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The legendary Muscle Shoals studio defined the sound of Southern soul before becoming one of the go-to studios for the biggest names in music.

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The sleepy town of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, would become the unlikely destination for America’s greatest recording artists, churning out classic hits like Percy Sledge’s “When A Man Loves a Woman”; “I Never Loved A Man” by Aretha Franklin; “Brown Sugar” by The Rolling Stones ; and “I’ll Take You There” by The Staple Singers.

On the bank of the Tennessee River, about halfway between Memphis and Atlanta, lies the town of Muscle Shoals. To the casual observer, Muscle Shoals is just a quiet Alabama town, surrounded by verdant countryside and bordered by the vast Tennessee River. Men and birds alike fish in the river, as the sun beats down on the swampland where alligators wait. The Yuchi Indians called the Tennessee “the river that sings.” Legend told of a woman who lived in the river and sang songs that protected her people.

Home to some of the greatest records in history

In 1924, Wilson Dam was completed, destroying the hazardous shoals that gave the new town and its neighborhood its name. Life in Muscle Shoals is slow – it can feel as though time has stood still there. It’s not a big town – population some 13,000 – and yet it’s home to some of the greatest records in the history of popular music.

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Blues pioneer WC Handy and Sam Phillips , who would famously discover Elvis Presley , Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash , came from close by. Muscle Shoals was in many ways the home of the blues, the home of rock’n’roll, and the home of soul music, even if the Alabama pioneers had to journey to the relatively more pluralistic city of Memphis , Tennessee, in order to bring the music they loved to a wider audience.

Helen Keller was another local. As the blind singer Clarence Carter commented, “Helen Keller was from Muscle Shoals and it was always amazing to me the things she was able to accomplish being blind and deaf.” Famously, the first word that Keller learned was “water” – the well where she learned the word is a famous landmark. Everything from Muscle Shoals comes back to the water that sang.

Rick Hall and the beginning of FAME Music

Rick Hall grew up in a house with a dirt floor in the nearby Freedom Hills. “We just kind of grew up like animals,” he recalled. When he was still a boy, his three-year-old brother died in a tragic accident after falling into a tub of scalding water as their mother was doing the washing in the backyard. His parents’ marriage collapsed in the aftermath, each blaming the other. Before long, his mother left the family, taking up work in a house of ill repute. She never saw her son again. Unsurprisingly, this chain of events had a profound impact on Hall, who became determined to make something great of his life.

The death of his first wife in a car accident hit Hall hard, and he turned to the bottle. He lost himself in drink and in music, joining a local band and writing songs in the car he now called home.

Hall struck up a songwriting partnership with another local musician named Billy Sherrill when the pair played together in a band, and they began selling their songs to the likes of Brenda Lee and Roy Orbison . Together with a local hunchbacked young businessman, they formed a publishing company. The three young men set up an improvised recording facility above a drugstore in nearby Florence, Alabama, in order to demo their songs. This was the beginning of FAME Music (FAME standing for Florence Alabama Music Enterprises).

After less than a year, however, Hall had fallen out with his partners, and he was let go. According to Hall, the problem sprung from him being too much of a workaholic, when his partners wanted to have fun: “I was so very aggressive and fired up,” he told Peter Guralnick, author of the definitive account of soul music in the south: Sweet Soul Music .

The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section

When Hall returned to Muscle Shoals, it was with a determination to immerse himself in the business of making records. Backed by his new father-in-law, Hall built a studio in an old warehouse. A chance encounter with a young singer-songwriter called Arthur Alexander led to Hall’s first hit, “You Better Move On,” which made it to No.24 on Billboard ’s Hot 100 in early 1962.

Soon FAME studios began to attract musicians and songwriters looking to make a name for themselves, Dan Penn, Donnie Fritts, and Percy Sledge among them. But as Hall began to establish a reputation and scored more hits, the regular musicians he had been using grew tired of their poor wages and left. Hall’s second house band would, however, prove to be worth their weight in gold. With Jimmy Johnson on guitar, David Hood playing bass, Roger Hawkins on the drums, and Spooner Oldham playing keyboards, the group came to be known as the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, or The Swampers.

Percy Sledge: When A Man Loves A Woman

Percy Sledge recorded “When A Man Loves A Woman” in nearby Sheffield, Alabama, in a studio owned by Hall’s friend, local DJ Quin Ivy, backed by a number of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. When he heard it, Rick Hall recognized that it sounded like a No.1 hit. Hall called Jerry Wexler at Atlantic Records in New York and struck a deal (taking a share of the royalties as a finder’s fee).

