Listen to the Music

You know we have great fishing, but have you heard our music? Bet you have. Here’s your chance to create your own playlist of music influenced by this great state. The list goes on and on . . . some say there must be something in the water.

In 2014, a documentary about Muscle Shoals, dubbed “a small town with a big sound,” made the world aware of our tradition as a home for great musicians and for producing legendary music for superstars from around the world. From the Rolling Stones to the Civil Wars, legends and super groups have come here to record. To get that “Muscle Shoals sound.” You can tour FAME Recording Studio and Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, where artists such as Aretha Franklin, Paul Simon, the Allman Brothers and Bob Dylan recorded. Then take a stroll through the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, which honors music giants including Tammy Wynette, Alabama, the Commodores, Nat King Cole, W.C. Handy and more.

Handy, known as the “Father of the Blues,” was born in this part of the state. He wrote cherished songs such as “St. Louis Blues” and “Beale Street Blues.” The W.C. Handy Birthplace, Museum & Library in Florence houses a collection of Handy’s memorabilia.

In the northeast corner of the state, Fort Payne is home to the country music group Alabama’s Fan Club & Museum. Farther south, Tuskegee has the Commodores Museum. In Birmingham, you’ll find the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, where you’ll see items that once belonged to legends Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton and more, and learn about their Alabama roots.

And Hank? Let us tell you about Hank. The boyhood home of Hank Williams, Sr. in Georgiana is now a museum that gives visitors a look into the life of the legend before fame came his way. In Montgomery, the Hank Williams Museum is full of memorabilia of this storied country music icon.