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75-652: The original group hired by Hall in the early 1960s was Norbert Putnam , David Briggs , and Jerry Carrigan , who created hit records that brought recognition and stature to this unknown and out-of-the-way studio. This group was courted by Nashville studios and left Muscle Shoals to pursue independent careers in Nashville. To replace these musicians, Hall hired a core group consisting of Barry Beckett , Roger Hawkins , David Hood and Jimmy Johnson , initially called "the Second FAME Gang", but widely known by

150-812: A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project providing navigation on the Tombigbee River and a link to the Port of Mobile , enters the Tennessee River near the Tennessee-Alabama-Mississippi boundary. This waterway reduces the navigation distance from Tennessee, north Alabama, and northern Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico by hundreds of miles. The final part of the Tennessee's run is north through western Kentucky , where it separates

225-487: A Musical Memoir , was published in early 2017. After a long career in Nashville, Putnam moved to Florence, Alabama, near his birthplace. In 2015, Putnam and his wife Sheryl purchased a nineteenth-century mansion there known as "Thimbleton" which they sold in 2019. On the Elvis recording of " Merry Christmas Baby ", Putnam is referenced by Elvis, when he calls "Wake up Putt". Tennessee River The Tennessee River

300-403: A bottle of vodka with the horn section during the session. White then demanded that Ken Laxton, the trumpet player who was white, be fired for making passes at Aretha. Hall and Wexler reluctantly agreed. About an hour later, White burst into the control room and demanded that the sax player be fired, saying, "He's flirting with my wife". The producers then fired the sax player. By this time everyone

375-466: A consistent sound rather than have unfamiliar musicians on each session. The New York Times called the Muscle Shoals sound "indigenous American music, a distinctly Southern amalgamation of rhythm & blues, soul, and country music". Atlantic Records executive Jerry Wexler became acquainted with Hall and brought artists such as Wilson Pickett and Aretha Franklin to record at FAME with

450-458: A few people were surprised to learn that the musicians backing many notable black artists were white. Whitley said, "There were many producers accused of lying [about it]... Rod Stewart was one of those who took his producer out and said, 'seriously?' " In the early 1960s, it was not a routine practice to have the same musicians as a " house band " for recording different artists, the exceptions being Motown and Stax Records . Hall wanted to obtain

525-693: A financial dispute, the Swampers broke away from Rick Hall and FAME to purchase a tiny studio with burlap-covered walls at 3614 Jackson Highway. They were aided in the process by Wexler, who arranged a loan from Atlantic Records to make much-needed equipment upgrades to 8-track recording machines that were compatible with Atlantic's equipment. The Swampers were to pay the loans back by providing studio time. At first, Hawkins and Johnson had more ownership, but subsequently they made Hood and Beckett equal partners at no cost. The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section created more than 50 hits at this studio. The studio's sole bathroom

600-499: A first-rate studio at 603 Avalon Avenue patterned after Owen Bradley 's in Nashville. Some 50 years later, the building would be listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Before long, Nashville music moguls Ray Stevens , Bob Beckham and Felton Jarvis made overtures to lure away Hall's backing musicians, saying that in Nashville, they would make four times the money Rick Hall was paying them. They resigned as

675-434: A group to pursue independent careers in Nashville, and Hall was without his hit-making rhythm section. The replacement musicians were initially called "the Second FAME Gang" but were later nicknamed "The Swampers". The core group of Rick Hall's new rhythm section was: Affectionately called The Swampers, but later officially adopting the name The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, this group achieved extraordinary success as one of

750-476: A live performance was then incorporated into their recording of the song, which reached number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1965. It was not part of Chris Kenner's own original 1962 recording. In Hall's autobiography, he said Pickett suggested singing the count off , "one, two, three". Wexler told a different story and stated, "After dozens of abortive attempts, I came up with an idea. 'Sing

825-607: A loan to buy an abandoned brick warehouse in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to make a recording studio. Muscle Shoals is one of four towns in northwest Alabama clustered along the Tennessee River ; the others are Florence , Sheffield , and Tuscumbia . His rhythm section (piano, bass and drums) was Briggs, Putnam, and Carrigan. One of Hall's first protégés was an African American bellhop at the Sheffield Hotel named Arthur Alexander , who had written some songs. Hall

