names/site

number

3614

Jackson

Highway

2.

Location

street

&

number

3614

Jackson

Highway

city

or

town

Sheffield

_

state

Alabama

code

not

for

publication

N/A

vicinity

N/A

_________

AL

county

Colbert

code

033

zip

code

35660

3.

State/Federal

Agency

Certification

As

the designated

authority

under

the

National

Historic

Preservation

Act

of

1986,

as

amended,

I

hereby

certify

that

this

^nomination

Q

request

for

determination

of

eligibility meets

the

documentation

standards

for

registering

properties

in

the

National

Register

of

Historic

Places

and

meets

the procedural

and

professional

requirements

set

forth

in

36

CFR

Part

60.

In

my

opinion,

the property

^

meets

Q

does

not

meet

the

National

Register

Criteria.

I

recommend

that

this

property

be

considered

significant

£3

nationally

[U

statewide

Q

locally.

(Q

See

continuation sheet

for

additional

comments.)

Signature

of

certifying

official/Title

Alabama

Historical

Commission

(State

Historic

Preservation

Office)

Date

State

or

Federal

agency

and

bureau

In

my

opinion,

the

property

I I

meets

I I

does

not

meet

the

National

Register

criteria.

(I

I

See

continuation

sheet

for

additional

comments.)

Signature

of

commenting

or

other

official

Date

State

or

Federal

agency

and

bureau

4.

National

Park

Service Certification

I,

hereby

certify

that

this

property

is:

^-^r

DQentered

in

the

National

Register.

f

^*

*-*

I I

See

continuation

sheet.

l~]

determined

eligible

for

the

National

Register.

[U

See

continuation

sheet.

l~l

determined

not

eligible

for

the

National

Register.

l~"l

removed

from

the

National

Register.

[~1

other

(explain):________________

Date

of

Action

USDI/NPS

Registration

Form

Property

Name:

Muscle

Shoals

Sound

Studio

County

and

State:

Colbert

County.

Alabama

Page

2

5.

Classification

Ownership

of

Property

(Check

as

many

boxes

as

apply)

[3

private

1 1

public-local

O

public-State

1 1

public-Federal

categories

from

instructions)

Cat:

Commerce/Trade____________

Sub:

Business

Recreation

and

Culture

Music

Facility

Current

Functions

(Enter

categories

from

instructions)

Cat:

Recreation

and

Culture

_____

Sub:

Music

Facility

7.

Description

Architectural

Classification

(Enter

categories

from

instructions)

Other:

One

story,

freestanding

commercial

building_____

Materials

(Enter

categories

from

instructions)

foundation:

roof:

walls:

Concrete

Block

Composition

Concrete

Block

other:

Wood

Narrative

Description (Describe

the

historic

and

current

condition

of

the property

on

one or

more continuation

sheets.)

USDI/NPS

Registration

Form

Property

Name:

Muscle

Shoals

Sound

Studio

County

and

State:

Colbert

County.

Alabama

PageS

8.

Statement

of

Significance

Applicable

National Register

Criteria

(Mark

"x"

in

one

or

more

boxes

for

the

criteria

qualifying

the property

for

National

Register

listing)

[>3

A

Property

is

associated

with

events

that

have

made

a

significant

contribution

to

the broad

patterns

of

our

history.

F1

B

Property

is

associated

with

the

lives

of

persons

significant

in

our

past.

|~~|

C

Property

embodies

the

distinctive characteristics

of

a

type,

period,

or

method

of

construction

or

represents

the

work

of

a

master,

or

possesses

high

artistic

values,

or

represents

a

significant

and

distinguishable

entity

whose

components

lack

individual

distinction.

[H

D

Property

has

yielded,

or

is

likely

to

yield

information

important

in

prehistory

or

history.

Criteria

Considerations

(Mark

"X"

in

all

the

boxes

that

apply.)

PI

A

owned

by

a

religious

institution

or

used

for

religious

purposes.

[~1

B

removed

from

its

original

location.

[~1

C

a

birthplace

or

a

grave.

O

D

a

cemetery.

PI

E

a

reconstructed

building,

object,

or

structure.

I I

F

a

commemorative

property.

^

G

less

than

50

years

of

age

or

achieved

significance

within

the

past

50

years.

Areas

of

Significance

(Enter

categories

from

instructions)

Performing

Arts_________________

__________________________

Period

of

Significance

1969-1978

Significant

Dates

N/A____'

Significant

Person

(Complete

if

Criterion

B

is

marked

above)

N/A

Cultural Affiliation

N/A

______

____

Architect/Builder

N/A

Narrative

Statement

of

Significance

(Explain

the

significance

of

the

property

on

one

or

more

continuation

sheets.)

9.

Major

Bibliographical

References

(Cite the

books,

articles,

and

other

sources

used

in

preparing

this

form

on

one

or

more

continuation sheets.)

on

file

(NPS):

I I

preliminary

determination

of

individual

listing

(36

CFR

67) has

been

requested.

f~1

previously

listed

in

the

National

Register

l~~l

previously

determined

eligible

by

the

National

Register

[~1

designated

a

National

Historic

Landmark

[~1

recorded

by

Historic

American

Buildings

Survey

#

___

f~l

recorded

by

Historic

American

Engineering

Record

#

Primary

Location

of

Additional

Data:

[H

State

Historic

Preservation

Office

[H

Other

State

agency

I I

Federal

agency

[H

Local

government

n

University

D

Other

Name

of

repository:

N/A

USDI/NPS

Registration

Form

Property

Name:

Muscle

Shoals

Sound

Studio

County

and

State:

Colbert

County.

Alabama

Page

4

10.

Geographical

Data

Acreage

of

Property

less

than

one

acre

UTM

References

(Place

additional

UTM

references

on

a

continuation

sheet)

Zone

Easting

Northing

Zone

Easting

Northing

1

16

438330

3847300

4

___

___ ___

2

___

5

___

___ ___

3

___

___ ___

6

.___

___ ___

Verbal

Boundary

Description (Describe

the

boundaries

of

the

property

on

a

continuation

sheet.)

Boundary

Justification

(Explain why

the

boundaries

were

selected

on

a

continuation

sheet.)

11.

Form

Prepared

By

name/titleGene

A.

Ford.

Architectural

Historian/Christy

Anderson.

NR

Reviewer______________________

organizationThe

Office

of

Archaeological

Research/Alabama

Historical

Commission_________

date

10/07/2005

street

&

numberl3075

Moundville

Archaeological

Park/468

S.

Perry Street

telephone205.371.8713/334.230.2688

city or

townMoundville/Montgomerv_______________

stateAL____

zip

code

35474/36130-0900

Additional

Documentation

___________________________________________________

Submit

the

following items

with

the

completed

form:

Continuation

Sheets

Maps

A

USGS

map

(7.5

or

15

minute

series)

indicating

the

property's

location.

A

sketch

map for

historic

districts

and

properties

having

large

acreage

or

numerous

resources.

Photographs

Representative

black

and

white

photographs

of

the

property.

Additional

items

(Check

with

the

SHPO

or

FPO

for

any

additional

items)

Property

Owner

(Complete this

item

at

the

request

of

the

SHPO

or

FPO.)

name

Noel

Webster___________________________________

street

&

number3614

Jackson

Highway

telephone256.783.2641

city or

town

Sheffield,

stateAL

zip

code

35660

NFS

Form

10-900-a

OMB

No.

1024-0018

(8-86)

United

States

Department

of

the

Interior

National

Park

Service

NATIONAL

REGISTER

OF

HISTORIC

PLACES

CONTINUATION

SHEET

name

of

property:

Muscle

Shoals

Sound

Studio

Section

7

Page

1_____________county

and

State

Colbert

County,

Alabama__________

VII.

Narrative

Description

The

original Muscle

Shoals

Sound

Studio

(MSSS)

at 3614

Jackson

Highway

in

Sheffield

is

located

in

the

northwest

corner

of

Alabama.

Sheffield

is

sandwiched between

Tuscumbia

to

the

South,

Muscle

Shoals

to

the

east,

and

Florence

to

the

North.

The

area

comprising

the

four

cities

is

collectively

known

as

Muscle

Shoals.

Built

circa

1945-46,

the

concrete

block,

stucco

and

permastone

clad MSSS

is

situated

on

a

small

city

block

amongst

residences,

commercial

buildings,

and

a

cemetery.

The

original

MSSS

at

3614

Jackson

Highway

retains

a

high

degree

of

integrity.

The

Rolling

Stones'

movie

Gimme

Shelter

provides

an

apt

introduction

to

the

setting

of

3614

Jackson

Highway.

In

the

1969

rockumentary,

the

Stones

are shown

tumbling

into

a

Ford

sedan

at

the

Holiday

Inn

in

Florence and

shuffling

over

the

O'Neal

Bridge.

Not

shown

in

the

scene

are

a

series

of

shoals

along

the Tennessee

River,

which

lie

below

the

bridge

and

separate

Florence

from

Sheffield.

In

times

past,

the

shoals

were

home

to

mussels,

bivalve

shellfish,

that

along

with

the

shallow

craggy

waters

passed

on

their

names

to

Sheffield's

sister

city

to

the

east,

Muscle

Shoals,

and

the

subject

recording

studio.

A

short

moment

later,

and

the

trip

is

really

that

short,

the

Stones

arrive

at

3614

Jackson

Highway

and

a

date

with

destiny

from

which

wild

horses

could

not

drag

them

away.

Although

the

Keep

Alabama

Beautiful

sign

depicted

in

the

movie

no

longer

stands across

the

highway

from

the

recording

studio,

much

in

the

setting

is

the

same

as

it

was

35

years

ago.

The

MSSS

is

part

of

a

small

collection

of

commercial

buildings

sparsely situated

along

this

stretch

of

the

Jackson

Highway.

Several

of

the

buildings,

including

the

recording

studio, were

built

in

the

decades

proceeding

World

War

II.

These

edifices

feature

concrete

block

and

hollow

tile

construction

and little

to

no

embellishment.

Present

in

the

collection

are

one

half

dozen

or

so

buildings

built

in

the

1920s.

Streamlined

in

design

and

clad

in

brick

and

stucco,

these

buildings

and

a

small

number

of

bungalows

scattered

throughout

the

area

represent

a

subdivision

that

did

not

come

to

full

fruition

before

Henry

Ford

withdrew

plans

to

build a

mighty

automobile

manufacturing center

in

Muscle

Shoals.

A

recession

ensued

and

killed

development

projects

throughout

the

Quad Cities

of

Muscle

Shoals,

Sheffield,

Florence,

and

Tuscumbia.

Oakwood

Cemetery

lies

across

the

highway

from

3614

Jackson

Highway.

A

mature

vegetation screen

conceals

a

number

of

grave

markers

from

view.

This

vegetation

screen

was

not

present

to

give these

headstones

shelter

back

in

1969;

consequently, they

got

a

very

minor

and

silent part

in

the

Stones'

movie

when

the

film

maker

panned

across

the

studio

parking

lot

and

took

in

the

Jackson

Highway

scene.

Gimme

Shelter's

brief

tribute

to

the parking

lot

of

the

MSSS

does

not

include

a

view

to

the

south.

Had

the

film

maker

turned

his

camera

southward,

he

would

have

encountered

an

alley.

This alley

runs

between

Jackson

Highway

and

Tennessee

Street.

Tennessee

Street

intersects

the

highway

at

an

angle

approximately

100

feet

to

the

west.

Three

commercial

buildings

stand

between

Tennessee

Street

and

the

alley.

Built

circa

1945-6,

these

concrete

block

and

brick

clad

buildings along

with

the

MSSS

served

as

the

Gibson

Blind

Factory.

For

a

decade,

the

factory

machines

kept

a

rhythmic

pace

cutting

and

assembling

wood

blinds.

Gibson

closed

in

the

late

1950s.

These

buildings

stood

vacant

in

1969,

as

they

are

now.

The

current

owner

of

the

recording

studio

also

owns

these

edifices,

and

is

in

the

process

of

renovating

them.

When

renovations

are

complete,

the

buildings

will

function

as

a

gift

shop,

cafe,

and

internet

bar

in

conjunction

with

3614

Jackson

Highway.

Because

these

buildings

did

not

function

as

part

of

the

studio

during the

period

of

significance,

1969

to

1978,

and

stand

on

a

separate

lot

from

3614

Jackson

Highway,

this

trio

is

not

included

in

this

nomination.

The

original

MSSS

is

located

at

the

end

of

a

block

bounded

by

Jackson

Highway

to

the

northwest,

State

Street

to

the

north,

Tennessee

Street

to

the

South,

and

Milner

Street to

the

east.

The

recording

studio

lot

lies

somewhat midway

NFS

Form

10-900-a

0MB

No.

1024-0018

(8-86)

United

States

Department

of

the

Interior

National

Park

Service

NATIONAL

REGISTER

OF

HISTORIC

PLACES

CONTINUATION

SHEET

name

of

property:

Muscle

Shoals

Sound

Studio

Section

7

Page

2_____________county

and

State

Colbert County,

Alabama__________

between

State

and

Tennessee

Streets.

Oriented

in

a

northwest/southeast

direction,

the

lot

measures

50

feet

wide

along

Jackson

Highway,

100

feet

deep,

and

50

feet

along

the

aforementioned

alley.

The

5,000

square

foot

lot

is

sparse

in

its

landscape

design.

The

camera

man

for

the

Stones

found

this

to

be

the

case

in

1969.

The

sole

vegetation

cover

consists

of

grass,

which

blankets

the

north,

east,

and

south

sides

of

the

studio

grounds.

Ground

stones

and

dirt

spread

across

the

slightly

rolling

parking

area

on

the

west

side.

Cracked

possibly

from

all

the

foot

traffic

that

once

beat

a

path

to

the

front

door,

or

from

all

the

shake,

rattle,

and

rolling

that

went

on

inside,

a

sidewalk

extends

from

the

front

of

the

studio

to

the

Jackson

Highway.

This

sidewalk

is

the

very

one

on

which

Cher,

Sonny, and

a

host

of

musicians

stood

on

in

a

1969

photograph

taken

while

Cher

was

recording

an

album

that

came

to

be

aptly

titled

"3614

Jackson

Highway."