Percy Sledge worked in the local hospital, singing to his patients to help them sleep. “When I came into the studio I was shaking like a leaf, I was scared,” he later said of recording “When A Man Loves A Woman.” He was unskilled in the art of making records, “All I had was a voice, I didn’t know about no singing.” But Hall had been right, and the song went to the top of Billboard ’s Hot 100 in 1966. It took Southern soul to the mainstream, and blew the game wide open, putting the Muscle Shoals sound very firmly on the map.

“When A Man Loves A Woman” forged a partnership between Hall and Wexler, with the might of the latter’s Atlantic Records label put behind Hall’s productions. Having fallen out with Jim Stewart at Wexler’s southern recording spot of choice, Stax Records, he turned to Hall to cut his records in the south.

The Muscle Shoals sound

The Muscle Shoals style fused hillbilly, blues, rock’n’roll, soul, country, and gospel, to create a sound that cherry-picked the best features of each to forge something new. They close-mic’d the kick drum, and the FAME recordings pumped with heavy bass and drums. But the playing was light and loose, the songs melodic and full of stories. And, through it all, was deep passion and grit.

One of the first acts Wexler sent to Muscle Shoals was Wilson Pickett. “I couldn’t believe it,” Pickett told journalist Mark Jacobson. “I looked out the plane window, and there’s these people picking cotton. I said to myself, ‘I ain’t getting off this plane, take me back north.’ This big southern guy was at the airport [Rick Hall]… I said, ‘I don’t want to get off here, they still got black people picking cotton.’ The man looked at me and said, ‘F__k that. Come on Pickett, let’s go make some f__king hit records.’ I didn’t know Rick Hall was white.”

When Wexler came to FAME, he was shocked by the laidback nature of the sessions. He was used to working with the country’s finest session players, who would sight-read from charts, knocking out hits in a highly professional manner. But things were different in Muscle Shoals. Here the musicians were local guys who looked like they worked in a warehouse or supermarket. And yet, as he quickly realized, these were smooth and funky players, musicians who cut a groove to rival any in the land. Pickett and Wexler were bowled over and sold on the sound they had going on.

It’s worth remembering that this all took place against a backdrop of the civil-rights struggle, and blatant racial aggression. In 1963, the Governor of Alabama, George Wallace, had stood in front of the Foster Auditorium at the University Of Alabama in a vain attempt to block the enrollment of black students. In the recording studio, however, blacks and whites worked together blind to the color of each other’s skin. But when they took a break and stepped out of the studio, racism hung on every corner.

Sessions with Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin had failed to make an impact in five years recording for CBS, so after the label dropped her, Wexler snapped her up and took her to Muscle Shoals in 1967. She and the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section struggled at first to find a mutual groove, but once they hit it, everything changed. The first song they recorded at FAME together was “I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You),” and it would become Franklin’s first hit record.

Musician and songwriter Dan Penn recalled, “Less than two hours and it was in the can and it was a killer, no doubt about it. That morning, we knew that a star had been born.” Keyboardist Spooner Oldham, whose keyboard introduction set the scene for the song, backs this up: “Of the hundreds of sessions I have participated in, I can honestly say those first few sessions with Aretha Franklin were simply and magically unforgettable.”

But just as the magic was working, so did tempers flare. Ted White, Franklin’s husband and manager, got into a drunken exchange with a trumpet player, and then fought with Hall, before leaving town. Wexler blamed Hall for the session breaking up, and swore to never set foot in Muscle Shoals again.

However, Wexler had the Muscle Shoals musicians flown to New York, where the album I Never Loved A Man the Way I Love You was completed. It was a partnership that created a phenomenal run of hits. The album they created remains one of the greatest in soul music history.

Hall, in the meantime, hooked up with the Chess brothers in Chicago, with Leonard Chess arranging to bring Etta James to FAME. Hall produced her hit 1968 album Tell Mama at Fame. James was struck by Hall’s feel for the music: “Rick Hall was actually the first white man that I had seen that had that kind of soul, that was an engineer and was soulful, you know?”

Enter the Allman Brothers

A combination of loyalty to Hall and superstitious belief in his studio brought Pickett back to Muscle Shoals in late 1968, despite Wexler’s refusal to work with Hall again. And the sessions would introduce the talents of a young guitar player called Duane Allman. After injuring his elbow in a horse-riding accident, Allman had turned to bottle-neck guitar playing in his reduced mobility. He took to the style instantly (Hall later remarked that he’d never heard anybody play slide guitar like Duane). But while the rest of the white musicians were clean-cut, Allman had hair past his shoulders, huge sideburns, and a Mexican-style moustache, and was dressed in tie-dye, flower patterns, and scruffy denims.