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900-521: A local musician and songwriter in Florence, Alabama , befriended Tom Stafford, whose father owned a pharmacy in downtown Florence. Above the pharmacy, up some rickety stairs, Stafford had some recording gear. He had partnered with Rick Hall and Billy Sherrill to create "SPAR" (an acronym for Stafford Publishing And Recording). He asked some 16-year-old members of a local band, Norbert Putnam , David Briggs and Jerry Carrigan , to make some song demos. It

975-546: A major highway for riverboats through the South, and today they are frequently used along the river. Major ports include Guntersville, Chattanooga , Decatur , Yellow Creek, and Muscle Shoals . This river has contributed greatly to the economic and industrial development of the Tennessee Valley as a whole. The economies of cities such as Decatur and Chattanooga would not be as dynamic as they are today, were it not for

1050-707: A nearby city's offer to lure them away. That year, the new studio recorded the Bob Dylan album Slow Train Coming , co-produced by Barry Beckett, who also performed on it. The new studio marked a new beginning for Beckett, Hawkins, Hood and Johnson, allowing them to move toward production and publishing rather than performing. They continued to operate there until 1985, when they closed the business. They sold it to their longtime friend Tommy Couch, owner of Malaco Records , based in Jackson, Mississippi . At that time, three of

1125-488: A new studio called Quadrafonic in Nashville's' Music Row area. Putnam made technical innovations and newer equipment to improve recording quality and is credited with creating a wave of modernization of many Nashville studios. He laid the groundwork for Nashville's widening appeal in attracting pop/rock artists. Putnam was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2019. His book, Music Lessons Vol. 1:

1200-490: A performance in West Palm Beach , Florida. They had been assured that the planned recording session could be kept secret. The little studio at 3614 Jackson Highway was still in its infancy, with only one hit thus far, plus a Cher album that was not a commercial success. Rick Hall sardonically said, "The Rolling Stones thought they were cutting at FAME". The Stones were there three days, spending most of their time in

1275-776: A publishing company. In doing this, they learned how to work as a team to create arrangements for new songs. Putnam and his bandmates later followed Rick Hall to work at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals and served as the rhythm section for hit records by Arthur Alexander , Tommy Roe and The Tams . The success of these recordings drew the attention of the entire recording industry to the previously unknown and out-of-the way studio. Putnam, Carrigan and Briggs were subsequently recruited by prominent music producers to move to Nashville, about 125 miles north. The three musicians left Muscle Shoals simultaneously to pursue separate careers in Nashville . Their replacements in Muscle Shoals became

1350-463: A secret from most of the locals, and the world's biggest rock and roll band came, recorded and left (headed for infamy at Altamont, no less) without the conservative townsfolk even knowing they were there." On the documentary film, Muscle Shoals , Keith Richards said of the sessions,"I don't think we'd been quite so prolific ever". When Atlantic Records recorded in New York, the typical procedure

1425-606: A shorter trip for river traffic going from the Tennessee to most of the Ohio River, and for traffic going down the Cumberland River toward Tennessee. The Tennessee River and its tributaries host some 102 species of mussel . Native Americans ate freshwater mussels. Potters of the Mississippian culture used crushed mussel shell mixed into clay to make their pottery stronger. A "pearl" button industry

1500-502: A try. Cogbill put Vaseline on his fingertips and delivered the lick they had been hoping for. Since they were recording in mono on one track, all had to now play it correctly from start to finish. If anyone missed his part, they all would have had to do the entire song from the beginning, and repetition often loses a song's excitement, due to fatigue. Hall said, "everybody looked at each other like, 'If you miss this, man, you're dead'." When they succeeded, there were high fives all around

1575-466: A young man and when son Norbert was growing up, an upright bass was in the household. In his mid-teens, Putnam played bass in a band in Florence with other teenagers David Briggs and Jerry Carrigan . The boys were too young to drive then and Carrigan's father drove them to engagements. After a couple of years they were hired by Tom Stafford, Rick Hall and Billy Sherrill to make demo recordings for