Somewhat

in

the

middle

of

this

renowned

piece

of

Sheffield

real

estate

is

the

original MSSS

building.

The

music

studio

has

a footprint

that

measures

25

feet

wide

and

68

feet

deep.

A

4

feet

deep

canopy

extends

across

the

south

end.

At

the

southeast

corner,

there

is

a

set

of

stairs

that

are

6

feet

wide

and

13

feet

deep.

The

building

has

two

levels: a

ground

floor

and

a

basement. Characteristic

of

the

mid

to

late 1940s,

the

building

is

built

of

concrete

blocks.

A

shed

roof

crowns

the

studio.

This

roof

features

tar

and

asphalt

sheet

composition.

A

parapet

projects slightly

above

three

sides

of

the

roof.

On

the

fa9ade,

the

parapet

is

uniform

in

height

while

on

the

two

long

sides

of

the

building

it

steps

down

from

the

fa9ade

to

the

rear.

The

current

owner

recently

installed

an

inconspicuous

gutter

at

the

rear

of

the

building

to

divert

water

from

collecting

at

the

base

of

the

southeast

wall

where

it

was

leaking

into

the

basement.

The

facade

of

the

utilitarian

building

is

not

without

some

stylistic

appeal.

A

veneer

of

permastone

features

a

somewhat

attractive

pattern

of

randomly placed

thin

and

thick

and

light

and

darker

tone

stones.

The

central

bay

of

the

three

bay

facade

has a

recessed

and

open

vestibule

measuring

5

feet

wide

at

the

front

and

3

feet

wide

at

the

back. An

inset,

single

leaf,

solid

core, wood

door

occupies this

opening.

Voussoirs

and

a

keystone

adorn the

lintel

above

the

door.

Flanking

either

side

of

this

entrance

are

plate

glass

windows,

which

are

set

at

angles

to

the

door.

Above

the

central

bay

is

another

lintel

with

voussoirs

and

a

keystone.

Two

permastone

studded

pylons stand

at

attention between

the

three

bays.

Large

plate

glass

windows

fill

voids

in

the

other

bay

walls.

Like

the

central

entrance,

voussoirs

and

a

keystone

crown

the tops

of

the

windows.

Resting

atop

the

two

pylons

is

the

recording

studio's

signature

signage.

Rounded

at

the

ends

and

measuring

approximately

1.5

feet

tall

and

19

feet

long,

the

metal

sign

bears

the

address

"3614

Jackson

Highway."

Although the

unassuming

sign indicates

nothing

about

music,

everyone

in

the

music

world

from

music

producers

to

musicians

to

fans

knows

the

address

is

synonymous

with

the

Muscle

Shoals

Sound

Studio.

By

comparison,

the

rest

of

the

exterior

is

quite

simple.

Stucco

coats

the

other

three

sides

of

the

building.

Fenestration

on

the

southwest

side

consists

of

three

basement

casement

windows,

and

a

single

leaf,

wood

door.

Other

southwest

side

characteristics

include

an

opening

for

an

air

conditioner

wall

unit

and

two

central

air

and

heat

duct

openings.

A

six

foot

by

13

foot,

concrete

block

porch

with

metal,

open

rail

balustrades

fronts

the

door.

The

porch

is

currently

without

a

roof.

The

owner

removed

the

which

was

not

original,

and

plans

to

build

a

new

one

in

the

likeness

of

the

original.

Four

windows

(three

of

which

have been

covered

with

wood

sheets)

on

the

first

level

and

a

single

leaf,

wood door

on

the

basement

level

comprise

the

fenestration

on

the

southeast

side.

Fronting the

door

is

a

4

foot

long

and

6

foot

wide

canopy

with

a

shed

roof.

Seven

openings

punctuate

the

northeast

wall.

Unlike

the

first

level

windows

on

the

southeast

side,

which

are

in

various

states

of

6/6

double

hung

sash

design,

the

first

level

window

on

the

northeast

side

has

a

single,

fixed,

pane

of

glass.

Two

air

conditioner

units

occupy

rectangles

cut

into

the

wall

near

the

fa9ade.

Two

of

the

four

basement

NFS

Form

10-900-a

OMB

No.

1024-0018

(8-86)

United

States

Department

of

the

Interior

National

Park

Service

NATIONAL

REGISTER

OF

HISTORIC

PLACES

CONTINUATION

SHEET

name

of

property:

Muscle

Shoals

Sound

Studio

Section

7

Page

3._____________county

and

State

Colbert

County,

Alabama__________

windows

feature

1/1

casements

like

the southwest

side;

the

other

two

basement

casements

have

been

removed.

Security

bars

cover

the

casement

windows.

According

to

Noel

Webster, the

current

studio

owner,

and

a

Colbert

County

Property Record Card,

the

addition

of

the

side

and

rear

canopies

and

the

air

conditioning

modifications

occurred

between

1969

and

1974

(Webster

2004;

Colbert

County

2000). With

the

interior

and

exterior

doors

and

windows

closed

for

sound

control,

the

studio

became

smoke

congested

and

intolerably

hot,

especially

during

the

summer;

so,

the

members

of

the

Muscle

Shoals

Rhythm

Section

added air

conditioning

for

climate

control

and

ventilation.

The

canopies

afforded

protection

from

the

elements

while loading

and

unloading

gear

as

well

as

taking

a

break

from

the

action

inside.

The

porches

were

often

the

site

of

impromptu

jam

sessions.

During

one

trip

to

the

studio, Bob

Dylan

played

the

blues

with

Eddie

Hinton,

one

of

the

house musicians,

on

the

side

porch

(Webster

2004;

Ritz

1993:296).

Were

it

not

for

these

additions,

the

exterior

of

the

famed

tune

factory would

resemble

its

pre

studio

days.

Historic photographs

show

that

the

original

MSSS

has

changed

very

little

over

the

last

five

decades.

The

aforementioned

1969

Cher

photograph

shows

the

fa9ade

of

the

studio

looking

very

much

like

it

does

today;

however,

there

is

one

noticeable

difference:

the

door

consisted

of

double

leafs,

each

leaf

of

which

had

a

single

pane

of

glass.

Some

time

between

1969

and

1973,

the

MSRS replaced

this

door

with

the

current

one

for

security

purposes

and

in

order

to

mute

outside

traffic

noise

and

thereby

produce

better

sounds

for

bands

like

Traffic

inside.

Traffic

with

Stevie

Winwood,

Jim

Capaldi,

and

Dave

Mason

recorded

there

in

1972-1973.

In

a

1973

photograph

of

Willie

Nelson

and

Atlantic

Records,

Vice

President

Jerry

Wexler

outside

3614

Jackson

Highway

trading

hits

and

hats,

the

present

door

is

barely

visible. Quite

visible

are

the

distinctive

permastone

veneer,

pylons,

and

signature

signage

of

the

studio

facade.

Requiring

no

facelift,

these

features

have

aged

well.

The

layout

of

the

first

floor

reflects

the

building's

past

and

present

use

as

a

recording

studio.

A

wall

approximately

16

feet

from

the

street

side

separates

office

space

from

the studio

proper.

On

either

side

of

a

central

hall,

which

coincides

with

the

front

entrance,

are

two

offices.

The

northernmost

office measures

10

feet

across

the

front

(street

side)

and

16

feet

deep. Due

to

water

damage

from

a

leaking

roof,

Noel

Webster

stripped

some

of

the

sheetrock

walls

and

ceiling

to

the

studs.

Webster

is

in

the

process

of

replacing

the

sheetrock

and

will

restore

the

room

to

its

historic

appearance

(Webster

2005).

From

1969

to

1978,

this office

served

as

a

reception

room.

Gold

and

platinum

records

testifying

to

the

Muscle

Shoals

Sound

Studio's

reputation

as

a

hit

maker

once

lined

the

walls.

These

awards

for

selling

500,000

and

1,000,000

units,

respectively,

went

with

the

MSRS

when

it

moved

to

a

larger

recording

studio

in

Sheffield

in

1978.

This

studio,

located

at

1000

Alabama

Avenue

and

counted

as

a

contributing

resource

in

the

Sheffield

Residential

District

(NRHP

listed

in

2000),

closed

in

March

2005.

The

gold

and

platinum

records

now

reside

at

the

Alabama

Music

Hall

of

Fame

in

nearby

Tuscumbia.

In

a

recent

conversation,

Webster

indicated

that

he

intends

to

acquire

facsimiles

of

the

award

platters

and

recreate

the

walls

of

fame

in

the

former

reception

office.

When Webster

opens

the studio

for tours

in

the

near

future,

this

room

will

serve

as

a

general

office

and

admissions.

The

office across

the

hall

is

seven

feet

shallower

than

the

reception

room.

Jimmy

Johnson,

Muscle

Shoals

Rhythm

Section

guitarist,

conducted business

in

this

office

when

he

was

not

creating

his signature

licks

and

riffs

on

his

Telecaster

or

working

his

sound

board wizardry

in

the

control

booth.

Webster

is

in

the

process

of

replacing

water damaged

sheetrock with

new

sheetrock.

Currently

serving

as

storage

space,

the

office

will

function

as

a

gallery

when

restored.

The

gallery

will

pay

homage

to

the

many

musicians

who

recorded

here.

Of

course,

the

gallery

will

feature

media

articles,

film,

photographs,

albums,

and

memorabilia

dedicated

to

the

Swampers.

Originally

penned

by

Leon

Russell

who

thought

NFS

Form

10-900-a

OMB

No. 1024-0018

(8-86)

United

States

Department

of

the

Interior

National

Park

Service

NATIONAL

REGISTER

OF

HISTORIC

PLACES

CONTINUATION

SHEET

name

of

property:

Muscle

Shoals

Sound

Studio

Section

7

Page

4_____________county

and

State

Colbert County,

Alabama__________

the

MSRS

played swamp

music,

Lynyrd

Skynyrd

immortalized

this

unofficial

nickname

for

the

Muscle

Shoals

four

in

their

anthem

"Sweet

Home

Alabama"

(Moseley

2005).

A

room

10

feet

long

and

7

feet

deep

occupies

the

space

between

Johnson's

office

and

the

recording

studio proper.

When

Bob

Seger

was

recording

his

"Old

Time

Rock

and

Roll"

at

the

studio

in

the

1970s,

this

room

served

as

an

isolation

booth

for

vocals

and

guitars.

For

this reason,

the

booth has

acoustic

tiles affixed

to

the

walls

and

ceiling.

A

wood

veneer

door

between

the

booth

and

Jimmy

Johnson's

office

was

actually

the bathroom

door.

Due

to

years

of

wear

and

tear,

water

damage,

and

vandalism,

Webster

had

to

install

a

new

bathroom

door.

He

kept

the

damaged

door

because

of

the

nostalgic

and

historical

value

of

the

musicians'

autographs

and

comments

on

it,

and

placed

it

in

the

isolation

booth

where

it

can

both

be

viewed

by

the

public

during

visiting

hours and secured

from

vandals

and

thefts

at

the

end

of

the

day behind

another

locked

door.

Prior

to

Webster's

purchase

of

the

studio,

vandals

broke

into

the

building

and

defaced

the

door

with

an

incorrectly

spelled

"Bob

Seager

[sic]

Rules."

In

addition to

the

autographed

door,

the

booth

contains

1970s

era

recording equipment.

Webster

plans

to

use

the

room

for

storage

and

an

isolation

booth

during

recording

sessions.

The

MSSS's

recording

room

is

essentially

a large

open

space

measuring

25

feet

wide

and

37

feet

deep.

That

these

and

other

dimensions associated

with this

part

of

the studio

are

approximate must

be

noted.

The

studio

defies

traditional

building

principles

for

there

are

few,

if

any

plumb

lines,

right

angles,

and

flat

surfaces.

In

1969,

the

MSRS

intentionally

designed

the studio

with

a

great

many

irregularities

in

accordance

with

acoustical

laws.

Plumb

lines,

right

angles,

and

flat

surfaces

promote

standing

waves,

the

great

menaces

of

recording.

In

turn,

standing

waves produce

feedback which

adversely

affects

sound

quality.

Thus,

the

Rhythm

Section

honed

the

recording

tone

by

embracing

sound

recording

principles

and

diverging

from

sound

building

design.

The

floor

of

the

MSSS

is

no

ordinary

floor.

It

has

special sound

enhancing

qualities.

By

design,

the

floor

slopes

inward

from

the

walls

to

the center

to

deflect

standing

waves.

To

create

this

effect, the

Rhythm

Section removed

some

of

the

two-by-fours

from

the

built

up

red oak

floor

beams

in

the

sub flooring.

According to

Webster,

sound

waves

from

recording

sessions

induce

the

red

oak

beams

to vibrate,

producing

a sound

muck

like

that

of

a

kick

drum

(2005).

The

resulting

resonance

creates

a

deeper

and richer

beat

and

overall

enhanced

sound.

Webster

replaced

the

traffic

worn,

alcohol

stained,

cigarette

burned,

and

water

damaged

carpet

in

the

studio

with

Marley

Concert Flooring

in

2000

(Webster

2005).

Composed

of

a

thick

rubber

membrane,

this

flooring

material

is

acknowledged

as

the

standard

in

the

music

and

film

recording

industry

and

is

used

on

concert stages

throughout

the

world.

The

material

possesses

both

durability

and

sound

control

characteristics.

It

reflects,

rather

than

absorbs,

sound

waves,

creating

dynamic,

rather

than

static

sound.

Like

the

floor

of

the

studio,

the

walls

and

ceiling

are

covered

with

sound

enhancing

materials.

Burlap

panels

running

the

width

and length

of

the

recording

room hang

loosely

from

the

ceiling.

The

walls

also

have

panels

covering

them.

Spaced

at.irregular

intervals,

the

panels

measure

approximately

4

feet

wide,

10

feet

high,

and

several

inches

thick.

They

consist

of

40

acoustic

tiles,

many

of

which are

1

foot

square.

The

panels

project

several

inches

out

from

the

wall.

In

between

the

panels,

the

concrete

walls

are

bare.

The

uneven

surfaces

of

the

built

up

panels

and

burlap

fabric

prevent

standing

sound

waves.

