Muscle Shoals Sound Studio: How the Swampers Changed American Music

by Carla Jean Whitley

An estimated four hundred gold records have been recorded in the Muscle Shoals area. Many of those are thanks to Muscle Shoals Sound Studio and the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, dubbed "the Swampers."
Some of the greatest names in rock, R&B and blues laid tracks in the original, iconic concrete-block building--the likes of Cher, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Rolling Stones and the Black Keys. The National Register of Historic Places now recognizes that building, where Lynyrd Skynyrd recorded the original version of "Free Bird" and the Rolling Stones wrote "Brown Sugar" and "Wild Horses." By combing through decades of articles and music reviews related to Muscle Shoals Sound, music writer Carla Jean Whitley reconstructs the fascinating history of how the Alabama studio created a sound that reverberates across generations.

Genres: Music, History, Nonfiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published June 17, 2014

About the author

Carla Jean Whitley is a writer and editor who is curious about the intersection of culture and community. She shares those stories through the written word as well as audio, video, social media, speaking engagements and teaching. She is a freelance writer whose work frequently appears in BookPage, Lonely Planet, Birmingham magazine and other publications. Whitley is the author of three books: “Birmingham Beer: A Heady History of Brewing in the Magic City,” “Muscle Shoals Sound Studio: How the Swampers Changed American Music” and “Balancing Act: Yoga Essays.” Connect with her at carlajeanwhitley.com.

Reviews

[Armand Rosamilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good history of the Muscle Shoals recording legacy. Wish there could've been more insight and interviews with some of the bands who recorded key music back in the day but overall a great read.

[Christa · Rating 5 out of 5]

“People usually don’t know what’s going on around here until it’s done, and they like it like that.”


^ I live in the area and yes it’s true. It’s always funny to go out to eat and think that person looks familiar and yep find out weeks later they were recording in the area (looking at you Keith Richards and Hanson).


I really enjoyed this book. The 2013 documentary Muscle Shoals was a great watch. It focuses on the history of music that comes out of this tiny corner of North Alabama. This book focus specifically on Muscle Shoals Sounds on Jackson Hwy. I pass this everyday on my way to work so it was fun to read.

The best way to read this is have your phone close by and make a playlist.

There’s the hometown favorite Percy Sledge (“When a Man Loves a Woman”)
Wilson Pickett (“Land of 1000 Dances”, “Mustang Sally”)
Aretha Franklin (“RESPECT” which wasn’t recorded in the Shoals but the Swampers are the band)
Rolling Stones (“Brown Sugar”, “Wild Horses”)
Etta James (“Tell Mama”)
Lynard Skinard (“Gimme Three Steps”)
The Staple Singers (“I’ll Take You There”)
Bob Serger (“Old Time Rock and Roll”)
Carrie Underwood (“Before He Cheats”)
The Black Keys (“Howling for You”)

This is a pretty interesting story of a small recording studio (that was broken off from FAME studio) in a town that produced so many hits. If you like music and music history, you might like this read.

The influence of such black musicians on Alabama white boys was tremendous—and of course, David Hood has noted, you couldn’t tell someone’s skin color by listening to a song on the radio. (The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section would later see that in reverse, as many people assumed the musicians who backed Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett and others were black.)

Or if you’re like me and a native you can read it and brag about all the songs on the radio that were recorded in your hometown.

[Armand Rosamilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good history of the Muscle Shoals recording legacy. Wish there could've been more insight and interviews with some of the bands who recorded key music back in the day but overall a great read.

[jboyg · Rating 3 out of 5]

History of Soul Music recording Mecca

Back in the day I would buy any record I came across that was recorded in a tiny Alabama town called Muscle Shoals: Aretha, Pickett, Clarence Carter and a host of others produced some of their best work there. This is the interesting history of how it all happened And the musicians behind the music.

[William · Rating 1 out of 5]

Can't recommend this book. Too much local trivia that most people will find repetitive and non-interesting. Much of it is old quotes from various newspaper and trade magazine interviews. Could barely make it through the book and couldn't wait to finish it. Don't bother.

[FSU Alumni]

Carla Jean Whitley (B.S. ’02)

[Yimmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

From what I know, it’s the only book that attempts to tell the story of Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. It does a decent job of doing that by frequently quoting different media that has been released: magazines (example: Sound on Sound), movies (2013 documentary), and other printed quotes. It does the research for you, but I felt like it didn’t always exactly accurately tell certain stories. Perhaps that is due to my sources being different from the ones chosen for this book. At the end of the day, people saw things differently. The way I see it, I am glad this book was written. It’s not exhaustive, but it tells the story that hasn’t been told in one place as well as it has in the form of this book.