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1650-423: Is projected to have a new lock built, but it has been delayed due to a lack of funding. The river not only has many economic functions, such as the boat building industry and transportation, but it also provides water and natural resources to those who live near the river. Many of the major ports on the river are connected to a settlement that was started because of its proximity to the river. On October 15, 2022,

1725-656: Is the largest tributary of the Ohio River . It is approximately 652 miles (1,049 km) long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley . The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names, as the Cherokee people had their homelands along its banks, especially in what are now East Tennessee and northern Alabama . Additionally, its tributary,

1800-792: The Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 1995 and also received a "Lifework Award for Non-Performing Achievement". In 2008, the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section was inducted into the Nashville-based Musicians Hall of Fame , along with Swampers musicians Pete Carr (guitar), Spooner Oldham (organ and piano), Albert S. Lowe Jr., Clayton Ivey, Randy McCormick, and Will McFarlane. In 2019, the original Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, including Norbert Putnam, David Briggs, Jerry Carrigan, Terry Thompson, Earl "Peanut" Montgomery, Joe South and Reggie Young ,

1875-489: The Byrds , Michael Card , Ian & Sylvia and Bobby Goldsboro . Putnam published a memoir in 2017 entitled Music Lessons Vol. 1: a Musical Memoir , in which he chronicled recording sessions with Elvis Presley and other artists. He became involved with music publishing in his mid-career and in 1971 built Quadraphonic Studios , a popular Nashville recording studio known as simply "Quad" by locals. Quadraphonic's success

1950-492: The Huntsville and Decatur area before reaching the Muscle Shoals area, and eventually forms a small part of the state's border with Mississippi , before returning to Tennessee. The river misses Georgia by about 250 feet (76 m). The Tennessee River's route northerly through Tennessee defines the boundary between two of Tennessee's Grand Divisions : Middle and West Tennessee . The Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway ,

2025-548: The Jackson Purchase from the rest of the state. It flows into the Ohio River at Paducah, Kentucky . The river valley was once home to several Native American tribes. At Painted Bluff , in northeast Alabama, painted glyphs dating to ca. 1400 A.D. have been discovered among cliffs overlooking the river. The first major battles of the American Civil War occurred along the river in 1862. The commander in

2100-613: The Little Tennessee River , flows into it from Western North Carolina and northeastern Georgia, where the river also was bordered by numerous Cherokee towns. Its current name is derived from the Cherokee town, Tanasi , which was located on the Tennessee side of the Appalachian Mountains. The river appears on French maps from the late 17th century with the names "Caquinampo" or "Kasqui." Maps from

2175-793: The Tennessee Bar Journal , a publication of the Tennessee Bar Association. In 2008, as a result of a serious drought and resulting water shortage, the Georgia General Assembly passed a resolution directing the governor to pursue its claim in the United States Supreme Court . According to a story aired on WTVC-TV in Chattanooga on March 14, 2008, a local attorney familiar with case law on border disputes, said

2250-479: The nickname " The Swampers " . The Swampers subsequently recorded, produced, or engineered classic hits by Aretha Franklin , Wilson Pickett , Percy Sledge , The Rolling Stones , Bob Dylan , Paul Simon , Leon Russell , Lynyrd Skynyrd , Rod Stewart , Bob Seger and The Staple Singers . The Swampers were the subject of the 2013 documentary film Muscle Shoals , winner of the 2013 Boulder International Film Festival Grand Prize. They were mentioned by name in

2325-514: The 1990s and later, the group continued working as a studio band, often with Clayton Ivey on keyboards, for artists including Gregg Allman ( All Night All Stars ), T. Graham Brown , Jimmy Buffett , Melissa Etheridge , John Hiatt , the Oak Ridge Boys , Johnny Paycheck , Etta James , and Joe Louis Walker . Lynyrd Skynyrd referred to the musicians as "The Swampers" in the 1974 song " Sweet Home Alabama ": "Now, Muscle Shoals has got

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2400-613: The LP in New York, again using the Swampers. The group also accompanied Franklin on other albums, such as " Lady Soul ," " Aretha Arrives ," " Aretha Now " and " This Girl's in Love with You ." In 1969, the Swampers parted ways with Rick Hall and FAME Studios and founded their own competing business, the Muscle Shoals Sound Studios . They also copyrighted the name "The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section". A third FAME rhythm section