Unlike

the

acoustic

tile

panels,

which

are

original,

the

burlap

is

replacement

material.

Heavily

soiled

by

nicotine

stains

and

water

damage

from

a

leaking

roof,

flie

original

burlap

attached

to

the

ceiling

was

unsalvageable.

Noel

Webster

consulted

historic photographs

and

the

Swampers

in

order

to

accurately recreate

the

historic

look and

materials

of

the

ceiling.

Restoration

of

this

aspect

of

the

building

is

important

not

only

for

the

role

burlap

plays

in

sound

proofing

but

also

because

the

Swampers

referred to

the

studio

as

the

"Burlap

Palace"

(Webster

2005).

NFS

Form

10-900-a

OMB

No.

1024-0018

(8-86)

United

States

Department

of

the

Interior

National

Park

Service

NATIONAL REGISTER

OF

HISTORIC

PLACES

CONTINUATION

SHEET

name

of

property:

Muscle

Shoals

Sound

Studio

Section

7

Page

5_____________county

and

State

Colbert

County.

Alabama__________

Within

the

recording

studio

proper,

there

are five

small

rooms.

In

the

northeast

corner,

there

is

a

vocal

booth

measuring

approximately

7

ft.

by

8

ft.

The

booth

interior

has

acoustic

tile

panels,

a

shed

roof,

a

window

on

the

east

side,

and

a

door

on

the

south side.

Many

musicians

have

signed

the

tiles.

Along

the opposite

wall

of

the studio,

there

is

a

bathroom.

As

legend

has

it,

Mick

Jagger

locked

himself

in

this

bathroom

and

wrote

the

lyrics

to

"Wild

Horses"

during

their

1969

recording

session.

A

drum booth

is

the

bathroom.

Like

the

vocal

booth,

the

drum

booth

has

a

shed roof,

glass,

and

acoustic

tile panels.

Roger Hawkins'

(the

Muscle

Shoals

Rhythm

Section

drummer) "b

#"

signage

is

on

one

wall.

A

vestibule

and

the

control

booth

line

the

east

wall.

Constructed

of

glass and

partially covered

with

acoustic

tiles, the

walls

of

the

control

room

are

set

at

angles

for

sound

proofing.

In

addition

to

the

booths,

the

recording

area has

several

stations.

Several

metal

and

vinyl

covered

chairs

located

the

vocal

booth

mark

the

space

where

MSRS

guitarist,

Tommy Johnson,

and

session

guitarists,

Pete

Carr

and

Eddie

Hinton,

sat

during

recordings.

A

vinyl

covered sofa

the

vocal

booth

and

guitarist

chairs

is

the

actual

one

Keith

Richards

reclined

on

in

1969.

Joe

Cocker and

other

musicians

sat

on

the

sofa

while trying

to

compose

their

thoughts

for

their

studio

time

(Webster

2005).

Two

keyboards

stand

upright

between

the

control booth

and

the

guitar

station. This

is

where

Barry

Becket,

MSRS

keyboardist,

painted

the

ivories

from

1969

to

1978.

MSRS bass

player,

David

Hood,

thumped

out

his

rhythm

parts

at

a

makeshift

spot

over

in

a

corner

next to

Hawkins'

drum

booth.

This

layout

is

as

it

was

from

1969

to

1978.

While

the

sofa

and

chairs

represent

part

of

the

Muscle

Shoals

Sound

Studio's

original

furnishings

from

the

studio's

heyday,

the

instruments

and

recording

equipment

are

vintage

but

not

Swamper

property. The

guitars and

Marshal

and

Mesa

Boogie

amplifiers

date

to

the

1970s,

or

earlier.

The

amplifiers

have

tubes

rather

than

solid

state

circuitry,

which

became

all

the

rage

in

the

1980s.

Ted

Nugent,

the

"Motor

City

Madman,"

belted

out

plenty

of

rock

and

roll

through

the

Mesa

Boogie

stack

in

the

1970s.

He

recently

donated

the

stack

to

Webster.

Bobby

Whitlock

recently

made

a

gift

of

the

keyboards

to

the

studio.

The

keyboards

own

a

special

place

in

the

pantheon

of

rock

and

roll.

Whitlock played

them

while

accompanying

Derek

and

the

Dominos

on

"Layla"

and

"Bell

Bottom

Blues"

and

George

Harrison

on

"All

Things

Must

Pass"

(Webster

2004).

The

Gretsch

drum

set

ensconced

in

Roger

Hawkins'

drum booth

belonged

to

Mark

Herndon

of

Alabama.

All

of

the

musical

instruments

and

the

Altec

Lansing

speakers

throughout

the

recording

room

are

wired

to

a

1970s

era,

24

channel,

MCI

JH-416,

sound

board

in

the

control

booth.

The

recording

room

also

features

an

MCI

mastering

machine

and

MCI,

JH-16,

16

and

24

track, tape

machines.

The

sound

board

and

mastering

machine

once

belonged

to

legendary

Capricorn Records

while

the

tape

machines

came

from

a

studio

in

Nashville (Webster

2005).

Capricorn

Records

rose

to

fame

on

the

talents

of

such

bands

as

The

Allman

Brothers.

The

MSSS

had

the

exact

makes

and

models

of

the

MCI

soundboard

and

tape

machine

in

the

control

booth

before

the

studio

relocated

to

1000

Alabama

Avenue

in

1978

(Webster

2004;

Borgerson

2004).

The

studio's

vintage

musical

instruments

and

recording

equipment

are

more

than

just

nostalgic

museum

pieces.

They

can

produce

and

record

music

from

acoustic

blues

and

folk

to zydeco,

which

incidentally

pretty

much

represents

the

range

of

music

recorded

by

the

MSRS from

1969

to

1978.

Because

of

the

recording

room's

acoustics

and

the

vintage

equipment,

the

present

incarnation

of

the

3614

Jackson

Highway

studio

can

reproduce

the

sound

and

vibe

for

which

the

Burlap

Palace

was

renowned.

The

basement

of

the

building

is

sparse

in

design.

The

floor

consists

of

smooth

poured

concrete

while

a

major

portion

of

the

concrete

block

walls

has

a

smooth

coat

of

stucco.

Overhead,

the

red

oak

floor

joists

and

floorboards

of

the

first

floor

are

exposed.

Several

metal

columns

and

a

partial

partition

support

a

beam

that

runs

longitudinally

down

the

middle

of

the

NFS

Form

10-900-a

OMB

No.

1024-0018

(8-86)

United

States

Department

of

the

Interior

National

Park

Service

NATIONAL

REGISTER

OF

HISTORIC

PLACES

CONTINUATION

SHEET

name

of

property:

Muscle

Shoals

Sound

Studio

Section

7

Page

6_____________county

and

State

Colbert

County,

Alabama__________

basement.

The

partition

separates

a

room

that

was

and

continues

to

be

used

for

storage

from

the

rest

of

the

subterranean

space.

A

makeshift

kitchen

is

located

in

the

northeast

corner.

The

Swampers

and

visiting

musicians

often

ate

meals

in

this

kitchen,

especially

when

recording

sessions

ran

long

into

the night.

The

south

side

of

the

basement

featured

two

offices

from

1969

to

1978.

The

offices

housed

the

two

publishing

companies

operated

by

the

MSRS

members.

Unfortunately,

part

of

the

bathroom

and

drum

booth

floor

collapsed

from

serious

water

infiltration

causing

the

thin

veneer

walls

demarcating

the

offices

to

collapse.

Currently,

the

basement

serves

as

living

space

for

the

building

owner,

Noel

Webster.

In

resurrecting

the

Muscle

Shoals

Sound

Studio,

Webster

consulted

many

sources.

Dick

Cooper,

a

photographer

who

documented

many

a

magical

musical

moment

in

the

Muscle

Shoals

during

the

1960s,

1970s,

and

1980s,

provided

Webster

with

numerous

snapshots

from

his

photo

shoots

at 3614

Jackson

Highway.

Webster

viewed

and

reviewed

3614's

appearances

in

Gimme

Shelter

and

a

1977

PBS

documentary.

The

PBS

film

featured

Peter

Yarrow

(of

Peter,

Paul,

and

Mary

fame)

and

a

session

he

was

doing

with

Mary

MacGregor.

Her

single

"Torn

Between

Two

Lovers"

became

a

hit

in

1976.

From

these

celluloid

archives

Webster

had

a

good

picture

of

the

studio's

layout,

materials,

and

vibe.

Photographs

of

the

MSSS

in

Lynyrd

Skynyrd's

1978

"First

and

Last"

album

provided

additional

information

about

the

studio

interior.

During

the restoration,

Swampers

David

Hood

and

Jimmy

Johnson

occasionally

visited

and

offered

expert

advice,

especially regarding

the

recording

equipment.

Webster conducted

a

lot

of

research

in

order

to

capture

the

historic

essence

of

the

MSSS.

Judging

by

the

timbre

of

their

responses,

Webster's

restoration

efforts

scored

a

platinum

hit

with

the

Swampers

and

their

cohorts.

Pleased

with

the

rebirth

of

his

favorite

haunt,

former

session

guitarist

Pete

Carr

now

makes

a

daily

pilgrimage

to

the

studio

to

recount

his

contributions

to

the

Muscle

Shoals

Sound

(Palmer

2001).

During

a

2001

interview,

Jimmy

Johnson

heard

some

of

the

MSSS

hits

played

through

the

Capricorn

console

in

the

same

control

room

where

Johnson

masterfully

mixed

"Wild

Horses"

and

"Brown

Sugar"

and

said

the

experience

"was

eerie-but

comfortable.

Noel

is

really

doing

it

right.

Not

only

can

he

keep

the

old

thing

alive,

he

can

do

a

lot

of

sessions

from

all

over

the

world"

(Palmer

2001).

Jimmy

Johnson

and

David

Hood

consider

the

new

incarnation

of

3614

Jackson

Highway

to

be

hauntingly

like

the

original version.

Archaeological

Component

Although

no

archaeological

survey has

been

conducted,

there

is

a

potential

for

subsurface

remains.

NFS

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10-900-a

OMB

No.

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United

States

Department

of

the

Interior

National Park

Service

NATIONAL

REGISTER

OF

HISTORIC

PLACES

CONTINUATION

SHEET

name

of

property:

Muscle

Shoals

Sound

Studio

Section

8

Page

7_____________county

and

State

Colbert

County,

Alabama__________

Section

VIII.

Statement

of

Significance

The

original

Muscle

Shoals

Sound

Studio

at

3614

Jackson

Highway

in

Sheffield,

Alabama

is

a

nationally

significant

recording

studio.

The

MSSS

is

eligible

for

listing

in

the

National

Register

of

Historic

Places

(NRHP)

based

on

Criterion

A

in

the

area

of

American

music

history.

In

the

pantheon

of

the

music

industry,

3614

Jackson

Highway resides

along

side

other

famous

music

makers

like

Sun

Records

and

Stax

in

Memphis,

Chess

Records

in

Chicago,

Motown

in

Detroit,

and

Capital

Records

in

Los Angeles.

From

1969

to

1978,

the

concrete

block, stucco

and

permastone

clad

building

known

as

the

MSSS

housed

the

Muscle

Shoals Rhythm

Section

(MSRS).

At

this

studio,

the

MSRS

orchestrated

over

50

gold

and

platinum

hits

and

hundreds

of

albums

for

pop,

rock,

blues,

funk,

soul,

reggae,

and

even

country

music

superstars

such

as

Cher,

the

Rolling

Stones,

Paul

Simon,

Art

Garfunkle,

Willie

Nelson,

Joe

Cocker,

Rod

Stewart,

Bob

Seger,

and

a

host

of

others.

Although

the

MSSS

achieved

significance

within

the

last

50

years,

the

legendary

studio

more

than

qualifies

for

listing

in

the

NRHP

under

Criterion

Consideration

G.

A

wealth

of

pop

culture

and

scholarly

documents

chronicle

the

exceptional

importance

of

this

temple

of

sound

in

the

history

of

the

nation's,

if

not

the

world's,

music

history.

The

MSSS

at

3614

Jackson

Highway retains

a

high

degree

of

integrity.

The

MSSS's

period

of

significance

at

3614

Jackson

Highway extends

from

1969,

the

year

in

which

the

MSRS

opened

their

recording

studio,

to

1978,

the

year

the

MSRS

moved

to

a

studio

at

1000

Alabama

Avenue

in

Sheffield.

The

MSRS

only

operated

this

latter

studio

until

1985

when

they

sold

the

business

to

Malaco

of

Jackson,

Mississippi,

which

ran

the

studio

for

the

years.

The

move

to

1000

Alabama

Avenue coincided

with

a

change

in

the

MSRS,

as

Berry

Beckett

moved

on

to

Nashville

to

pursue

interests

in

music

production

in

the

early

1980s.

While

the

remaining

three

members

of

the

MSRS

continued

to

make

music

with

the

likes

of

Bob

Dylan

and

Dire

Straits

at

the

second

MSSS,

3614

Jackson

Highway

represents

the

bulk

of

their

work.

A

film

production

company

bought

the

1000

Alabama

Avenue

building

in

2005

and

removed

all

the recording

equipment,

awards,

and

personal

effects

of

Malaco

and

the

MSRS;

consequently,

the

3614

Jackson

Highway

studio

best represents

the

storied

history

of

the

MSRS.

The

national

significance

of

the

MSSS

at

3614

Jackson

Highway

registers

on

many

different

levels.

Although

it

was

a

very

small,

independent

studio,

the

MSSS

was

a

major

contributor

to

the

national

music industry

in

terms

of

production

quantity

and

quality.

During the

ten

year tenure

at

this

address,

the

Swampers

"played

three

sessions

a

day,

six

days

a

week.

"We

cut

thirty,

forty

albums

a

year,"

according

to

Jimmy

Johnson

(Fuqua

1991:65).

At

times,

the

MSRS

claimed

"ten

percent

of

the

Hot

100

chart"

(Fuqua

1991:52).

Of

the

400

albums

recorded

there,

52

went gold

and

platinum

in

the

1970s

(Webster

2005;

RIAA

2005).

