Music in Alabama

Music in The Shoals, Alabama

Start your journey by exploring the roots of American music which are deeply embedded in Alabama. Visit The Shoals, the four musical quad cities in northwest Alabama of Florence, Tuscumbia, Sheffield and Muscle Shoals which are located just two hours southeast of Memphis.  The Alabama Music Hall of Fame, located in Tuscumbia, showcases the state's musical heritage.  The annual W. C. Handy Music Festival is enjoyed by tens of thousands at various venues in the Muscle Shoals area the last week of July.  The many Shoals area music studios figure prominently in the history of rock ‘n roll and R&B through the 1960s and 1970s.  FAME, located in Muscle Shoals, and the original Muscle Shoals Sound, located in Sheffield, are studios that proved to be fertile ground for international superstars like Aretha Franklin and the Rolling Stones.

Music in Birmingham, Alabama

Jazz still echoes from nightclubs in downtown Birmingham at places such as Ona’s Music Room where founder Ona Watson, the youngest person to be inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, can often be heard. The Jazz Hall of Fame is also located in downtown Birmingham and offers tours and the nearby Carver Theatre is where jazz legends such as Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton once played and local jazz artists and comedy can often be heard. A new entertainment district called The Forge is coming soon and Alabama American Idols Taylor Hicks and Ruben Studdard each plan to open clubs there.  Birmingham area music festivals include the Preserve Jazz Festival and the Freedom Creek Blues Festival.

Music in Montgomery, Alabama

The legendary Hank Williams is an American music icon and was country music's first superstar, selling ten million records from 1947 to 1953. Montgomery is the center of the Hank Williams Trail in Alabama. Hank became a well-known performer while living in Montgomery. It is also Montgomery were his final resting spot is located a mile from the Hank Williams Museum which houses Hank artifacts including his powder-blue Cadillac he was riding in when he died. Montgomery area music festivals include the Hank Williams Festival and Jubilee CityFest.

Music in Mobile, Alabama

Mobile is the hometown of Jimmy Buffett and his sister Lucy owns LuLu’s Homeport Marina in nearby Gulf Shores. Gulf Shores and Orange Beach are resort towns with 32 miles of white sandy beaches where live bands perform at entertainment establishments including Florabama, the famous roadhouse beach bar right on the Alabama/Florida State Line.  The historic port city of Mobile features an array of bar and restaurants and live music venues. Gulf Coast music festivals include Mobile’s Mardi Gras in February and Mobile Bayfest.