Robert Shutt is the mayor of Savannah TN. He was there to shake our hands as we disembarked for our excursion: The Shoals Studio Experience. We went to three recording studios. FAME Recording Studios is known as the first one founded by Rick Hall. According to Wikipedia, “As the ‘Father of Muscle Shoals Music’, he was influential in recording and promoting both country and soul music, and in helping develop the careers of such musicians as Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Duane Allman and Etta James.” As with many gifted people, he was hard to get along with sometimes.

A group of his session musicians (Barry Beckett, Roger Hawkins, Jimmy Johnson and David Hood) struck out on their own to start Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. That was our next stop. Here are a few acts that recorded here: Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Wilson Pickett, Percy Sledge, Willie Nelson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Joe Cocker, Paul Simon, Bob Seger, Rod Stewart, Cat Stevens, Cher, and George Michael. Our docent told us that even though the studio is in a dry county that its hidden bar was the center of local bootlegging. However, our next studio, the Cypress Moon Studios had an even bigger bar!

To be fair, it is was created on the shore of the Tennessee River as an extension of Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. The new owner, Tonya Suzanne Holly, gave us a personal tour. The studio also has a large theatre and stage attached. She is directing the Full Moon Players in preparation for a play entitled The Outsiders. There are a couple of recording studios, of course.

It’s interesting to note that each recording studio had its own sound ambience. Some sounded muffled and others were crystal clear. From where one is standing also affects sound.