Millie

Jackson,

Traffic,

Johnnie

Taylor,

Cat

Stevens,

Bobby

Womack,

Wilson

Pickett,

and

Dr.

Hook

recorded

gold

and platinum

LPs

at

3614

as

well

as

the

other

previously

mentioned

musicians

(RIAA

2005).

Thanks

to

the

advent

of

the

compact

disc

format,

Internet,

ebay,

Baby

Boomer

surplus

income,

concert

revivals

and

unending

farewell

tours,

and

recent

press

releases

sales

of

much

of

the

MSSS

music

continues

to

this

day.

The

MSSS

earned

high

critical

praise

for

its

success.

Peter

Guralnick,

who

is

"highly

regarded

as

the

nation's

preeminent

scholar

of

twentieth-century

American

vernacular

music,"

assessed

the

MSSS'

place

in

the

pantheon

of

popular

music

thus:

For

Muscle

Shoals

Sound

was

successful

beyond

anyone's

wildest

imaginings

...

Muscle

Shoals

became

not

only

the funk

factory

of

the

'70s

but

the source

to

which

countless

pop

acts

repaired

for

regeneration.

Simon

and

Garfunkle

cut

hit

sessions

at

Muscle

Shoals,

both

as

a

duo

("My

Little

Town")

and

singly.

So

did

Cher

and

Willie

Nelson,

Bob

Seger

and

Rod

Stewart,

even

the

Rolling

Stones,

whose

"Brown

Sugar"

and

"Wild

Horses"

emerged

from

the

studio

in

the

midst

of

their

fateful

1969

tour

(Guralnick

1986).

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No.

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States

Department

of

the

Interior

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NATIONAL

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OF

HISTORIC

PLACES

CONTINUATION

SHEET

name

of

property:

Muscle

Shoals

Sound

Studio

Section

8

Page

8_____________county

and

State

Colbert

County,

Alabama__________

Dan

Forte,

whose

reputation

as

a

music

critic

reverberates

on

the

same

level

as

Guralnick's,

trumpeted the

MSRS'

prominence:

"they

are

musical

chameleons

who

can

play well

in

just

about

any

style

without

imposing

their

own

personality

on

the

session

...

they

are

probably

more

in

demand

than

any

other

self

contained

rhythm

section

because

they

can

move

effortlessly

from

one

genre

to

the

next...

(Forte

1982).

Perhaps

the

most

important

indicator

of

their

place

in

music

history

is

the

recognition

the

MSRS

received

from

their

peers.

In

a

September/October

Harp

article

entitled

"Muscle

Men:

A

Look

at

the

Musicians," former

Stax

marketing

head

Al

Bell

sang

a

lot

of

praise

for

the

MSRS:

The

chemistry

that

developed

between

me

and

those

guys was

amazing.

I

felt

really

comfortable

down

there

'cause

they

welcomed me

with

open

arms.

And

the

chemistry

between

them

and

the

Staples

was

just

pure

magic,

man.

They

felt

the

Staples

so

easily,

felt

what

Mavis was

trying

to

do

as

a

singer

and

the

hits

just

rolled

out

(Tennille

2005:8).

"Muscle

Shoals

did

the

ballads

like

"Main

Street"

much

better

than

my

band.

The

wonderful thing

about

them

is

the

second

you

started

playing

the

song,

it

sounded

like

a

record,"

is

what

Bob

Seger

had

to

say

about

the

MSRS

in

a

February

2005

Rolling

Stone

website

article

(Keel

2005:2).

Jerry

Wexler

and

Bob

Dylan

cast

their

ballots

for

the

MSRS

as

the

best

soul

and r&b rhythm

section

in

their

biographies

(Ritz

1993:307;

McKeen

1993:67).

Wexler

proved

his

point

in

the

early

1980s

by

inviting

the

Muscle

Shoals

boys

over

to

Switzerland

for

a

Montreaux

Festival

Blues

night.

They

backed

Luther

Allison,

Johnny

Copeland,

Johnny

Mars,

and

B.

King.

"B.

B.

King

loved

them;

the

Alabamans

kicked

ass;

and

Switzerland

sizzled"

(Ritz

1993:307).

Last

but not

least

in

the accolade

cavalcade,

which

could

extend

for

many

more

pages,

is

Lynyrd

Skynyrd.

Lead

guitarist

Gary

Rossington

added

to

the

liner

notes

of

the

reissue

of

Lynyrd

Skynyrd's

"First

and

...Last:

The Complete Muscle

Shoals

Album"

this

statement

of

gratitude,

"Even

though

we

were

from

Jacksonville,

Florida,

the

Muscle

Shoals

Swampers

helped

us

so

much

that

I

think

Lynyrd

Skynyrd's

whole

career

and

music

really

are

from

Muscle

Shoals,

Alabama"

(O'Brien

1998).

The

litmus

test

for

establishing

exceptional

significance

for

those

properties

that

have

achieved

significance

within

the

last

50

years

is

the

existence

of

scholarly

evaluation.

The

MSSS

and

MSRS were

the

subject

of

much

industry

press

in

the

1970s

and

1980s.

Guitar

Player,

Rolling

Stone,

News

Week,

Cash

Box,

Billboard,

and

other

publications

sounded

out

on

the

MSRS's

hip

grooves

and

sweet

soul

moves

and

explored

the reasons

for

the

MSRS's

huge

popularity.

In

the

1970s,

Peter

Yarrow

starred

in

and

narrated

a

1970s

PBS

documentary

about

the

MSSS. The

MSRS'

vinyl

platters

even

became

the

subject

of

congressional

matters.

In

a

speech

delivered

in

the

United

States

House

of

Representatives,

the Honorable

Ronnie

G.

Flippo

of

Alabama

praised

the

contributions

of

the

MSRS

to

the

music

industry

in

northwest

Alabama

(Flippo

1979).

In

recent

years,

the

MSSS

and

MSRS

have been

examined

at

length

in

myriad

media,

proving

that

they

are

of

enduring

value.

Eminent

music

scholar

Peter

Guralnick

declared

the

MSSS

the

funk factory

of

the

1970s

in

his

definitive text

on

the

subject,

Sweet

Soul

Music

(1986).

Atlantic

Recording

Vice

President,

Jerry

Wexler,

considered

the

MSRS

his

favorite

musicians

in

his

1993

autobiography

Rhythm

and

the

Blues.

Published

by

the

University

of

Indiana

Press,

Randy

McNutt's

Guitar

Towns

labeled

Muscle

Shoals

a

"mega-icon

along

with

New

Orleans

and

Memphis studios"

(2002:

2).

Print

on

the

MSRS

is

currently popping

up

in

presses

like

Vintage

Guitar,

Rolling

Stone,

Harp,

and

Afojo,

some

of

the

more popular

magazines

on

newsstands

nation

wide.

The

recently

opened

Stax

Museum

in

Memphis

features

a

photograph

display

of

the

MSRS

standing

in

front

of

the

3614 Jackson

Highway

Studio.

The

display

acknowledges

the

cooperative

venture

between

the

two

legendary

studios.

Documentaries,

like

Country

Music

Television's

American

Revolutions: Southern

Rock,

are

recounting the

MSSS

role

in

music

history

(CMT

2005).

And Congress

is

once

again

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of

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county

and

State

Colbert

County,

Alabama

getting

in

on

the

act,

passing

the

Muscle

Shoals

National

Heritage

Area

Study

Act

of

2001.

The

Shoals

music

heritage

is

cited

as

an

integral

part

of

the

Heritage

Area.

The

MSSS's

music

credits

are

even

more exceptional

when

considered

within

the

context

of

the

1970s.

This

was

a

critical

moment

in

music

history

when

many

genres

were

fighting

death

by

disco.

Those

musicians,

who

managed

to

resist

the

compulsion

to

base

their

music

on

dance

rhythms

produced

by

drum

and

bass

machines,

often

found

themselves

crushed

by

industry

giants

that

were

solely

interested

in

cranking

out

corporate

controlled, formulaic,

assembly

line

productions

and

maximizing

profits.

Jerry

Wexler

acknowledged

that

this

climate

in

New

York

studios

was

smothering

him,

"I

was

tired..

.The

arrangers

were

out

of

ideas,

the

songwriters

out

of

material,

the

session

players

out

of

licks,

and

I

was

out

of

inspiration" (Ritz

1993:171).

Unfortunately, few studios

offered

alternatives

to

this

approach

to

music

making

in

the

1970s.

Fortunately

for

Wexler

and

many

musicians,

the

MSSS

was

an

oasis

in

a

vast

wasteland.

The

MSRS

defied

all

the

industry

conventions

and

regulations

of

that

time.

The

MSRS

gave free

reign

to

creative

impulse,

encouraging

musicians

to

cut

loose

and

have

a

good

time.

Annoyed

with

stilting

limitations

found

in

other

studios,

Mavis

Staples,

among

many

others,

welcomed

the

Shoals

experience:

You

can

get

locked

in,

you

can get

stagnated,

the

same

old

thing,

the

same

old

people,

but

the

Muscle

Shoals

guys

were

just

awesome.

Everyone

was

in

the

studio,

you

could

feed

off

each

other

...

But at

Muscle

Shoals

the

music

kept

going

and

I

kept

singing,

so

that

made

it

really

amazing

(Brown

2005).

The

Staples

Singers

signature

tunes

"Respect

Yourself

and

"I'll

Take

You

There"

resulted

from

this

laid

back,

music

for

music's

sake

groove.

Hearing

of

the

Staples'

success,

Linda

Ronstadt,

Jimmy

Cliff,

Albert

King,

Steve

Cropper

(of

Booker

T

and

the

MGs

and

Stax

fame),

Cleopatra

Jones, Spooky

Tooth,

Bobby

Womack,

Canned

Heat,

Johnny

Rivers,

Johnnie Taylor,

Percy

Sledge,

John

Hammond,

Luther

Ingram,

Del

Shannon,

Sanford

and

Townsend,

Kirn

Games,

Jose

Feliciano,

Dr.

Hook,

Dr.

John,

Leon

Russell,

and

many

others

beat

a

path

to

3614

Jackson

Highway

seeking

the

vitality,

vibe,

and

hypnotic

rhythms

of

the

MSRS.

The

MSSS

jump

started,

regenerated,

and

sustained

the

careers

of

many

musicians,

who

might

otherwise

have

found

themselves

in

unemployment

lines

or

headlining

the Holiday

Inn

Armada

Room

Disco

Swing

Party

like

Murph

and

the

Magictones

(of

which

former

Stax

musicians

Steve

Cropper

and

Donald

Duck

Dunn

were

members)

in

The

Blues

Brothers

movie,

during

the

1970s.

For

the

time

period,

and

any

other

in

American

music

history

for

that

matter,

the

MSRS

accomplished

a

feat

that

several

other

highly regarded

house bands

failed

to

do.

The

3614

group

broke

out

of

the

specialization niche

characterizing

other

rhythm

sections.

From

the

late

1950s

to

the

late

1970s,

RCA's

A

Team

at

Studio

B

in

Nashville

established

a

reputation

as

the

rhythm

section

for country

and

early

rock

and

roll,

recording

the

likes

of

Elvis

Presley,

the

Everly

Brothers,

Dolly

Parton,

Chet Atkins,

Eddy

Arnold,

and

others.

At

Motown,

a

hit factory

for

soul,

funk,

and pop,

the

Funk

Brothers

backed

Mary

Wells,

the Supremes,

Stevie

Wonder,

Smokey

Robinson,

and

a

host

of

Motown

stars

in

the

1960s

and

1970s.

Booker

T

and

the MGs made

soul,

funk, and

r&b

hits

with

Otis

Redding,

Sam

and

Dave,

and

Carla

and

Rufus

Thomas,

as

well

as

for

themselves

at

Stax.

Peter

Guralnick

and

Jerry Wexler

were

amazed

by

the

fact

that

MSRS

managed

to

establish

themselves

as

the

holy

trinity

of

soul

and

funk

music with

Motown

and

Stax

(MSSS

recorded

50%

of

Stax's

work during

the

1970s)

and

then

stepped out

of

the

soul

and

funk

persona

and

crossed

sonic

boundaries

into

pop,

rock,

country,

reggae,

swamp,

and

even

disco.

While

awesome

in

their

own

rights,

Booker

T

and

the

MGs,

RCA's

A

Team,

and

the

Funk

Brothers

did

not

achieve

the

versatility

of

the

MSSS

group.

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OF

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PLACES

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SHEET

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of

property:

Muscle

Shoals

Sound

Studio

Section

8

Page

10____________county

and

State

Colbert

County,

Alabama__________

Historical

Context

In

the

January

2005

issue

of

Vintage

Guitar,

author

Willie

G.

Moseley

heralded

Muscle

Shoal's

place

in

music

thus:

"Muscle

Shoals,

Florence,

Sheffield,

and

Tuscumbia,

is

as

vital

to

the

history

of

American

music

as

are

Memphis,

New

Orleans,

Nashville,

and

Macon."

Considering

New

Orleans

is

the birthplace

of

jazz

and

blues,

Memphis

is

the

home

of

rockabilly

and

rock,

and

Nashville

gave

life

to

country

and

bluegrass, Moseley

holds

Muscle

Shoals

in

high

regard.

The

Quad

cities

are

truly

a

cultural

hearth.

The

Shoals' musical

heritage

began

on

a

rather

good

note.

Born

in

Florence

in

1873,

W.C.

Handy

thought

of

himself

as

the

"Father

of

Jazz".

His

compositions

"Memphis

Blues"

and

"St.

Louis

Blues"

earned

him

the

distinction

"Father

of

the

Blues"

(Fuqua

1991:107).

Florence

native

Sam

Phillips

was

not

handy

at

playing

instruments,

but

he

knew

a

good

tune

when

he

heard

one.

The

sun

rose

and

set

on

his

recording

service

in

Memphis

during

the

1950s.

Unlike

Handy

and

Phillips, who

discovered

their

fame

and

fortune

outside

of

Alabama,

the

of

Shoals'

musicians,

writers,

and

producers

discovered

that

there

was

no

place

like

"Sweet Home

Alabama"

in

which

to

achieve

success.