Jimmy Johnson recalled, “There was always a slight problem when we would go out, all of us white boys with a black artist, that we’d get looks . But there was nothing as bad as going out with a long-haired hippy with us white boys. They couldn’t stand that! And so both of them [Allman and Picket] stayed back.”

It was while the others were out to lunch that Allman suggested to Pickett that he cut a cover of “Hey Jude.” Both Pickett and Hall thought Allman was crazy to want to cover The Beatles , but the finished record would be one of the greatest covers of any Beatles song, as well as one of Wilson Picket’s most powerful recordings (not to mention a huge hit). On hearing Allman’s playing on the record, Eric Clapton was knocked out: “I remember hearing Wilson Pickett’s ‘Hey Jude’ and just being astounded by the lead break at the end. I had to know who that was immediately – right now.”

Various musicians that hung around at FAME began to jam together with Allman, and that was the genesis of The Allman Brothers Band . But Hall couldn’t see a future in the sound they had developed, which would be the bedrock of all Southern rock, and decided against recording them. As he told writer Peter Guralnick: “I didn’t know what to do with him and finally Phil [Walden, booking agent] said, ‘Look, you’re not doing anything with him. Why don’t you sell him to Wexler, maybe get your bucks back?’ Wexler says, ‘What will you take for the masters and the contract? I’ll only give you $10,000.’ I said, ‘Write me the check.’ I still laugh about it with Phil. Of course, I lost five to ten million on that venture.”

Building Muscle Shoals Sound Studio

The times were very much a-changing by now, however, and the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section decided that this was the right moment to tell Hall that they were going into business in direct competition with FAME. Hall had called them into his office to sign them up to an exclusive contract on the terms of his new deal with Capitol Records. He remembered, “One of the guys stopped me and said, ‘We’ve already made a deal with Jerry Wexler and he is going to build us a studio across town. We’ll be leaving here, going with him.’ I felt like the whole bottom of my life had fell out… it was war. Total war.”

From their point of view, the musicians had reached the end of their patience with the way Hall operated. The new Capitol deal was worth a reported $1 million, but Johnson claimed that Hall was offering the musicians just $10,000 each per year – despite each having earned almost double that amount the year before. Hall himself admitted that he may have shot himself in the foot: “I should have gone partners with them or cut them in for a piece of the action, but I think I had really come to believe that I could take any group of musicians and cut hit records. I just wasn’t smart enough, or I was too engrossed in what I was doing, to realize differently.”

And so it was that the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio was founded at 3614 Jackson Highway, Sheffield, Alabama, in 1969, by Barry Beckett (who had replaced Spooner Oldham on keyboards in 1967), Roger Hawkins, Jimmy Johnson, and David Hood. The musicians had taken a gamble, as Hood recalled: “When we bought the studio we were very nervous about whether or not we’d have any hits. And you have to have hits to keep recording.” But Wexler saw to it that their new venture had a steady flow of talent through the door. As Johnson explained to Guralnick, “We just built the business from clients Rick threw out the door. Atlantic loaned us $19,000 to make the transition to eight-track, modify the console, and we owed $40,000 on the loans that Fred [Bevis, landlord] had gotten on the buildings and the improvements. That was $60,000, and we were scared to death, but for some reason we just went forward.”

Jerry Wexler’s Atlantic guaranteed them work for 18 months, but when he decided he wanted to move his soul music operation to Miami, and the Muscle Shoals players weren’t prepared to follow, that was the end of their relationship with Wexler. “That was a scary time,” Johnson recalled with not a little understatement. The studio remained afloat, thanks in part to session work for Stax Records.

The Rolling Stones: Sticky Fingers

It took the best part of year for things to take off, but in early December 1969, The Rolling Stones booked into the studio to kick off what would become their Sticky Fingers album. Keith Richards explained that it was match made in heaven: “The sound was in my head before I even got there. And then, of course, when it actually lives up to it and beyond, then you’re in rock’n’roll heaven, man.”

The band took advantage of being in blues territory to cut Fred McDowell’s “You Gotta Move,” before tackling their own “Wild Horses.” Richards testified to how effortlessly well the sessions went: “I thought it was one of the easiest and rockin’-est sessions that we’d ever done. I don’t think we’ve been quite so prolific ever. I mean, we cut three or four tracks in two days, and that for the Stones is going some.” “Brown Sugar” rounded off their stay at Jackson Highway, and Richards says that had it not been for legal issues preventing him from re-entering the country, they would have recorded Exile On Main St there as well.

