Watch Muscle Shoals

Muscle Shoals, Alabama borders the Tennessee River and is considered an unlikely starting point for some of the most rebellious yet inventive music in America. Inspiration came by way of the Singing River which was named by the Native Americans. Legend has it that when the river is low, it is said to sound like a sweet woman singing, but when the river is high, it sounds like an angry woman singing. Rick Hall, who was born and raised in Muscle Shoals, is the founder of Fame Studios. By overcoming staggering poverty and tragedies, Hall was able to bring together the black and white powder keg of racial tension in Alabama to create music that would be for all generations. Hall is also responsible for the creation of The Swampers (a soul, R&B, and country music band from Muscle Shoals, Alabama) and Muscle Shoals music, also Fame's very own in-house band that eventually left to start their own successful studio called The Muscle Shoals Sound. Percy Sledge, Keith Richards, Alicia Keys, Etta James, Mick Jagger, Clarence Carter, Bono, Greg Allman and many others can give testimony to the magnetism and mystery of Muscle Shoals and why it remains so popular and influential today.