In

the

context

of

the

Shoals

super

sonic

scene,

the

MSRS

was

not

the

first

or

the

only

studio

to

garner

fame. In

luka,

Mississippi,

musician,

Dexter

Johnson,

tired

of

playing

the

square

dance

circuit

in

that

state

and

the

honky

tonk

joints

in

Detroit,

took

up

domesticity

in

the

Shoals

and

got

a

job

with

the

Tennessee

Valley

Authority,

the

area's

largest

supplier

of

electricity (Fuqua

1991).

In

1951,

Johnson

merged

the

two

major

currents

in

his

life,

music

and

electricity, when

he

wired

his garage for

sound.

Although

Johnson's

studio

did

not

make

waves

in

the

music

business,

it

is

credited

with

jump-

starting

the

recording

industry

in

the

Shoals.

Ironically,

a

fallen

star

led

to

the

Shoals

meteoric

rise

to

acclaim

in

the

music

business.

In

1956,

James

Joiner,

Kelson

Hurston,

Walter

Stovall,

and

Marvin

Wilson

formed

Tune

Records

and

Publishing

Company

(Fuqua

1991:8).

Tune

set

up

shop

in

the

waiting

room

of

the

Florence

bus

station,

as

well

as

part

of

the

WLAY

radio

station.

While

driving

a

bus

one

evening,

Joiner

saw

a

falling

star

and

decided

to

write

a

song

about

it.

The

stellar

composition,

"A

Fallen

Star"

became

a

Tune

hit,

receiving

a

lot

of

airtime

in

1957

(Fuqua

1991:8).

A

2005

Vintage

Guitar

interview

with

MSRS

member

Jimmy

Johnson

cites

"A

Fallen

Star"

as

the

origin

of

the

Shoals

musical history

(Moseley 2005:40).

Interestingly

enough,

the

Vintage

Guitar

article

revealed

that

Jimmy

Johnson's

uncle,

Dexter Johnson,

who

built

a

recording

studio

in

his

garage,

also

worked

occasionally

with

Tune

Records.

In

the

Shoals,

music

is

a

family

tradition.

Like

the

discovery

of

gold at

Sutler's

Mill

in

1849,

"A

Fallen

Star"

precipitated

a

gold

rush

in

the

Shoals.

Hearing

about

Joiner's

success

and

his

studio,

Rick

Hall

and

Bill

Sherrill

began visiting

Joiner

on

the

weekends

to

pitch

their

songs

(Guralnick

1986:179).

Hall

and

Sherrill

honed

their

song

writing

craft

in

the

late

1950s.

With

Joiner,

Hall

and

Sherrill

had

some

success

with

some

songs

recorded

by

Roy

Orbison

and

Brenda

Lee

(Fuqua

1971:9).

Tom

Stafford

got wind

of

the

gold

dust

blowing

around

Joiner,

Hall,

and

Sherrill

and

called

for

a

meeting.

Safford,

whose

parents

owned

the

City

Drug

Store

in

Florence,

wanted

to

start

a

publishing

company

(Guralnick

1986:177).

In

1959,

Joiner

provided

some

start-

up

capital

and the

twosome opened

a

music

business on

the

second

floor

of

the

City

Drug

Store.

The

four

chose

an

apt

name

for

their

business:

Florence

Alabama

Music

Enterprises.

The

acronym

FAME

was

a

harbinger

of

the success

to

come;

however,

success

was

not

immediate,

and

the

eventual

incarnation

of

the

company

crashed

and

burned

in

a

mere

year's

time.

In

1968,

the

partnership

broke

up

and

Rick Hall

kept

the

FAME

name

(McNutt

2002:131).

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PLACES

CONTINUATION SHEET

name

of

property:

Muscle

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Sound

Studio

Section

8

Page

11____________county

and

State

Colbert

County,

Alabama__________

Hall,

Sherrill,

and

Stafford's

business

venture,

albeit

short

lived

as

it

was,

brought

together

an

exceptional

group

of

musicians,

songwriters,

and

promoters.

To

the

FAME studio

above

the

drugstore

came

Dan

Perm,

a

teenaged

soulful

singer

from

nearby

Vernon,

and

local

college

piano

player

Spooner

Oldham

(Guralnick

1986:180-181).

They

were

joined

by

local

musicians

David

Briggs,

Jerry

Carrigan,

Donnie

Fritts,

and black

Shoals

singer

Arthur

Alexander.

Briggs

got

his

start

at

age

14

doing

session

work

for

Tune

Records

(McNutt

2002:128). Young

hopefuls

Jimmy

Johnson,

David

Hood,

who

went

to

high

school

in

Sheffield

with

Johnson,

and

Roger

Hawkins soaked

up

the

atmosphere

(Fuqua

1991:16).

In

retrospect,

the

Florence

studio

was

a

fortunate

experience

for

many

who

hung

out

there,

as

they

graduated

and

gravitated

to

bigger

and

better

circumstances.

Meanwhile

back

in

the

Shoals,

FAME

was

little

more

than

a

piece

of

paper.

In

the

breakup,

Stafford

kept

the

studio,

artists,

and

recording

label,

Spar

(Fuqua

1991:16).

For

a

dollar,

Hall

retained

title

to

Florence

Alabama

Music

Enterprises

and

the

associated

publishing

company.

On

the

face

of

it,

Stafford

looked

like

he

got

the

better

part

of

the

deal:

he

had

everything

from

the

business

except

a

name

and

a

"piece

of

paper;

however,

Spar

slowly

disappeared

into

obscurity,

having

failed

to

produce

records"

(Fuqua

1991:16).

On

the

other

hand,

FAME'S

stock

was

on

the

verge

of

becoming

worth

well

more than

a

dollar.

Given Atlantic

Record

Company Vice

President Jerry

Wexler's

assessment

of

Rick

Hall,

Hall

was

destined

for

success.

"Rick

Hall

was

the

Barry

Gordy

of

Muscle

Shoals,

a

po'boy

from

the

bottom

of

the

agrarian

ladder,

a

white

man

with

a

strong

feel

for

black

blues.

A

former

musician,

a

souped-up

salesman,

and

hard-nosed

entrepreneur.

..."

(Ritz

1993:178).

Hall

regrouped

and

reopened

FAME

in

a

tobacco

warehouse

in

Muscle

Shoals

(McNutt

2002:131;

Guralnick

1986:191;

and

Fuqua

1991:19).

He

composed

a

house

band

consisting

of

local

musicians

David

Briggs,

Jerry

Carrigan,

and

Terry

Thompson

and

launched

the

second

incarnation

of

FAME

in

1960/61.

Ironically,

Hall's

ex-business

partner

Tom

Stafford

provided

Hall

with

his

first

big

break.

Arthur

Alexander,

a

bellhop

at

the

Sheffield

Hotel

and one

of

the writers

who

stayed

on

with

Spar

Records,

wrote

a

song.

In

the

former

partnership,

Stafford

served

as

a

street-wise

mentor

to

the musicians

and

writers.

He

did

not

handle

the

business;

consequently,

Stafford

was

unsure

about

handling

Alexander's

"You

Better

Move

On"

(Guralnick

1986:191;

Fuqua

1991:20).

Considering

Hall

the

logical

choice

to

record

the

song,

Stafford

sent

Alexander

across

the

Tennessee

River

to

FAME.

Alexander

sang

the

lead

vocals

and

FAME'S

rhythm

section backed

the

singing

bellhop.

Hall

hawked

the

demo

tape

around

a

good

bit

before

Dot

Records

in

Los

Angeles

agreed

to

publish the

song.

The

song

hit

#24

on

Billboard's

Hot

100

and the

Rolling

Stones

recorded

it

several

years

later

McNutt

2002:131-132).

Alexander

moved

FAME

on

to

the

big

time.

The

success

of

"You

Better

Move

On

"

encouraged

Hall

to

expand

his

operation.

The

FAME

front

man

reinvested

much

of

the

$10,000.00

profit

form

the

song

in

the

business

(Guralnick

1986:192).

He

built

a

new

studio

in

Muscle

Shoals at

603

East

Avalon

Avenue.

Modeled

on

the

RCA

studio

at

Nashville,

Hall

built

the

third

and final,

FAME

building

out

of

concrete

blocks

with

11

foot

high

ceilings

and

1,890

square

feet.

He

equipped

the

studio

with

an

echo

chamber

and

a

three-track

Ampex

recorder

(McNutt

2002:131;

Guralnick

1986:194;

and

Fuqua

1991:22).

Hall

of

FAME

opened the

doors

of

the

new

studio

in

1962.

Through

the

open

doors

walked

two

University

of

North

Alabama

college

students

who

played

instrumental

roles

in

the

development

of

the

Muscle

Shoals

Sound.

In

1962,

Rick

Hall

hired

Jimmy

Johnson

when

he

was

a

freshman

at

UNA

to

work

at

FAME.

According

to

Johnson,

"I

was

Rick's

first

employee.

I

was

just

Rick

Hall's

gopher-secretary,

engineer,

assistant,

janitor,

-

you

name

it,

-1

did

it"

(Forte

1982:78).

Johnson's

high

school

and

UNA

buddy,

David

Hood,

attracted

Hall's

attention

when

Hood

and

members

of

the

Mystics

recorded

a

demo

tape

at

FAME.

Hood

said,

"Hall

liked

my

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playing,

so

he

would

use

me

on

recordings

when

he

wanted

something

done

and

he

didn't

want

to

pay"

(McNutt

2002:129).

At

FAME,

Johnson

and

Hood

were

definitely

in

the

mix

of

things.

Other

than

opening,

the

year

of

1962

did

not

hold

any

promise

or

critical

success

for FAME;

however,

the

following

year

found

Hall

spending

less

time

selling

used

cars

at

his

father-in-law's

lot

and

more

time

in

the

recording

booth.

Unable

to

build

on

the

1950s

success

of

songs

like

"Be-Bop-A-Lula,"

"Young

Love,"

and

"Walk

on

By,"

and

in

the

early

stages

of

bankruptcy,

Atlanta

based

Bill

Lowry

brought

his

catalog

of

musicians

to

the

Muscle

Shoals

in

1963.

This

stable included

Tommy

Roe,

Joe

South,

Mac

Davis,

the

Tarns,

Ray

Stevens,

and

Felton

Jarvis

(Guralnick

1986:194;

Fuqua

1991:24).

Roe

and

the

Tarns

scored hits

with

FAME

recording

"Everybody"

and

"What

Kind

of

Fool Do

You

Think

I

AM,"

respectively.

Along

with

the

success

of

"Steal

Away,"

a

hit

that

had

been

recorded

at

the

second

FAME

building

in

1962,

FAME's

circumstances

were

looking

up.

However,

FAME

had

not

yet

hit the

big

time.

Hall's

rhythm

section

consisting

of

David

Briggs

on

piano,

Norbert

Putman

on

base,

Jerry

Carrigan

on

drums,

and

Terry

Thompson

on

guitar

was

not

exactly

enjoying

the

fruits

of

their

labor.

So

Briggs,

Putnam, and

Carrigan left

for

Nashville

in

1964

(Guralnick

1986:

202).

They

all

went

on

to

their

own

fame

and

fortune.

At

that

time,

guitarist

Terry

Thompson

died,

requiring

Hall

to

restock

his

section.

Fortunately,

he

already

had

musicians

hanging

around.

Hall

promoted

Jimmy

Johnson

to

rhythm

guitar

and

David

Hood

to

bass.

To

them,

he

added

Shoals'

veterans

Roger

Hawkins,

drums;

Spooner

Oldham,

keyboards;

and

Junior

Lowe,

lead

guitar

(Topar

1981:62).

Although

not

his

intention,

Rick

Hall

was

setting

the

stage

for

the

development

of

the

MSRS

with

three

of

the

four

working

in

his

house

band.

Barry Beckett

joined

FAME

in

1967

(Forte

1982:78).

The

MSRS

were

all

together

at

FAME

before

moving

on

to

3614

Jackson

Highway.

FAME's

second

backing

band

clearly

established

the

Shoal's

reputation

as

a

national

recording

center.

In

1966,

Hall

loaned

his

rhythm

section

to

a

friend,

Quin

Ivy,

who

owned

a

record

store,

worked

as

a

radio

announcer

for

Shoal's

WLAY,

and

had

a

studio

in

his Sheffield

home.

With

Jimmy

Johnson engineering

the

session, the

band

backed

Percy

Sledge

on

"When

a

Man

Loves

a

Woman."

Rick

Hall

sent

the

Quin

Ivy

studio

song

to

Jerry

Wexler

at

Atlantic

Records.

Hall

also

called

Wexler

at

home

one

Sunday,

excitedly

exclaiming

that

he

had

a

#1

hit

for

him

(Guralnick

1986:207).

Hall's

forecast

proved

true.

"When

a

Man

Loves

a

Woman"

proved

to

be

a

flash

point

for

the

Shoals.

According

to

one

historian:

For

Rick

Hall

and

Jimmy

Johnson,

"When

a

Man

Loves

a

Woman"

signaled

a

dramatic

change

in

the

business

of

Shoals

Music. First,

it

gave

the

area

world

exposure. Second,

it

brought

in

Jerry

Wexler

and

Atlantic

Records.

Good

times

ahead

(Fuqua

1991:36).

A

self-proclaimed

"aging

hipster",

Jerry

Wexler's

interpretation

of

the

breakthrough

was

slightly hipper:

The

song

was

Percy

Sledge's

"When

a

Man

Loves

a

Woman,"

a

transcendent

moment

in

the

saga

of

Muscle

Shoals,

a

holy

love

hymn

that

shot

to

number

one

and

made

me

realize

Galkin

was

right;

I

had

to

get

with

Hall

in

a

hurry.

I

did,

and

I

took

Wilson

(Pickett)

with

me....

because

the magic

was

in

the

music

and

the

music

was

so

deeply

ingrained

in

Muscle

Shoals-in

guitarists

like

Eddie

Hinton,

keyboardists

like

Spooner

Oldham,

songwriters

like

Donnie

Fritts.

Music

was

in

the air

you

breathed

and

the

water

you

drank,

coming

at

you

so

inexorably

and

naturally

that

I

found

myself

returning

to

the

place

not simply

a

few

more

times

but

on

dozens

of

occasion

over

the

century. More

than

any

other

locale

or

individual,

Muscle

Shoals

changed

my

life-musically

and

every

which

way

(Ritz

1993:180).