2475-497: The Supreme Court to settle the issue once and for all. The Atlantic Wire , in commenting on Georgia's actions stated: "The Great Georgia-Tennessee Border War of 2013 Is Upon Us Historians, take note: On this day, which is not a day in 1732, a boundary dispute between two Southern states took a turn for the wet. In a two-page resolution passed overwhelmingly by the state senate, Georgia declared that it, not its neighbor to

2550-477: 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 feeling blue Now, how 'bout you?" The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, individually or as a group, have been associated with more than 500 recordings, including 75 gold and platinum hits. They appeared on the cover of Cher 's 1969 album 3614 Jackson Highway . Four members were inducted into

2625-646: The Swampers joined other session players, such as the keyboardist Carson Whitsett , backing Bobby "Blue" Bland and other artists recording for the Malaco label. They occasionally worked at other studios. Beckett left Alabama in 1982 to move to Nashville, where he became A&R man for Warner Music Group . He later worked independently with Alabama , Asleep at the Wheel , Kenny Chesney and others. He performed on recording sessions until 2005, when health problems forced him to retire. He died in 2009 at age 66. During

2700-429: The Tennessee River. Many companies still rely on the river as a means of transportation for their materials. In Chattanooga, for example, steel is exported on boats, as it is much more efficient than moving it on land. In addition, locks along the Tennessee River waterway provide passage between reservoirs for more than 13,000 recreational craft each year. The Chickamauga Dam , located just upstream from Chattanooga,

2775-430: The U.S. Supreme Court generally will maintain the original borders between states and avoid stepping into border disputes, preferring the parties work out their differences. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reported on March 25, 2013, that Georgia senators approved House Resolution 4 stating that if Tennessee declines to settle with them, the dispute will be given to the state attorney general, to take Tennessee before

2850-523: The University of Tennessee Volunteers football team defeated the University of Alabama Crimson Tide 52–49 at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, on a game-winning field goal by Chase McGrath as time expired. In celebration of this victory, the fans stormed the field, tore down the goalposts, and threw them into the Tennessee River after an impromptu parade in which fans carried the goalposts around

2925-467: The actual border line was set on the ground approximately one mile south, thus placing the disputed portion of the river entirely in Tennessee. Georgia made several unsuccessful attempts to correct what Georgia felt was an erroneous survey line "in the 1890s, 1905, 1915, 1922, 1941, 1947 and 1971 to 'resolve' the dispute", according to C. Crews Townsend, Joseph McCoin, Robert F. Parsley, Alison Martin and Zachary H. Greene, in their May 12, 2008, article for

3000-582: The beginning of the Tennessee River. Through much of the 19th century, the Tennessee River was considered to start at the mouth of Clinch River (at Kingston ). An 1889 declaration by the Tennessee General Assembly designated Kingsport (on the Holston River ) as the start of the Tennessee, but the following year a federal law was enacted that finally fixed the start of the river at its current location. At various points since

3075-408: The best-known group of session musicians of their era. The nickname "The Swampers" was coined by producer Denny Cordell during recording sessions for Leon Russell because of their "funky, soulful Southern 'swamp' sound". Guitarist Jimmy Johnson was the first FAME employee and did many jobs there, including playing rhythm guitar, engineering, and sweeping the floors. In 1964, drummer Roger Hawkins

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3150-525: The big-city studios; the music industry quickly took notice of this unknown little studio called FAME (Florence Alabama Music Enterprises). Well-known producers began coming to Muscle Shoals to record with this house band to capture the perceived "Muscle Shoals sound". Atlanta producer Bill Lowery brought The Tams , who recorded " What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am) ", and Nashville's Felton Jarvis brought Tommy Roe to record " Everybody ". Percy Sledge 's cousin, Jimmy Hughes recorded " Steal Away " with

3225-722: The city of Knoxville. The river has been dammed numerous times since the 1930s by Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) projects. The construction of TVA's Kentucky Dam on the Tennessee River and the Corps of Engineers' Barkley Dam on the Cumberland River led to the development of associated lakes, and the creation of an area called the Land Between the Lakes . A navigation canal located at Grand Rivers, Kentucky , links Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley . The canal allows for

