Muscle Shoals

Once a Cherokee tribal hunting ground and later an industrial stronghold along the Tennessee River, today it’s music and the creation of it that makes the town of Muscle Shoals in the north of the state of Alabama a must-see destination.

Known as the Hit Recording Capital of the World, Muscle Shoals’ musical roots began in the 1960s, when American music producer, Rick Hall opened the soon to be famous FAME Recording Studios. Artists that would go on to be great names made their first recordings there, including Etta James, Arthur Alexander, Percy Sledge, and Otis Redding. Soon after, the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio was founded, and another musical genre moved into town, Rock ‘n’ Roll. The likes of Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and the Rolling Stones all travelled to Muscle Shoals to make their music happen.

Alabama has always had an exceptional amount of famous recording artists, and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame highlights the success of Alabama’s greatest musicians. Stand where the Rolling Stones found their harmony, walk through the padded booths where Aretha Franklin recorded her finest work and sit in a speakeasy where Willie Nelson may have partied. If you want to immerse yourself in recording music history, there’s no better way to do it than with a stop in Muscle Shoals.