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Jerry

Wexler

might

well

go

down

in

history

as

the

only

northerner

to

experience

a

transcendent

cultural

moment

in

the

South.

Wexler's

affinity with

the

Shoals

translated

into

a

series

of

hits at

FAME

and

later

with

the

MSRS.

With

Percy

Sledge and

Jimmy

Hughes

("Steal

Away")

who

are

cousins,

FAME

earned

respect

as

an

r&b producer,

but

with

Wilson

Pickett

and

Aretha

Franklin,

FAME

topped

the

r&b

charts.

Wexler

considered

the

Pickett

sessions

in

the

Shoals

to

be

dynamite:

Pickett

was

in

good

voice-..

.Tommy

(Cogbill

on

bass)

tore

it

up. So

did

rhythm

guitarist

Jimmy

Johnson,

the

sure-footed

and

naturally

inventive

Roger

Hawkins,

especially

adept

at

sound

consistency,

especially

soulful

with

the sock

cymbal

and

bass

drums

(Ritz

1993:191).

The

1966

session

produced

the

soul

classics,

"In

the

Midnight

Hour,"

"Mustang

Sally,"

and

"Funky

Broadway,"

and,

of

course,

the

top

10

hit

"Land

of

1000

Dances."

In

1967,

Jerry

Wexler

liked

the

laid

back

feel

of

the

Shoals

and

thought

it

the

right

scene

for

his

latest

Atlantic

signee,

Aretha

Franklin.

"Aretha

was

a

natural

for

the

Southern

style

of

recording.

Once

she

had

the

basics-rhythm,

groove

and

vocal

patterns-1

knew

she'd

get

off

on

the

spontaneity

of

the

studio"

(Ritz

1993:208).

FAME'S

spontaneous

alchemy

seemed

to

agree with

Aretha

during

the

recording

of

"I

Never

Loved

a

Man

(The

Way

I

Love

You)."

All

involved

in

the

session

seemed

pleased

with

the

outcome;

however,

the

chemistry

dissolved

when

an

intoxicated,

hired

horn

player

made

an

off-hand

comment

to

Aretha.

Franklin,

her

husband,

and

Jerry

Wexler

all

returned

to

New

York the

(Fuqua

1991:138-139;

Ritz

1993:

210-211;

and

McNutt

2002:134).

Wexler

finished

Aretha's

recordings

in

Atlantic's

New

York

studio

with

the

hopes

of

fixing

the growing

rift

between

the

two

producers.

In

the

parlance

of

the

music

business,

Aretha

Franklin's

first Atlantic

album

was

an

unqualified

success.

Peter

Guralnick,

author

of

Sweet

Soul

Music,

assessed

this

success

thus:

Her

career

from

the

first

Atlantic

release

was

like

a

meteor

shower,

a

burst

of

explosions

that

were

as

dazzling,

commercially

(her first

six

singles

made

the

Top

10

in

the

pop

charts

all

but

"Natural

Woman"

made

#1

on

the

Soul

charts,

and

that

made

#2)

as

they

were

for

the

ferocity

of

the

talent

that

was

unleashed...

Her

success

swept

aside

everything

in

its

path (the

Civil

Rights

Summer

of

1967

was

declared

by

Ebony

to

be

'the

Summer

of

'Retha,

Rap

[Brown],

and

Revolt')"

(Guralnick

1986:345).

Unbeknownst

by

many

in

the

nation,

three

Shoals

musicians,

Roger

Hawkins, Jimmy

Johnson,

and

Spooner

Oldham,

had

a

lot

to

do

with

the

success

of

Aretha

Franklin's

first Atlantic

record.

Wexler

had

nothing

but

R-E-S-P-E-C-T for

the

Southern

band

that

elevated

Wilson

Pickett

and

Aretha

Franklin

to

the

top

of

the

music

charts.

The

Atlantic

front

man

wanted

the

red-clay

rhythm

section

"on

a

permanent

basis."

By

then

(1967)

the

band

was

fixed

at

Barry

Beckett,

David

Hood,

Roger

Hawkins,

and

Jimmy

Johnson

(Ritz

1993:227).

Wexler's

wish

did

not

come

true,

but not

for

lack

of

trying;

however

the

music

mogul

lured

the

band

away

from

Rick

Hall

in

1969.

Unhappy

about

a

meager

salary

offer

of

$10,000.00

per

member

per

year,

Johnson,

Beckett,

Hood,

and

Hawkins

parted

ways

with

FAME.

Wexler

floated

his

fave

four

a

loan

of

$19,000.00

and

provided

them

steady

bookings

(Moseley

2005:141;

Fuqua

1991:42-44; and

Guralnick

1986:378).

As

they

say

in

the

music

business,

the

rhythm

section

was

in

business.

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14____________county

and

State

Colbert

County,

Alabama__________

The

Shoals

rhythm

section

selected

a

modest concrete

block

sonic

shack

at

3614

Jackson

Highway

for

the

site

of

their

edification.

Sources

disagree

about

the

precise

construction

date

of

this

building.

A

Colbert

County

Property Record

Card

records

1944

as

the

construction

date

(Colbert

County

2000). This

date

might

reflect

property acquisition

rather

than

construction

since

a

moratorium

during

World

War

II

prohibited

construction.

Polk

City Directories

do

not

have

a

listing

for

3614

Jackson

Highway

from

1941

to

1945,

indicating

that

the

subject

building

did

not

exist

at

that

time.

For

the

two

year

period

1946

to

1947,

the

Florence

Public

Library

does

not

have

Polk

City Directories;

however,

the

1948

directory

records

a

Gibson

Shade Shop

at

3614

Jackson

Highway.

In

1950,

the

business

expanded

its

title

to

"Gibson

Shade

Shop,

Venetian

Blinds"

(R.L.

Polk

Company

1950).

By

1959,

the

building

is

vacant

(R.L.

Polk

Company

1959).

The

1960s

ushered

in

a

new era

of

occupation

for

3614

Jackson

Highway. From

1962

to

1964,

the

building

housed the

United

Pipe and

Supply

Company,

United

Construction

Company,

specializing

in

chain link

fences

(R.L.

Polk

Company

1962

to

1964).

The

building

was

empty

for

the

years

until

1969,

according

to

Polk

City

Directories

(R.L.

Polk

Company

1965

to

1968).

Other

sources

indicate

that

Jimmy

Johnson

set

up

a

four-track

studio

in

the

building

for

Fred

Bevis,

who

wanted

to

produce

country

music,

in

1967

(Fuqua

1991:42).

The business

venture

was

unproductive,

so

Bevis

asked

Johnson

and

Hawkins

to

take

it

off

his

hands

(Moseley

2005:41;

Borgerson

2004:3).

Johnson

and

partners

upgraded

the

studio

to

eight

track

and

made

other

improvements.

Jokingly,

the

fearsome foursome tossed

"Muscle

Shoals

Sound

Studio"

around

for

a

music

moniker

(Fuqua

1991:49);

however,

the

more

they

said

the

name,

the

more

they

liked

it.

The

former

FAME

gang

hoped

they

were

not

fooling

themselves

when

they

opened

3614

Jackson

Highway

as

the

Muscle

Shoals

Sound

Studio

on

April

1,

1969.

The

rhythm

section's

change

of

address

coincided

with

a

change

in

"the

sound."

The

group

that

"defined

the

prototype

of

soul

in

the

1960s,

according

to

Jerry

Wexler

in

a

1979

Rolling

Stone

interview,

ventured

into

other

genres

at

the

dawn

of

the

1970s

(Forte

1982:76).

Initially,

Wexler

sent

the

Shoals

four

a

number

of

pop

musicians.

Cher

was

the

first

to

light

up

the

3614

Jackson

Highway

Studio

with husband

Sonny

in

tow.

While

the

resulting

Cher

album

featuring

mostly

covers

did

not

exactly

produce

commercial

success

for

either

Cher or

the

studio

rhythm

section,

it

acquired

cult

status

over

the

years.

Bearing

the

name

of

the

legendary

studio

"3614

Jackson

Highway,"

Cher's

album

cover

art

features

a

photograph

of

the

studio

facade,

Cher

in

Indian

dress

from

head

to

toe,

Sonny

in

an

Alabama

T-shirt, and

others

including

Jerry

Wexler.

Today,

the

album

that

inaugurated

the

Shoals

rhythm

section's

decade

long

association

with

3614

is

a

collector's

item.

Recognizing

the

album's

historic

value,

Rhino

Records

recently

released

it

in

CD

format

as

part

of

its

Handmade

Limited

edition

series

(Rhino

Records

2005).

The

studio

earned

chart

recognition

from

the

In

the

summer

of

1969,

Wexler paired

the

Bama

boys

with

the

British

lass,

Lulu.

The

combination

produced

a

minor

hit

with

"Oh

Me

Oh

My

(I'm

a

Fool

for

You

Baby)."

Wexler

however, was

under

whelmed

by

the

results

(Ritz

1993:231).

Without

a

big

hit

and

the

capital

generated

by

it,

circumstances

were

getting a

bit

rocky

for

the

Shoals

sessionists.

Then

the

Stones

showed

up

and

frets

melted

away.

In

what

can

only

be

considered

"such

stuff

as

rock

and

roll

legends

are

made

of,"

a

purported

Rolling

Stone

reporter

showed

up

at

the

permastones

of

3614

and

wanted

to

interview

Hood,

Johnson,

Beckett,

and

Hawkins.

Unbeknownst

to

the

MSRS,

the

reporter

was

incognito

Steve

Miller

guitarist,

Boz

Scaggs.

Several

weeks

later,

Scaggs

returned

with

Rolling

Stone

editor/publisher,

Jann

Wenner,

who

co-produced

Scaggs'

album

(Topar

1981:63;

Borgerson

2004:3).

Scaggs,

the

MSRS,

and

Duane

Allman,

who

played

on

many

FAME

and

MSRS

recordings,

combined

to

produce

a

memorable

13

minute

jam

session

on

"Loan

Me a

Dime."

"Dime"

established

the

MSRS's

FM

album

rock

credentials

according

to

music critic

Bruce

Borgerson

(2004). In

a

1981

Musician

article,

Leon

Topar

declared

the

song

a

brilliant

arrangement

(1981:69).

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of

property:

Muscle

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Studio

Section

8

Page

J6

county

and

State

Colbert

County,

Alabama

Many

of

the

Stax

acts

found

the

MSSS

to

their

liking.

The

MSRS had

a

"raw

funky

sound

on

the

very

edge

of

tightness

and

looseness"

that

was

similar

to

the

Memphis

Sound

(Fuqua

1991:

49-50).

In

fact,

the Shoals

section

was

often

compared

to

Memphis

and

received

awards

for

playing

Memphis-style

records

(Moseley

2005:

41).

Like

Jerry

Wexler,

many

of

the

musicians

preferred the

spontaneous

and

laid

back

approach

to

recording

at

3614

Jackson

Highway.

Mavis

Staples

loved

the

fact

that

Barry,

Jimmy,

Roger,

and

David

let

her

ad-lib, feed

off

each

other,

and

stretch

out

in

sessions

(Brown

2005:70).

The

MSRS

members

were

true

ambassadors

for

racial

harmony.

They

meshed

so

well

with

Albert

King,

the

Staples

Singers,

Luther

Ingram,

Wilson

Pickett,

Percy

Sledge,

Cleopatra

Jones,

Johnnie

Taylor,

Millie

Jackson,

Bobby

Womack

and

others

that

only

music

industry

insiders

realized

that

the

rhythm

section

was

white

(Forte

1982:

76).

The

Stax

and

MSRS

music

exchange

made

for

some

memorable

music.

Steve

Cropper,

who

crafted

tasty

guitar

licks

on

"Green Onions"

and

other

Stax

hits,

had

a

good

time

recording

with

the

Shoals

gang.

Luther

Ingram's

'If

Loving

You

is

Wrong"

scored

well

in

the

charts.

In

1971,

Albert

King

recorded

a

funky

blues

album

titled

"Lovejoy."

Five

of

the

nine

selections feature

the

MSRS.

On

the

title

song

"Lovejoy,

111,"

King

praises the

MSRS

and

the

Shoals,

along

with

the

people

of

Chicago,

Memphis,

and

Lovejoy,

111,

for

making

the

world

a

better

place

because

they have love

The

Staples

Singers

and

MSRS

made

some

truly

stirring

music

together.

"Respect

Yourself,"

"I'll

Take

You

There,"

"Be

What

You

Are,"

and

"City

in

the

Sky"

are

gripping

songs

with

dynamic

rhythms

and

strong

social

messages.

Part

gospel,

part

protest,

or

what

the

Staples

considered

"contemporary

gospel,"

these

songs

call

for

an

end

to

social

strife,

the

development

of

ethnic

pride,

the

promotion

of

universal

brother

and

sisterhood,

and

heavenly

transcendence (Brown

2005:70;

Palmer

1978

(2005):

2).

In

"I'll

Take

You

There"

Mavis

Staples

invites

Barry

Beckett

and

David

hood

to

take

solos

along

with

Pops.

This

gesture

is

the

musical

equivalent

of

smoking

the

peace

pipe.

The

integrated

exchange

between

the

Staples

and

MSRS

makes

one

think

that

the

MSSS

is

one

possibility

for

the

"place

where

there

ain't

no

cryin'

and

no

smilin"

faces

lyin'

to

the

races."

Heaven,

of

course,

is

another

possible

interpretation.

The

combination

of

the

Staples

Singers'

Utopian

social

vision

and

the

rhythmic

excitement

of

the

MSRS

elevated

the

Memphis-Muscle

Shoals

combo

to

the

top

of

the

charts (Brown

2005:70;

Palmer

1978

(2005):

2).

"I'll

Take

You

There"

was

a

number

one

album.

"I'll

Take

You

There"

caught

the

attention

of

none

other

than

the

poet

of

pop,

rhymin'

Paul

Simon.

Simon,

a

connoisseur

of

exotic

sounds,

liked

the

"Jamaican"

backing

on

the

Staples

record

(Borgerson

2004).