The boon the studio got from the Stones’ sessions can’t be underestimated. Muscle Shoals became the 70’ Funk Factory, while at the same time attracting the biggest names in pop and rock, from Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel to Rod Stewart to Elton John .

Feuds, Freebird, and The Fame Gang

The feud between Hall and Wexler meant that both studios had to up their game. Over at FAME, Hall put together a new band, dubbed The Fame Gang, and recorded hit records with Joe Tex, Tom Jones , The Osmonds, Candi Staton, Bobbie Gentry , King Curtis, Little Richard, Paul Anka, Bobby Womack, and Clarence Carter. In 1973, Rick Hall was named producer of the year after records he’d made topped the Billboard pop charts for an extraordinary 17 weeks.

At the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, they picked up Lynyrd Skynyrd , whose epic “Freebird” would become known as a modern-day Southern Rock anthem. But they were unable to secure a label for the record, and it would be the source of great regret for the studio that they had to let the band go, shortly before they become huge. However, following the tragic plane crash that killed three of the band, the survivors had the Muscle Shoals sessions put out as an album titled Skynyrd’s First And… Last . The Muscle Shoals guys were immortalized in Lynyrd Skynyrd’s legendary single “Sweet Home Alabama”:

Now Muscle Shoals has got The Swampers And they’ve been known to pick a song or two (yes they do) Lord they get me off so much They pick me up when I’m feeling blue, now how ’bout you?

The go-to studio for the biggest names

The Muscle Shoals sound may have been born out of R&B, but by the 70s, the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section were showing their adaptability across a number of genres. Acting as the house band at their studio, they gave Jimmy Cliff ’s reggae a southern twist. They worked with Traffic on the album Shoot Out At The Fantasy Factory before heading out on tour with them – the first time members of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section had gone on the road. But it was in leaving Muscle Shoals for the bright lights of the live circuit that they discovered quite how much they valued their sweet life at home in Alabama.

The Muscle Shoals Sound Studio became the go-to studio for the biggest names in music. Bob Dylan ’s Slow Train Coming , Paul Simon’s There Goes Rhymin’ Simon , Boz Scaggs, Joe Cocker , Rod Stewart , The Staple Singers, Leon Russell, Millie Jackson, Dire Straits, Dr. Hook, Cat Stevens , Bob Seeger, Elton John , Willie Nelson , and Julian Lennon all recorded there over the next decade.

In 1979, the studio moved to larger premises at 1000 Alabama Avenue, where it remained until it was sold, along with the Muscle Shoals Sound publishing rights, to their friend, Tommy Crouch of Malaco Records in 1985. Beckett headed to Nashville to work as a producer, while the remaining three members of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section continued to record at their old studio, as well as proving to be among the country’s most in-demand session players.

Today, the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio and the FAME Studio both continue to operate as working studios, as well as being popular tourist attractions, offering daily tours of the restored facilities. Among the more recent artists to record in Muscle Shoals are Drive-By Truckers, Band Of Horses, Bettye LaVette, Phish, Greg Allman, and Cyril Neville.

Though the split between Hall and the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section angered Hall like nothing else in his life, through the passing of time, they became close again. The musicians would credit Hall with having started the Muscle Shoals sound. For his part, Rick Hall later said of them simply that, “These are guys that I love with all my heart.”

Looking for more? Discover more about the most legendary recording studios of all time .

John norman

May 5, 2019 at 10:18 am

We had jackdon hy for two years and the magic was still there something Bout the place .. . It had an energy about it j think it was just in the walls… Or maybe the roof that leaked so bad.. lol yep its in the water….

May 5, 2019 at 2:20 pm

Thank you for this wonderful article – well written and, like the 2013 film, it’s packed full of interesting info. Such a rich musical history. When my brother was there gigging a couple of years ago he was inspired by ‘the river that sings’ and wrote this song called ‘Set Me Down by the Singing River’. https://soundcloud.com/tony-james-shevlin/set-me-down-by-the-singing-river I’ve only just discovered your work, Paul, and am reading all your other articles with relish. Great work!

John Edward Ambrose

February 2, 2020 at 6:32 am

Great–Great–article! Thank you for inspiring me to learn more of the Studios and Muscle Shoals, and the life that breathes throughout the South, and those walls and leaky roof! Haha I’m 60 years old and never knew how much of a strong impact I would learn today!–This day!Feb 1 2020 I have had a feeling of something inside of me for all these years, didn’t know what it was and now I get it,-it all makes sense and I feel it…Thanks to all of you for the Sound the Life and Groove, The Swampers Breathe!!…Thanks for Your Energy…

Joe DeFilippo

July 15, 2022 at 6:55 pm

Muscle Shoals-Musical tribute (NEW) Listen here: https://soundcloud.com/hillipsand/muscle-shoals

January 9, 2024 at 4:30 am

I couldn’t agree more! The history of Muscle Shoals Studio is truly fascinating and has played a significant role in shaping the sound of American music. As a musician myself, I’m always intrigued by the stories behind the creation of iconic songs and the studios that brought them to life. This blog post does an excellent job of highlighting the impact of Muscle Shoals Studio on the music industry and its influence on artists across multiple genres. Thank you for sharing!