[Jim McFiver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Potentially Great History - Squandered

If you’re looking for the definitive history of the legendary Muscle Shoals sound, this, unfortunately isn’t it. The first clue was, a few pages in, the author tells us that Aretha’s previous label was Capitol Records (when, of course, it was Columbia). Coupled with a writing style that bounces around the story like a honeybee on crank - feeling like someone manically copying and pasting research in a very irritating and amateurish manner, like a rushed term paper, we end up with a book nearly impossible to read. While the author clearly has love for her subject, it’s squandered by lack of focus and style.

[Victor Saville · Rating 4 out of 5]

took me the longest time to get a copy of this and was well worth the effort.

I'd first come across Muscle Shoals through the documentary which was released several years ago.

Nicely laid out chronicle of events at the studio (s)

Makes me want to pay the area a visit

I created a playlist on Spotify from the 1993 Rhino Records release The Muscle Shoals Sound by Various Artists

[Amy Lively · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is some interesting history which might be more useful for music fans who do not know much about Muscle Shoals. It is brief and easy to digest, which might be perfect for some folks. I would have preferred a bit more information that went beyond what I could find by doing my own internet search.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise

And informative. We are travelling there next week. We are music fans, but not intensively so, where alot of detail is needed, sothis book is percect. Also wathced the documentary; and the facts in this book complement it.

[Jamie Cherry · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book but it’s littered with errors and information is repeated multiple times and often only a paragraph or two after originally mentioned. Saying the Stones performed at “Altamont in Los Angeles” was a bridge too far. That was 30% through so I put it down.

[Greg Hartley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun book that really captures some of the history and magic behind the Swampers and the Muscle Shoals sound.

Some parts of the book seemed to be a little repetitive, but it wasn’t that long, so I didn’t mind too much.

3/5

[June Mathews · Rating 5 out of 5]

An entertaining and informative read about an amazing time in Alabama's music history. Loved it!

[Judyspadoni · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of information on the Muscle Shoals music scene that I did not know and I learned a lot about it.
Read it for book club or would not have picked it up

[Billy Clemmons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Local Music History of the Shoals

Definitely a must read for local history nerds like me. Looking forward to reading more about Muscle Shoals music history.

[Chi Chi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the subject material, but this book desperately needs editing and expanding. Very frustrating that it wasn’t as good as it could have been.

[Christopher Federici · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very a short book and acts as a wonderful reference to the affect Muscle Shoals had on popular music. If you simply want to get familiar with the concept and place, this is for you.

If you want a deeper history with characters and context - look elsewhere. The book’s final quarter is all about the legacy and continued relevance of muscle shoals and its musical past, and while that is all greatly appreciated, I wish I was given more time to appreciate and understand what we’re celebrating in the first place!

This book achieved what I hoped it would - to encourage me to visit muscle shoals with far more context and appreciation. I just wish it connected the countless other dots in my music history mind, placing it along a deeper timeline and lineage than this book’s length allows.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written as an ode to the music of the Sound Studio, it's great if you are at all interested to find out how this music came about. I enjoyed it immensely, partly because, being from Alabama, I was thrilled to see all this information put in an accessible form. There's a world of trivia questions answered here. I do wish it had covered more of the musicians involved in Muscle Shoals in general, especially Eddie Hinton, but this book should go to the top of music lovers lists to read.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots and lots and lots of good research, but the writing felt cramped and disjointed. It seemed like there was so much to get in that it was difficult for the author to find her groove (if you will). Too often she put block quotes or statements from her research when the same thing could have been stated an summarized with her own words and a pull quote. Very informative, but not the smoothest read.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This work is an interesting and informative history of the recording studios in Northwest Alabama and the important part they played in American music beginning in the 1950s. I grew up in nearby Huntsville, AL but had no idea how many big name performers and groups recorded there. Whitley's book is very readable and the many photos contribute to the appeal of this history.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great work of music history from Carla Jean Whitley. Intriguing enough for a non-classic rock fan to enjoy the read and come away with a deeper appreciation and understanding of the music hailing from Muscle Shoals.

[Marlin Block · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muscle Shoals

Along with Charlie Hughes's Country Soul both books give a clear picture of how Northern Alabama ruled the music world