3300-409: The control room, where Rick Hall shouted, "Guys, we are now cutting a smash record". Musicians Moman and Cogbill disagreed, saying that there was no intro and no turnaround — the song was far from finished. Pickett borrowed the line, "nah, nah nah nah nah" and its melody from Cannibal & The Headhunters' 1965 version of "Land of 1000 Dances". What started as an ad lib by Frankie Garcia (Cannibal) from

3375-507: The counts, Wilson', I suggested. 'Make the counts part of the intro' ". Hall said that was crazy—who ever heard of singing a count off? Pickett said, "let me show you," and got the horn players (Wayne Jackson, Charlie Chalmers, Andrew Love and Floyd Newman) to hit a chord. The now-famous bass lick that followed was actually a second count off and took trials by three bass players to find something extraordinary. Moman suggested they allow Tommy Cogbill (guitar player) to switch to bass and give it

3450-660: The early 18th century call it "Cussate," " Hogohegee ," "Callamaco," and "Acanseapi." A 1755 British map showed the Tennessee River as the "River of the Cherakees." By the late 18th century, it had come to be called "Tennessee," a name derived from the Cherokee village named Tanasi . The Tennessee River is formed at the confluence of the Holston and French Broad rivers in present-day Knoxville, Tennessee . From Knoxville, it flows southwest through East Tennessee into Chattanooga before crossing into Alabama . It travels through

3525-545: The early 19th century, Georgia has disputed its northern border with Tennessee. In 1796, when Tennessee was admitted to the Union, the border was originally defined by United States Congress as located on the 35th parallel, thereby ensuring that at least a portion of the river would be located within Georgia. As a result of an erroneously conducted survey in 1818 (ratified by the Tennessee legislature, but not Georgia), however,

3600-566: The first year. Finally they had a hit single with " Take a Letter Maria " by R.B. Greaves . The song reached number two on the Hot 100 and was certified gold. In 1971, Atlantic Records moved their Muscle Shoals business to Criteria Studios in Miami and asked the Swampers to move there. When the Swampers refused, Atlantic called their loan on the new equipment. About this time, Stax Records in Memphis

3675-476: The group of southern musicians based on their previous string of hit recordings. In January 1967, Jerry Wexler brought Aretha Franklin, then in her mid-20s, to Muscle Shoals for her first session for Atlantic. During this first session with the Swampers, " I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You ", Franklin's husband at the time, Ted White, who had been cordial at first, became belligerent. White had secretly been sharing

3750-616: The late 1960s to the early 1980s. His credits include works that established the popularity of performers such as Jimmy Buffett , Buffy Sainte-Marie , Joan Baez , Dan Fogelberg , Michael Card , Brewer & Shipley , Pousette Dart Band , Donovan , John Hiatt , J.J. Cale , the Flying Burrito Brothers , John Stewart and the New Riders of the Purple Sage . He partnered with David Briggs in 1969 to build

3825-451: The lyrics of " Sweet Home Alabama " (1974) by Lynyrd Skynyrd and appear on the cover of Cher 's 1969 album 3614 Jackson Highway . Aretha Franklin recorded at FAME on only one occasion, with the Swampers providing the accompaniment; her hit song " I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) " was recorded at the studio in 1967. After Franklin's husband Ted White started an altercation, producer Jerry Wexler decided to continue recording

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3900-474: The name, "Muscle Shoals Sound" and they all laughed. The joke was that the new studio, technically was in Sheffield, not Muscle Shoals. Only locals would know that, because the towns melded together. Since they had had a dispute with Rick Hall, Hood said, "So I thought, let's call it ' Muscle Shoals Sound ' just to get at Rick." They also trademarked the name "The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section". Things were lean

3975-471: The north, controls part of the Tennessee River at Nickajack . Georgia doesn't want Nickajack. It wants that water.". The Tennessee River is an important part of the Great Loop , the recreational circumnavigation of Eastern North America by water. The main channel is accessible to recreational watercraft at over 200 public access points along the river's course. The Tennessee River has historically been