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I Discovered Alabama's Coolest Legacy On The Muscle Shoals Music Studio Tours

Lisa Battles

Lisa has traveled the U.S. for over a decade, seeking out and sharing the stories of its most interesting places, people, and experiences. A journalism graduate of Auburn University, she has been a content strategist, editor, and writer for more than 25 years. Lisa has worked in community news, PR, and marketing with a focus on tourism, hospitality, and economic development. Besides following her curiosity around every corner, she's a devoted dog mom of two and advocate for animal welfare.

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A funny thing happened on the way to a sandwich shop I hoped to try. While the sandwich didn’t happen, I instead got lost and made the most of it with my first of two Muscle Shoals music studio tours. When I realized I was on the wrong highway and headed toward Florence, I checked the time. “Why not catch the last scheduled tour of the day at 3614 Jackson Highway?” I thought. This was the first location of Muscle Shoals Sound Studio and one of three studios there I had been meaning to visit.

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The Muscle Shoals music studio tours are definitely doable in a day if you choose. You can even add a couple more Muscle Shoals music attractions – the Alabama Music Hall of Fame  and the W.C. Handy Home & Museum. Another note: you can use Viator to book the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio Tour ahead of time. Beyond these attractions, there are great restaurants, nature trails, and so many other things to do in Muscle Shoals. You’ll want to stay at least a night or two.

You can find detailed histories and other information about each of the studios and tours on the websites of Muscle Shoals Sound Studio , FAME Recording Studios , and Cypress Moon Studios . Have you done any or all of the Muscle Shoals Music studio tours? We’d love to hear about your experience and favorite stories from the tour.

OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

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Backstage Pass Studio Hours and Tour Times

For hours and tour times of the six featured venues please look below!

Muscle Shoals Sound Studio - 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM - Tuesday - Saturday with tours every hour on the half-hour 10:30, 11:30, 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, 3:30

Fame Recording Studios - Open for tours Monday-Friday at 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM and Saturday from 10 AM - 2 PM, a tour every hour on the hour.

Alabama Music Hall of Fame - Open for tours Tuesday-Friday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Saturday 10:00 AM-4:00 PM

Cypress Moon Studios - Monday through Saturday, 11:00 AM-3:00 PM

W.C. Handy Birthplace + Museum - Tuesday-Saturday, 10:00 AM-4:00 PM

Swampers at the Marriott Shoals - 20% discount on food & beverage, excluding alcohol

FAME Recording Studio

Active recording studio where founder Rick Hall recorded hundreds of hits including records by Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Etta James, Gregg Allman, Alabama, Steven Tyler, Keb Mo and many, many more. Also a prolific publishing house of hits and recent recordings include Greg Allman's last album. Tours of the studio are available Monday through Friday at 10 am and 4 pm and Saturday's 10-2.

Getting There

• 603 E. Avalon Ave.
• Muscle Shoals, AL 35661

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Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at The Shoals

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Fame Recording Studios

Top ways to experience Fame Recording Studios and nearby attractions

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Fame Recording Studios - All You MUST Know Before You Go (2024)

• (0.99 km) Days Inn By Wyndham Muscle Shoals
• (1.01 km) Comfort Inn Muscle Shoals
• (1.09 km) Red Roof Inn Muscle Shoals
• (5.73 km) Hampton Inn & Suites Florence-Downtown
• (7.77 km) Marriott Shoals Hotel & Spa
• (0.16 km) Garden Gate Cafe
• (0.10 km) Sweet Peppers Deli
• (0.11 km) Donut Shop
• (0.11 km) The Pie Factory in Muscle Shoals
• (0.15 km) Dunkin'

• Roadside Attractions
• Small Towns
• Hall Of Fames
• National Parks
• Theme Parks
• BILL’S BOOKS
• Meet Bill On The Road

What You Need To Know About The Tours

Finding Muscle Shoals Sound Studio is easy! It’s located at 3614 North Jackson Highway in Sheffield, Alabama. It doesn’t look like much from the road but it’s one of the most important buildings in music history! You can tour the studio throughout the year, Tuesday – Saturday. The guided tours begin on the half hour starting at 10:30AM with the last tour at 3:30PM.