Simon said

he

wanted

to

use

the

band

on

"I'll

Take

You

There"

and had

his

manager

call

Stax

assuming

the

band

had

to

be

from

Memphis

(Forte

1982:85).

Once

the

MSRS

set

the

record

straight,

Simon

"Says"

was

on

his

way

to

the

Muscle

Shoals.

Because

the

MSRS

cut

"Take

Me

to

Mardi

Gras"

in

the

first

two

hours

of

the

session,

he

asked

the

rhythm

section

to

consider

recording

other

songs

on

the

album.

Fortunately for

Simon,

they

chose

"St.

Judy's

Comet,"

"Loves

Me

Like

a

Rock,"

"Kodachrome,"

and

"One

Man's

Ceiling

is

Another

Man's

Floor."

The

resulting

album

"There Goes

Rhymin'

Simon"

and

the

single

"Loves

Me Like

a

Rock"

went

gold

in

1973

(Recording

Institute

Association

of

America

2005).

For

their

part,

the

MSRS

earned

a

Grammy

nomination

in

1973

(Moseley

2005:122).

In

appreciation,

Rhymin'

Simon

placed

a

photograph

of

the

MSSS

above

the

"Kodachrome"

lyrics on

the

inside

of

the

album

cover.

The

interaction

between

the

MSRS

and

Lynyrd

Skynyrd

can

be

designated

as

Legend

Making

101.

The

first

meeting

between

the

bands

was

not

especially

a

blockbuster

moment.

"Leonard

Who?

was

the

puzzled

response

from

Barry

Beckett

when

the

Florida

band

first

visited

Sheffield

to

record

a

demo

tape

in

October

1970"

(O'Brien

1998).

Recognizing

that

Skynyrd

was

just

getting

started,

Jimmy

Johnson

took

Ronnie

Van

Zant

and

company

under

his sage

tutelage.

Johnson

taught

the

Florida

upstarts

the

importance

of

"playing

tandem

baselines

with

the

kick

drums,

maintaining

tempo,

and

selecting

the

right

key

(O'Brien

1998).

Johnson

rehearsed

the

band

and

carefully

put

together

an

11-song

album at

MSSS.

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15____________county

and

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Alabama__________

In

late

1969,

Atlantic

Records

signed

the

Bad

Boys

of

British

rock

to

its

roster.

During

a

whirlwind

tour,

Wexler

and

the

Stones

flew

into

the

Shoals,

which

Keith

Richard

dubbed a

"little

hick

town

with

absolutely nothing

going

on"

(Ritz

1993:233).

In

contrast,

the

tape machines

at

MSRS

were

spinning

as

quickly

as

the

hydroelectric

turbines

at nearby

Wilson

and

Wheeler

Dams. By

day,

the

MSRS

worked

with

R. B.

Greaves.

These

sessions

yielded

the

number

one

hit

"Take

a

Letter

Maria"

(Fuqua

1991:51).

And

by

night,

Jimmy

Johnson

sat

in

the

control

booth

while

Mick

and

his

mates

teamed

up

for

"You

Got

to

Move,"

"Brown

Sugar,"

and

"Wild

Horses."

The latter

two

tunes

topped

the

charts

and

propelled

the

Sticky

Fingers

album

to

mega

commercial

success

(Moseley

2005:122).

Richards

called

"Brown

Sugar"

the

best

tune they

ever

made

(Fuqua

1991:52).

These

sessions

sealed

the

MSRS's

fate.

A

film

crew

immortalized

the

Alabama

studio's

association

with

the Rolling

Stones

in

the

classic

rockumentary

Gimme

Shelter.

In

between

footage

of

one

of

the

Stone's

most

devilish

moments

at

the

infamous

Altamont

Pass

concert,

the

movie

shows

the

British

rockers

in

some

down

home

Alabama

moments

at

the

Florence

Holiday

Inn,

the

MSSS

parking

lot,

and

the studio

interior.

Caught

on

camera

for

eternity

are

Richard's

pantomime

of

Minnie Pearl;

the

guys

listening

to

a

playback

of

"Wild Horses"

with

Jimmy

Johnson;

and

Mick

and Keith

engaged

in

some

sort

of

jubilant

strut

back

at

their

Florence

motel

while

listening

to

a

freshly

cut

track

of

"Brown

Sugar"

(Maysles

Brothers

1970).

The

MSSS's

part

in

Gimme

Shelter

was

admittedly

brief

but

nonetheless

a

breakthrough.

After

the

movie

premiered

in

1970,

the

MSSS

was

no

longer

the

best

kept

secret

in

the

recording

industry.

The

R. B.

Greaves'

and

Stones'

hits

brought

a

world

of

musicians

and

others

to

the

MSSS

doorstep.

A

lesser

known,

but

very

important,

chapter

in

the

history

of

the

studio

involved

reggae

musician,

Jimmy

Cliff.

In

1971,

Island

Records

owner

and

producer,

Chris

Blackwell

brought

Cliff

to

the

Shoals,

hoping

to

imbue

the

Jamaican's

music

with

a

little

MSRS

rhythm

and

blues.

Blackwell

thought

this ingredient

might

make

Cliffs

music more

appealing to

American

and

European

audiences (Borgerson

2004).

The

MSRS

cut

6

to

10

songs

with

the

Reggae

ambassador.

"The

Harder

They

Come"

was

released

as

a

single

and as

part

of

the

sound

track

for

the

reggae

cult

film

of

the

same

title.

Starring

Cliff

as

a

musician

turned

gangster,

"The

Harder

They

Come"

featured

"Sitting

in

Limbo,"

which

was

recorded

at

MSSS,

on

the

soundtrack

(Borgerson

2004).

The

Cliff

MSSS

sessions

were

mutually

beneficial.

According

to

David

Hood,

"Jimmy

brought

a

bunch

of

Jamaican

records

with

him-old

ska

singles,

by

the

Upsetters

and

groups

like

that.

We

were

amazed

by

that

sound,

and

it

showed

us

a

few

things,

like

the

ways

to

turn

the

beat

around.

It

planted

a seed

with

us"

(Borgerson

2004).

In

a

1979

Rolling

Stone

interview,

Jimmy

Johnson

attributed

the

MSRS's

success to

"adaptability"

(McLane

1979).

The

band

absorbed

a

multitude

of

styles, such

as

Reggae

and

Ska

and

found

innovative ways

in

which

to

play

them.

The

MSRS

created

a

funky groove

out

of

Cliff

s

contributions.

This

groove

formed

the

foundation

of

many

songs

apocryphally

attributed

to

Stax

Records

in

Memphis.

In

the

early

1970s,

Stax

was

in

turmoil.

The

assassination

of

Martin

Luther

King

Jr.

in

1968

left

the

integrated

Stax

family

splintered

along

racial

lines.

The

company's

finances

were

in

dire

straits,

and

the

house

band,

Booker

T

and

the

MGs,

was

no

longer

together

(Guralnick

1986:386).

Stax

farmed

out

their

acts

to

the

MSSS

to

the

tune

of

50%

or

80%

depending

on

the

source.

The

Honorable

Ronnie

G.

Flippo

of

Alabama

indicated

that

the

MSSS

cut

50%

of

Stax's

output

from

1972

to

1976

during

an

address to

the

United

States

House

of

Representatives

(Flippo

1979).

Jimmy

Johnson

believed

the

percentage

was

more

like

80%

(Moseley 2005:41). Exact

numbers

aside,

Stax

kept

U.S.

Highway

72

between

Memphis

and

the

Shoals

red

hot,

sending

Luther

Ingram,

Albert

King,

Steve

Cropper,

the

Staples

Singers,

and

others

to

the

keepers

of

the

Memphis

Sound.

NFS

Form

10-900-a

OMB

No.

1024-0018

(8-86)

United

States

Department

of

the

Interior

National

Park

Service

NATIONAL

REGISTER

OF

HISTORIC

PLACES

CONTINUATION

SHEET

name

of

property:

Muscle

Shoals

Sound

Studio

Section

8

Page

j/7

county

and

State

Colbert

County,

Alabama

Although

"Skynyrd's

First

and

Last"

was

not

released

until

September

1978,

the

Muscle

Shoals

recorded

album

served

as

a

blueprint

for

the

band's

future.

From

the sessions,

Skynyrd

developed

a

multiple

lead,

slashing

guitar

attack

that

defined

1970s

rock

and

roll

(O'Brien

1998).

One

of

the

albums'

songs,

"Free

Bird"

eventually

became

a

rock

and

roll

anthem.

Released

in

1978,

an

abridged

nine

track

version

of

the

Muscle

Shoals

album

immediately

went

platinum

(O'Brien

1998).

Well

before

this

release,

Lynyrd

Skynyrd

signed

with

MCA,

the

partnership

of

which

resulted

in

many

hits

and gold

and platinum recordings.

One

of

the

many

hits

featured a

tribute

to

the

Swampers:

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

feelin'

blue!

"Leonard

Who?"

could

not

have

better

expressed

their

gratitude

because

"Sweet

Home

Alabama"

became

one

of

the

most

recognized

rock

and

roll

anthems

of

all

time.

Because

of

the

song,

the

Swampers

are

as

well known

as

Johnny

B.

Goode.

In

1973,

Jerry Wexler

did

the

seemingly

improbable.

Against

the advice

of

the

Nashville

crowd,

Wexler

got

on

the

road

again

and

made

some

music

with

friends

Willie

Nelson

and

the

MSRS.

The

Nashville

cats

thought

the

MSRS

sound

was

too

r&b

for

the

red

headed

guitar

ranger

(Ritz

1993:275).

The

wily

Wexler

thought

Willie's

music

defied

conventional

classification.

He

felt

Willie's

blues

overtones

were

compatible

with

Swamper

rhythms,

which

also

defied categorization.

According

to

Wexler,

the

MSRS

was

"equally

at

home

in

country,

blues,

and

rock

and

roll"

(Forte

1982:76).

In

Wexler's

way

of

thinking,

the

pairing

rang

true.

The

two-day

MSSS

session

(The

MSRS

rarely

wasted

time

when making

music)

culminated

in

"Phases

and

Stages."

Wrote

country

music

critic

John

Morthland

about

the

album:

"It's

rife

with contradictions;

its

got

more

jazz

inflections

than

anything

Nelson

has

done,

yet

it's

also

true

to his

Texas

country

roots"

(Ritz

1993:276).

Although

"Phases

and

Stages"

did

not

go

gold

in

record

sales,

Wexler

considered

the

album

a

milestone

(Ritz

1993:276).

Critics

like

Morthland

liked

the

album

and

their

praise

provided Willie

with

the

clout

to

negotiate

a

contract

with

CBS

Records.

Nelson

had

a

series

of

"platinum

records,

beginning

with

"The

Red

Headed Stranger,"

the

logical

successor

to

"Phases

and

Stages"

(Ritz

1993:276).

Wexler

and

the

MSRS

unleashed

the

Outlaw

Nelson,

freeing

him

from

the

confining

corrals

of

Nashville

country.

Not

bound

by

labels

themselves,

the

MSRS

members

ranged

from

soul

to

country

to

pop

with

ease.

IN

1972,

Barry

Beckett

and

David

Hood

produced

Mel

and

Tim's

"Starting

All

Over

Again."

The

record

was

a

hit

(Topar

1981:64).

In

1974,

at

least

one

of

the

MSRS,

Jimmy

Johnson, worked

on

Paul

Simon's

"Still

Crazy

After

All

These

Years"

(Johnson

2005).

Simon

brought former

song

mate

and

oft

time

sparring

partner,

Art

Garfunkle,

to

3614

Jackson

Highway where

the

duo spun

the

vinyl

single

"My

Little

Town."

The

pop

parade

continued

with

Peter

Yarrow,

one

third

of

the

trio

Peter,

Paul,

and Mary.

Barry

Beckett

co-produced

Yarrow's

"Hard

Times"

in

1975

(Topar

1981:64).

Beckett

also

produced

Mary

MacGregor's

"Torn

Between

Two

Lovers."

This

song

was

a

number

one

hit

for

MacGregor

and

the

MSSS.

The

MSSS's

reputation

for

making

music

spread

around

the

globe.

Mary

MacGregor's

"Torn

Between

Two

Lovers"

topped

international

pop

charts

(Webster

2005).

Musicians

came

from

Japan,

Sweden,

Canada,

France, and

England

to

record

at

the

MSSS

(Fuqua

1991:67).

Rod

Stewart's

trip

across

the

Big

Pond

proved

worthwhile.

Stewart's

aptly

titled

"Atlantic

Crossing"

MSSS

recorded

album

went

gold

in

December

1975

(Recording

Industry

Association

of

America

2005).

NFS

Form

10-900-a

OMB

No.

1024-0018

(8-86)

United

States

Department

of

the

Interior

National

Park

Service

NATIONAL

REGISTER

OF

HISTORIC

PLACES

CONTINUATION

SHEET

name

of

property:

Muscle

Shoals

Sound

Studio

Section

8

Page

18____________county

and

State

Colbert

County,

Alabama__________

The

year

1972

marked

the

beginning

of

a

long

and

profitable

relationship

between

the

MSSS

and

Bob

Seger.

That

year

Bob

recorded

the

aptly

titled

"Back

in

'72."

Seger

followed

that

with

the

"Beautiful

Loser"

LP-45

in

1974.

"Beautiful

Loser"

was

a

winner

becoming

a

staple

on

FM

rock

stations

nationwide.

In

the

following

year,

"Katmandu"

met

with

similar

success.

Given

the

frequency

and

the

results

of

the visits

to

the

MSSS,

Bob

Seger

should

have

titled

"Katmandu"

"Muscle

Shoals"

instead.

Seger

brought

home

some

serious

music

industry

hardware

with

"Night

Moves"

and

"Stranger

in

Town."

Recorded

at

the

MSSS

in

1977

and

1978,

respectively,

the

LPs

went

gold and

platinum.

Simultaneously

Seger

and

the

Silver

Bullet

Band

were

hot

commodities

on

the

stadium

concert

circuit.

Likewise, Lynyrd

Skynyrd

commanded

gold

and

platinum

record

sales

and

sold

out

football

stadium

shows nationwide.