4050-513: The same teenaged session players, and it rose to #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 It was followed by "Neighbor, Neighbor" and "Why Not Tonight"– both of which made the charts. Hall stated, "Those hits showed that FAME could be musically diverse, and they announced our open-door policy toward other labels". Rick Hall's financial success from "You Better Move On" gave him the capital to secure land in Muscle Shoals City, where, in 1962, he built

4125-425: The second generation of the " Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section " nicknamed "The Swampers". Putnam's career unfolded in three phases. First, he spent twenty years working recording sessions. Next he became an entrepreneur building music publishing companies and recording studios; the third was producing records by other artists. As a producer, Putnam was responsible for work on Nashville's non- country music output from

4200-425: The song. After an hour of this, nothing was gelling. Then Chips Moman hit on a guitar lick that set the basic groove and everyone fell in. The arrangement built communally. They decided to break it up by putting a solo drum interlude. During this, Pickett started screaming over the drummer, "nah, nah nah nah nah," then said, "I need somebody to help me now". It was captured on tape, and the players were summoned to

4275-402: The studio engineered by Swamper Jimmy Johnson. The first night, they recorded " You Gotta Move "; the second night, " Brown Sugar ", the third, " Wild Horses ". Mick Jagger wrote three verses on a stenographer's pad on the spot for "Brown Sugar", which made number 490 on Rolling Stone ' s list of the 500 top songs ever recorded. Swamper David Hood's son who was there said, "Their visit was kept

4350-496: The studio. Hall said, "When you hear that record today, you can tell that everybody was feeding off the enthusiasm of everybody else in that room". The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section closed the original on Jackson Highway in April, 1979, and moved to a new studio at 1000 Alabama Avenue in nearby Sheffield. The town leaders sold Sheffield's abandoned 31,000 square feet (2,900 m) Armory to the Swampers at an unbeatable price, to counter

4425-605: The western theater, General Henry Halleck , considered the Tennessee River to be more significant than the Mississippi. The Tennessee River begins at mile post 652, where the French Broad River meets the Holston River, but historically there were several different definitions of its starting point. In the late 18th century, the mouth of the Little Tennessee River (at Lenoir City ) was considered to be

4500-473: Was a demanding taskmaster, and his recording session required 30 or 40 takes to get the rhythm tracks he wanted. The song, " You Better Move On " rose to number 24 on Billboard's Hot 100 in March 1962, and two years later, cover versions were recorded by both The Hollies and The Rolling Stones . Arthur Alexander was flown to Philadelphia to appear on Dick Clark's American Bandstand . The success stunned

4575-439: Was amazing". With no firm job offer, Beckett moved his family from Florida to Muscle Shoals and was eventually hired. On the many hit records out of Muscle Shoals, there were many incidences where other musicians would join or substitute, including Chips Moman (guitar), Junior Lowe (guitar) Dan Penn , Tommy Cogbill , Pete Carr (guitar), Spooner Oldham (organ and piano). According to music writer Carla Jean Whitley, more than

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4650-476: Was called a "head session". As an example, in the Muscle Shoals recording of Wilson Pickett's classic hit " Land of 1000 Dances ", Jerry Wexler chose the song–it was to be a cover version of a song by Chris Kenner . In its original state, it was much too slow and had a honky-tonk piano sound. Wexler had faith that the Swampers could make something out of it. When the session started, the Swampers began trying different rhythm patterns, dance beats and tempos for

4725-405: Was established in the Tennessee Valley beginning in 1887, producing buttons from the abundant mussel shells. Button production ceased after World War II when plastics replaced mother-of-pearl as a button material. Mussel populations have declined drastically due to dam construction, water pollution, and invasive species . Tributaries and sub-tributaries are listed hierarchically in order from

4800-487: Was exhausted and the rapidly-deteriorating session was terminated. An hour later, Rick Hall, who had begun drinking after the session ended, went to Aretha and Ted's hotel room at the Downtowner Hotel in Florence "to try to smooth things over", but a fist fight erupted between Hall and White, with Aretha joining in to try to get Hall out. Hall then screamed, cursed and pounded the door, arousing Wexler, whose room