Each tour of the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio lasts about 30 minutes. You’ll learn a few fun facts about the studio and then you’ll have some free time to walk around and take photos.

The History of Muscle Shoals Sound Studio

The Muscle Shoals “Swampers” became famous as studio musicians down the road at FAME. FAME was the original Muscle Shoals recording studio and the first to bring in artists from all over the country that wanted the unique sound the legendary musicians were known for. Artists like Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Lou Rawls, Wilson Pickett, Duane Allman and countless others recorded music in their studios.

Eventually, The Swampers (Barry Beckett, Roger Hawkins, David Hood, and Jimmy Johnson) decided to open up their own studio and moved down the road a bit to Sheffield, Alabama. In 1969, they trademarked the phrase “The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section” and opened up their new studio in the tiny, unassuming building on Jackson Highway.

Over the years, The Swampers produced at least 50 hit singles in this new studio. The first hit was from artist R.B. Greeves called Take A Letter Maria . (The song hit #2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and was certified Gold.) Other hit songs record at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio included Old Time Rock and Roll by Bob Seger; Kodachrome by Paul Simon; Brown Sugar by The Rolling Stones; and I’ll Take You There by The Staple Singers.

What You’ll See On A Tour of Muscle Shoals Sound Studio

The studio itself is quite small and you’ll have access to see everything inside of it. The mixing board sits in a control room behind a large window that looks out into the main studio. Some of the original furniture (couches, chairs, etc) are still where they once sat during the studio’s heyday.

The instruments on display are mostly original as well. The piano, which is a focal point of the tour is probably the most significant item you’ll have the chance to see in person. This piano is where the song Free Bird, a huge hit for Lynyrd Skynyrd, was initially composed. It’s also the piano featured on Paul Simon’s Kodachrome. But its most famous notes are heard on Bob Seger’s hit song, Old Time Rock and Roll. The notable introduction of the song was not only played on that piano, it was also a mistake. It was never intended for the opening notes of that song to repeat a second time. Someone made an error in editing the tape after the session.

The bathroom at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio is also a focal point. It was often used as an additional recording space for musicians. Keith Richards notably played guitar here while recording the hit song Brown Sugar. It’s also where he wrote the lyrics for their song Wild Horses.

The only notable difference in the studio is that the original shag carpet has been replaced.

What Does A Muscle Shoals Sound Studio Tour Cost?

Currently, the cost to tour Muscle Shoals Sound Studio is $20. The tour lasts about 30 minutes.

Do They Still Record At Muscle Shoals Sound Studio?

Yes! Artists still use the famous studio to record, mostly for its incredible acoustics.

If you are a true music lover, you will absolutely appreciate and enjoy a tour of Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. If you were a fan of 70s music, especially if you lived through that decade, you absolutely must visit the studio where some of its biggest hit songs were recorded. It’s an unforgettable experience and a bucket list moment for many who come from around the world to say they’ve stood in one of America’s most important recording studios.

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Review Highlights

“ Hell, the parking lot should be a National Historic Landmark-- Duane Allman camped out there. ” in 5 reviews

“ And did I mention that you get to stand in the room where Etta James recorded "I'd Rather Go Blind"?!?! ” in 3 reviews

“ In Muscle Shoals, a small town in North Alabama , history was made FAME studios. ” in 2 reviews

About the Business

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Fame is a world famous recording studio! Come by and take a tour of our studio. You can also record your next project with us, just call us @ (256) 381 - 0801. …

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603 E Avalon Ave

Muscle Shoals, AL 35661

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This is a nice little piece of history. Tours are atv9am and 4pm and they are recording all the time. To get to hang out in the studio where some of the greats had gotten their start or cut their 2nd and 3rd albums was just a really cool experience. We got to listen to some recorded music in Studio A where Aretha and many others cut some tracks. It would be really cool to get to here some live music on the tour, but maybe that can just be a suggestion for now

Saturday was when the tours are. The tickets were $15/ each . It was a very informative tour and questions were answered. It was great I would recommend it. We also went to Alabama Music Hall of Fame and muscle shoals music studio. We did all three tours in one day it was well worth the time. Then we had dinner in Florence down town. Fun day!

FAME Studio changed my life in ways I didn't even realize till I visited it while in town many years later. What a perfect storm of Wonderful. Lightning in a bottle, one bolt after another. Watch the Muscle Shoals doc if you haven't already.