In

the

late

1970s,

MSSS recorded,

or

influenced,

rock

and

roll

dominated

box

office

and

record

sales

and

music

awards.

In

mid

1978,

Bob

Seger returned

to

the

Muscle

Shoals

to

record

"Old

Time

Rock

and

Roll."

However,

the session

took

place

at

1000

Alabama

Avenue

in

Sheffield.

Unable

to

buy

the

3614

Jackson

Highway

property,

the

MSSS

relocated

to

the

Alabama

Avenue

address

in

April

1978.

The

MSRS

converted

a

building

built

in

1903

for

a

power

plant

into

a

studio

with

two

recording

rooms,

control

rooms,

a lounge,

kitchen,

tape

vault,

offices,

and

a

sundeck

(Fuqua

1991:67).

At

this

studio,

the

MSRS

continued

recording

gold

and

platinum

records

with

the

likes

of

Bob

Seger,

Bob

Dylan,

Dire

Straits,

Dr.

Hook,

The

Oak

Ridge Boys, and

others.

In

1985,

the

MSSS

sold

the

1000

Alabama Avenue

Studio

to

Malaco Records

of

Jackson,

Mississippi

(Moseley

2005:124).

The

studio

remained

open

until

January

2005.

Meanwhile,

the

3614

building spent the

better

part

of

the

1980s

housing

a pro

audio

business.

A

1980

photograph

shows

the

building

with

a

Big

Bear

Audio

and

Video

sign

on

the

south

side

of

the

building

and

a

Big

Bear

Audio

sign

on

the

west

side

(fa9ade)

(Borgerson

2004).

Aside

from

the

signage,

the

building

appeared

to

be

making

the

transition

from

the

era

of

the

hippies

to

that

of

yuppies

unchanged. Big

Bear

remained

in

business

until

1987

(Webster

2005).

A

used

appliance

store

opened

in

the

building

in

1989

and

washed

out

in

1997

(Webster

2005).

During

his

journey

to

the

crossroads

of

rock

'n'

roll,

author

Randy

McNutt

found

3614

Jackson

Highway

filled

with

washing

machines

and

a

family

living

in

the

basement

(McNutt

2002:127).

The

control

room

was

intact,

but

sans

recording

equipment.

The

Swampers

sold

the

recording

equipment

when

they

moved

to

the

other

studio

in

1978.

The

end

of

the

1990s

brought

the

history

of

the

former

recording

studio

full

cycle.

The

appliance

man

left

in

1997,

but

the

washing

machines

remained.

Several

people

rented

the

building for

two

years,

and

attempted

to

run

a

recording

studio.

From

1999

to

2000,

the

building

was vacant

(Webster

2005).

The City

of

Sheffield

condemned

it

because

it

was

in

disrepair

(Palmer

2000).

Fortunately,

Noel

Webster purchased

the

property

and

saved

it

from

the

wrecking

ball.

Displeased

with

the

flat

and

mechanical

sound

of

digital

equipment

and

computer

technology,

some

of

today's

musicians

have

found

their

way

to

Sheffield

seeking

retro tone.

Tommy

York

and Thrillbilly

recorded

11

tracks

at

Webster's

studio

in

April

2001.

Backed

by

a

wealthy

patron,

Thrillbilly

could

have recorded

anywhere

in

the

country

(Palmer

2001).

York, who

has

worked

in

Muscle

Shoals

studios since

1976,

considered

the

sound

temple

at

3614

Jackson

Highway

the

obvious

choice.

"After

overdubbing

a

vocal

track

during

the

session,

York

exclaimed

'It's

so

warm

and

creamy.

You

don't

hear

that

on

the

radio

anymore.'"

Pleased

with

the

studio's

renovation

and

restoration

of

its

vintage

sound

qualities,

Jimmy

Johnson

recorded

the

band

King

Kharma

there

in

2004.

A

number

of

Shoals

area

musicians

have

recorded

there

since

3614's

reopening

in

April

2001.

The

musicians

resounding

response

to

the

rebirth

of

3614

Jackson

Highway encouraged Webster

to

provide

the

general

public

with

access

to

the

font

of

so

much

of

the

1970s

sound.

He

created

a

website

featuring

a

history

and

discography

of

the

MSSS,

photo gallery,

and

a

review

of

the

studio's

present

vintage

recording

equipment.

He

also

opened

the

studio

for

NFS

Form

10-900-a

OMB

No.

1024-0018

(8-86)

United

States

Department

of

the

Interior

National

Park

Service

NATIONAL

REGISTER

OF

HISTORIC PLACES

CONTINUATION

SHEET

name

of

property:

Muscle

Shoals

Sound

Studio

Section

8,9

Page

J9

county

and

State

Colbert

County,

Alabama

"by

appointment"

and

select

"drop

in"

visits.

Archie

Bell

of

the

Drells

and

"Tighten

Up"

fame stopped

by

for

a

chat

one

day.

Tourists

from

Japan,

Norway,

Germany,

England,

and

Ireland have

beaten

a

path

to

the

music

monument.

Based

on

this

amplified

interest

in

the

MSSS,

Webster's

future

plans

include

offering

tours

of

3614

Jackson

Highway

on

a

regular

basis.

He

envisions

operating

3614

as

a

live

recording

studio

and

a museum

dedicated

to

the interpretation

of

the

MSSS's

place

in

American

music

history

and

popular

culture.

Webster

has

made

several

trips

to

Sun

Studios

and

Stax

(which

unlike

Sun

and MSSS

is

not

in

its

original

building)

in

Memphis

to

gain

some

perspective

on

museum

operations. These

trips

have

led

to

serious

discussions

amongst

the

various

studio

owners

of

developing

a

musical

heritage

corridor

from

Memphis

to

the

Muscle

Shoals

and

possibly

to

Nashville.

The

MSSS

will

have

a

prominent

part

in

the

promotion

of

this

corridor.

Section

IX.

Bibliography

Borgerson,

Bruce.

"Glory

Days:

Muscle

Shoals

1967-1972,

1972-1980."

ProSoundWeb.com,

2004.

Electronic

document,

http://www.prosoundweb.com/recording/bruce_borgerson/muscleshoals2/muscleshaols2.shtml.

Brown,

Geoff.

"Bobby

Womack

Interview."

Mojo,

December

2004.

"God

Bless The

Child."

Mojo,

May

2005.

Colbert

County.

Property

Record

Card

and

Tax

Assessor's

Map.

Tuscumbia,

2000.

Country

Music

Television.

American

Revolutions:

Southern

Rock.

2005.

Flippo,

Hon.

Ronnie

G.

"Muscle

Shoals

Music

a

Proud

History."

Congressional

Record,

May

17,

1979.

Forte,

Dan.

"Rhythm

Guitar

Artistry

at

Muscle Shoals."

Guitar

Player,

April

1982.

"Muscle

Shoals:

The

Band

Attitude."

Guitar

Player,

November

1982.

Fuqua,

Christopher.

Music

Fell

on

Alabama.

Birmingham: Crane

Hill

Publishers,

1991.

Guralnick,

Peter.

Sweet

Soul

Music.

Boston:

Little,

Brown and

Company,

1986.

Hansen,

Hon.

James

V.

"Muscle

Shoals

National

Heritage

Area

Study

Act

of

2001."

Congressional

Record,

April

11,

2Q02.

Johnson,

Jimmy.

"Discography:

1965-1995."

Electronic

document,

http://jimmyjohnsonmusic.com/DISCOGRAPHY.pdf.

Keel,

Beverly.

"Muscle

Shoals

Shuts

Down."

Rolling

Stone,

February

18,

2005.

Electronic

document,

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/id/703

7431

/markknopfler?pageid=rs.NewsArchive.

Maysles

Brothers.

Gimme

Shelter.

1970.

McKeen,

William.

Bob

Dylan:

A

Bio-Bibliography.

Westport:

Greenwood

Publishers,

1993.

NFS

Form

10-900-a

OMB

No.

1024-0018

(8-86)

United

States

Department

of

the

Interior

National Park

Service

NATIONAL

REGISTER

OF

HISTORIC PLACES

CONTINUATION

SHEET

name

of

property:

Muscle

Shoals

Sound

Studio

Section

9

Page

20____________county

and

State

Colbert

County.

Alabama________

McLane,

Daisann.

"Muscle

Shoals'

Southern

Hospitality."

Rolling

Stone,

March

8,

1979.

McNutt,

Randy.

Guitar

Towns:

A

Journey

to

the

Crossroads

of

Rock

n'

Roll.

Bloomington:

Indiana

University

Press,

2002.

Morthland,

John.

The

Best

of

Country

Music.

New

York:

Double

Day

&

Co.

Inc.,

1984.

Moseley,

Willie

G.

"Jimmy

Johnson:

The

Guitar

Sound

of

the

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Vintage

Guitar,

January

2005.

O'Brien,

Ron.

"Liner

Notes,

Lynyrd

Skynyrd's

First

and

Last,

The

Complete

Muscle

Shoals

Album."

MCA

Records,

1998.

Palmer,

Robert.

"Heard

around the

World,

Muscle

Shoals

Sound

is

seen

as

the

embodiment

of

'treasure

and

terrible

beauty'."

Times

Daily,

March

11,2001.

"Thrilling

Sounds."

Times

Daily,

May

3,

2001.

"Bringing

back

the

old,

Famous

Shoals

sound

studio

being

refurbished."

Times

Daily,

November

5,

2000.

Palmer,

Robert.

"The

Stax

Story."

Stax

website,

2005.

Electronic

document,

http://staxrecords.free.fr/staxstorv.htm.

Originally

printed

in

1978

by

Harper

Row.

Polk,

R.L.

Company.

Polk

City

Directories.

Muscle

Shoals, 1941-2005.

Recording Industry

Association

of

America.

"Gold

and

Platinum."

Electronic

document,

http://www.riaa.com/gp/database/search_results.asp.

Rhino

Records.

"Handmade."

Electronic document,

http://www.rhinohandmade.com/browse/ProductLink.lasso?Number=7733.

Ritz,

David.

Rhythm

and

the

Blues.

New

York:

Alfred

Knopf,

1993.

Tennille,

Andy.

"Muscle

Men:

A

Look

at

the

Magicians

Who

Conjured

the

Muscle

Shoals

Sound."

Harp,

September/October

2005.

Electronic

document,

http://harpmagazine.com/articles/detail.cfm?article_id=3395.

Topar,

Leon.

"Muscle

Shoals."

Musician,

April-May

1981.

Webster,

Noel.

Phone

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2004,

2005.

NFS

Form

1

C-900-a

OMB

No.

1024-0018

(8-86)

United

States

Department

of

the

Interior

National

Park

Service

NATIONAL

REGISTER

OF

HISTORIC

PLACES

CONTINUATION

SHEET

name

of

property:

Muscle

Shoals

Sound

Studio

Section

10,

Photo

Log Page

21_____county

and

State

Colbert

County,

Alabama__________

X.

Geographical Data

Verbal

Description

The

legal

description

for

the

Muscle

Shoals

Sound

Studio

at

3614

Jackson

Highway

is

defined

as

Colbert

County

PR#

20-

07-08-27-1-007-029.000.

The

boundaries

for

the property

are

delineated

on

the

accompanying

map

based

on

a

Colbert

County

Tax

Assessor

map,

drawn

at

a

scale

of

1

inch

equals

125

feet.

Boundary

Justification

The

boundaries

for

the

Muscle

Shoals

Sound

Studio

at

3614

Jackson

Highway

are

legally

defined

by

the

Colbert

County

Tax

Assessor's

Office, and

have

been associated

with

the

studio

from

1969,

the

year

of

its

inception,

to

the

present.

Photograph

Log

The

following

information

is

the

same

for

each

photograph:

Name

of

photographers:

John

Lieb; Gene

A.

Ford

Date

of

Photograph:

August

2005

Location

of

Digital

Images:

The

Office

of

Archaeological

Research

13075

Moundville

Archaeological

Park

Moundville,

Alabama

35474

205.371.8713

Photograph

1.

Fa9ade,

facing

southeast

Photograph

2.

Fa9ade,

facing

east

Photograph

3.

Fa9ade,

facing

west

Photograph

4.

Studio

interior,

facing

control

room

Photograph

5.

Studio

interior,

vocal

isolation

booth

Photograph

6.

Studio

interior,

facing

isolation

booths

Photograph

7.

Studio

interior,

facing

keyboard

and

guitar

stations

from

bass

booth

Photograph

8.

Studio

interior,

facing

drum

and

bass

booths

from

keyboards

Photograph

9.

Studio

interior,

control

booth

with

sound

board

Photograph

10.

Studio

interior,

control

booth

with

24

inch

tape

machines

Photograph

11.

Basement,

facing

northwest

Photograph

12.

Basement,

facing

southeast

Photograph

13.

Basement,

facing

east

Muscle

Shoals

Sound

Studio,

3614

Jackson

Highway

Layout

Closet

Jimmy

Johnson's

Chair

Session

Guitarist's

Chair

Duane

Allman

Pete

Carr

Eddie

Hinton

N

Porch

Control

Booth

Barry

Beckett's

Keyboards

Isolation

Booth

Office

Reception

.

Porch

Foyer

Isolation

Booth

David

Hood's

.Bass

Station

Roger

Hawkin's

Drum

Booth

.Bathroom

.Stairwell

Jimmy

Johnson's

Office

Approximate

Scale

0

5ft.

Based

on

Colbert

County

Tax

Assessor

Map

Muscle

Shoals

Sound

Studio,

3614

Jackson

Highway

National Register

of Historic

Places

Boundaries

STATE

50

25

50

19

75

MAIN

18

PL

PB.

*

__L

35'

35

35*

CD

35*

52

TENNESSEE

75

25

462

••

i"'i^

8

938

50

75

A

22

c\j

70

I

i

C\J

70'

UJ

LU

P

O

3

50'

35

o

2!

35'

2Q

35

19

35

17

70

A

15

35

14

QO

105'

«0

I

35'

13

70

A

12

140*

EUL

i i

35

140'

0

75

125ft.

1

IP.

=

125ft.

Based

on

Colbert

County

Tax

Assessor

Map

N