4875-614: Was facing financial difficulties and began outsourcing work to Muscle Shoals. More and more business from established artists then came to the Swampers, replacing the lost Atlantic business. From this point, the studio began turning out hits such as Leon Russell's " Tight Rope ", the Staple Singers ' " I'll Take You There " and Paul Simon's " Kodachrome ". The Rolling Stones, newly signed to Atlantic Records, arrived in Sheffield, Alabama, in December, 1969, two nights after

4950-425: Was formed consisting of Freeman Brown (drums), Jesse Boyce (bass), Junior Lowe (guitar), Clayton Ivey (keyboard) and a four man brass section. They were a blend of African American and white, and sometimes they were called FAME Gang. Both the original FAME group and the second group (Swampers) have been inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame and into the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2008. In 1958, Rick Hall ,

5025-432: Was here that these young musicians were first exposed to creating original parts on new songs, and they became proficient at it. Also frequenting these rooms were future musical elites, such as Donnie Fritts , Spooner Oldham , Terry Thompson and Dan Penn . Stafford and Sherrill later terminated Hall from the partnership, and Hall's humiliation fueled him to attempt to outdo them as their competitor. In 1961, Hall took out

5100-424: Was hired. When bass player David Hood first received the call that a job at FAME had opened up, he was working at his father's tire store. Keyboard player Barry Beckett knew nothing about Muscle Shoals in 1967, but was hired on a session there, James and Bobby Purify 's " I'm Your Puppet ". He said, "Every night I would just sit there and listen to the tape [still without vocals] over and over again," and said, "that

5175-402: Was in part because of Putnam's interest and experimentation in the technological details of sound recording. He retired from actively playing sessions in the early 1970s to be a producer . In this role, he is credited with broadening Nashville as a recording center by bringing in non-country acts such as Jimmy Buffett , Joan Baez and Dan Fogelberg . Putnam's father played in a family band as

5250-496: Was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2019. He got his start as a bass player in the studio house band in Muscle Shoals, Alabama and from there was recruited to move to Nashville in 1965. He became a successful session player on recordings by artists including Roy Orbison , Al Hirt , Henry Mancini , Dan Fogelberg , Linda Ronstadt , J. J. Cale , Tony Joe White , the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band ,

5325-641: Was inducted, as well as the Muscle Shoals Horn Section : Aaron Brown, Harrison Calloway, Ronny Eades, Charles Rose, and Harvey Thompson. The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section is featured in the 2013 documentary film Muscle Shoals , which won the Grand Prize in the 2013 Boulder International Film Festival . Norbert Putnam Norbert Auvin Putnam (born August 10, 1942) is an American musician , studio owner and record producer who

5400-435: Was nearby. Wexler was horrified. Hall went to the lobby, called Aretha's room, and told Ted he'd better get out of town. They left the following day. The only song that had been finished, " I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) ", went on to number one on Billboard's R&B Selling chart and number nine on the Billboard Hot 100, so Atlantic Records wanted the Swampers, but without Hall and without Muscle Shoals. The solution

5475-463: Was often used as a sound booth. The musicians would listen out on the porch to make final judgement on finished songs. David Hood said, "The building was a crackerbox building. A loud truck driving down the street or a heavy rainstorm, you'd have to stop working, because it was not built as a studio. It was a just a commercial building that had been adapted for studio use." They asked themselves, "What are we going to call this place?" David Hood suggested

5550-467: Was to fly the Swampers to New York to record at Atlantic Studios. Less than a month later, The Swampers were in New York recording " Respect ", Aretha's first hit that held the number one R&B spot for eight weeks and was number one on the pop charts for two weeks. Rolling Stone named it as the fifth-best song of all time. Some other songs they did were Do Right Woman, Do Right Man , Think , Share Your Love With Me , and Call Me . In 1969, after

5625-422: Was to hire an arranger who would come up with the song style from a demo recording and write out the parts for all musicians. In the session, musicians would come in and just play what was written for them. If it was not successful, the arranger was to blame. In Muscle Shoals and other Southern studios, the process was quite different. The musicians rarely read music, and usually nothing was written in advance; it

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