Really great place to visit. Lots of the actual instruments used. Good tour guide. Speak to Ms Linda at the front desk. She's been there forever and can answer any questions you have and is glad to do so. She is a delight. The price is a bit steep, but if you're a music lover, you have to go. Once you're in for $15, it's worth the EXTRA $15 to go up and be in Rick Hall's office and imagine all the meetings and work that happened there

Fame Studios is what brought us the north Alabama and it didn't disappoint. The tour guide was a Fame engineer and ended with us in a control room sitting and listening to tracks from the Small Town Big Sounds album.

The one positive experience were the two guys working at the gift store and office - they were friendly and polite. An arrogant prick of a tour guide (Spencer) who really just wanted to get the tour over with, speaking fast and responding in a condescending manner to any questions. Such a startling contrast compared to the tour at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, where the guide really had a reverence and passion for the studio and the music that came out of there. When the FAME guide showed us Rick Hall's office, my husband asked about the quite bizarre barber's chair that was there, the guy responded "I guess it's just gangster." What a dork. They also need a serious overhaul of their merch design (it's really gaudy compared to gift shop selection at the other studios.) A total ripoff.

I'm pretty surprised that FAME (I didn't know it was an acronym until the tour) has so few reviews--the way the staff talked, they do a pretty steady tour business. A couple of the people in our group were visiting from Saskatchewan! We had a great hour here on a Saturday morning. The young woman working the front and answering the phones, Abby, was a total delight. She clearly loves being around such an important part of American music history and was really fun to talk to. I can't recall our tour guide's name but she was great. She has worked at FAME for several years and had a very casual style as compared to what you might be thinking of for a paid tour. For one thing, there are really only two rooms--studio A and studio B--so it's not as if you're zipping around from place to place. She was not scripted at all. Rather, she just talked informally about how FAME came to be, who has recorded there, and how the company has evolved over time. We started our tour in what was basically a break room; there were pictures on the wall all the way up to the ceiling, and the tour guide pointed out a few of the pictures and told anecdotes about those musicians. At the end of the tour, we went into the control room of Studio A, where the son of FAME's founder, who has gone into the family business, was working on a track that had been recorded in the studio earlier this year. He took questions from our group and showed us some cool stuff about how the sound board works--taking different components out, changing the volume of certain components, etc. And did I mention that you get to stand in the room where Etta James recorded "I'd Rather Go Blind"?!?! Overall, my husband and I thought this was a super fun way to spend a morning. It's not fancy. You're not getting a slick experience created by marketing consultants. FAME is a working studio that hasn't changed a whole lot since the '60s. The experience is best for people who have at least some awareness of the history of the music scene in the Shoals area--the staff assumes that you know your stuff already, at least a little bit--you're not going to get an orientation here. That said, Muscle Shoals/Florence are not close to much of anything else--we went 2.5 hours out of our way to get here (we were in Nashville for a long weekend)--so hopefully the folks that come to the studio know exactly what they're coming for.

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Enjoyed touring this historic landmark! Our tour guide (I don't remember her name) was delightful. Despite the fact that she had only been working there for a couple of years, she has long term connections to the studio and was really knowledgeable. Definitely not the most organized experience, but that kind of added to the charm. They are still a functioning studio so giving tours is not necessarily the thing they are focused on day to day. A great little glimpse into music history!

FAME Studios-you were a spiritual, musical pilgrimage, and an experience I won't forget. We had the chance to record here (my boyfriend and his high school mates) for his birthday on May 3 and May 4, 2018. We booked it well in advance with John Gifford III (in house engineer). Upon arrival, it indeed filled us with chills. This is the mecca, the spiritual ground of southern rock and soul music. Duane Allman was the in-house guitarist for awhile. John was a total JOY to work with. He was accommodating, friendly, welcoming, and patient. He is also an incomparable talent who knows his craft unlike any other. At the same time, he seems like an old friend-although we just meant, it was like we've known each other for years. We recorded in "Duane's room" Studio B. Studio A is the more "famous" studio as it housed the great hits (etta james "i'd rather go blind", wilson pickett "hey jude").....but B has it's own incredible history as well. The rooms and building remain clothed in so much original instruments, furniture, walls, and photos. However, John had the most up to date equipment catching our sound. We all recorded our parts and had a successful-and surprisingly afforadble-session. John's own mixes of our recordings sounded great, but we will get the final tracks mixed soon. The entire staff is friendly (from the front counter to the interns). We felt at home here. This was such a beautiful, moving experience, and I still can't believe I got to make music with the people I love in an original, historical studio. I imagined the spirits there smiling down on us regular Californians, cheering us on as we make our own music, moving forward.

We enjoyed our tour but didn't come away with the same personal connection we felt when we toured the "other" studio in Muscle Shoals. Our tour guide was a woman with a long family connection to Fame. However, the information was uninspiring and seemed to be more of a scattered list of who's recorded at Fame with a few interesting anecdotes here and there. Fame certainly is prestigious in the fact they've been around since the late 50's and have been writing, publishing and recording music for most of that time. But if you want to experience a more thoughtful, organized and immersive tour be sure to check out the "other" studio.

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FAME Adds New Backstage Tour Experience

Introducing the FAME Recording Studios Backstage Tour Experience:

Beginning on March 1st, 2022, FAME Recording Studios will be adding a special Backstage tour at 9:00am and 3:30pm every Monday through Friday and on Saturdays at 10:00am, 12:00pm and 2:00pm. The Backstage Experience offers a behind-the-scenes look at selected areas of the studios not available on standard tours. Indulge yourself in an exclusive experience masterfully guided by a member of the FAME team with Backstage groups limited to 10 people. The Backstage tour price includes the normal studio tour.

The Backstage Experience takes you behind the velvet rope including, FAME’s Publishing Office, Rick Hall’s personal office, exhibits showcasing FAME’s multiple awards including Gold Records and Song-of-the-Year awards, and exhibits focused on instruments played in historic sessions including the legendary Aretha Franklin sessions and instruments from Rick Hall’s personal collection.

Cost: $30 (includes general admission tour attractions) We encourage you to book your Backstage tickets through our online store to ensure your spot.

Tickets can be purchased here .

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Music of the Shoals

Some of the world’s greatest hits were recorded here. In 1961 Arthur Alexander’s hit, “You Better Move On,” was cut here, launching the famous Muscle Shoals Sound. And so, it began. Artists like Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, the Rolling Stones, Etta James, Paul Simon, and Cher soon followed. The rest is history.

The area of northwestern Alabama that includes the cities of Florence, Muscle Shoals, Tuscumbia, and Sheffield, flanking the Tennessee River, is known as The Shoals. Many s ay there’s something in those river waters that has fueled the musical legacy of the region. No matter the reason, that legacy continues to grow today. The fame comes from the unprecedented number of hit records by the biggest of stars that have been recor ded here. Some of those artists were quick to credit the local studio players as the inspiration and even genius behind the recordings. Today, new generations of artists are teaming up with new generations of players and the hits keep on coming. Today, sta rs like Jason Isbell, Alicia Keys, The Revivalists, Demi Lovato, Jennifer Hudson, and more record here.

The good news for visitors is that two of the area’s iconic studios are open to the public for tours. The acclaimed Muscle Shoals documentary released in 2013 introduced an even broader array of music lovers to The Shoals and landmarks like these are more popular than ever. The movie chronicled the rise of FAME Recording Studios in Muscle Shoals. Established in 1959, FAME was the first successful recording studio in Alabama and remains a working studio today. Tours offer visitors a walk through the iconic landmark’s two studios and a trove of stories of the early days when owner Rick Hall, along with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section – also known as The Swampers – rose to elite status in the recording industry.

The Swampers left FAME in 1969 and opened their own studio, Muscle Shoals Sound where they continued to make hit after hit. The first release from the studio was C her’s debut solo album in 1969, titled 3614 J Jackson Highway. The album cover featured a photo of the building, a façade that looks the same today. The building and studio were restored in 2013 and re-opened as both an active recording studio and a popular tourist attraction. Original Swamper David Hood is part of the foundation that restored it and is often part of recording sessions with today’s artists.

In addition to artists and musicians from around the world, this region – and the entire state – is known as home to an amazing number of music legends. One of those, W.C. Handy is said to be the Father of the Blues! He composed such well-known blues classics as St. Louis Blues, Beale Street Blues, and Memphis Blues. His remarkable story is told at the W.C. Handy Museum and Library in F Florence.

Alabama is home to many great singers, songwriters, producers, and musicians including Hank Williams, Lionel Richie, The Temptations, Jamey Johnson, Riley Green, Jason Isbell, and more. And there are dozens more stories of Alabama’s musical heritage on display at the Alabama Music Hall of FAME in Tuscumbia. The museum displays an amazing collection of memorabilia from dozens of iconic musicians and tells the stories behind the music. Here, visitors can view an unmatched collection of music memorabilia, learn the stories behind the music and step onto the tour bus of the superstar country band, Alabama. Some also make their own recording in the one - of - kind sound booth.

The music scene is still alive and well in The Shoals and across the entire North A labama region. There ’s a place to listen to live music most any day of the week, year - round. From local haunts to shiny new venues , from pubs to amphitheaters , and from favorite local voices to world - known artists, there is music playing. North Alabama is truly a music lover’s heaven .

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