Alabama (band)
Alabama is an American country music band formed in Fort Payne, Alabama, in 1969. The band was founded by Randy Owen (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) and his cousin Teddy Gentry (bass, backing vocals). They were soon joined by another cousin, Jeff Cook (lead guitar, fiddle, and keyboards). First operating under the name Wildcountry, the group toured the Southeast bar circuit in the early 1970s, and began writing original songs. They changed their name to Alabama in 1977 and following the chart success of two singles, were approached by RCA Records for a recording deal.
For the Canadian band, see Alabama (Canadian band).
Alabama
Young Country
Wildcountry
Fort Payne, Alabama, United States
1969–2004, 2006–2007, 2010–present
GRT, MDJ, RCA Records, BMG Chrysalis
Randy Owen
Teddy Gentry
Mark Herndon
Jackie Owen
Rick Scott
Bennett Vartanian
Jeff Cook
Alabama's biggest success came in the 1980s, when the band had over 27 number-one hits, and seven multi-platinum albums and received numerous awards. Alabama's first single on RCA Records, "Tennessee River", began a streak of 21 number-one singles, including "Love in the First Degree" (1981), "Mountain Music" (1982), "Dixieland Delight" (1983), "If You're Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)" (1984) and "Song of the South" (1988). The band's popularity waned slightly in the 1990s although they continued to produce hit singles and multi-platinum album sales. Alabama disbanded in 2004 following a farewell tour and two albums of inspirational music but reunited in 2010 and has continued to record and tour worldwide.
The band's blend of traditional country music and Southern rock combined with elements of bluegrass, folk and pop music gave it a crossover appeal that helped lead to their success. They also toured extensively and incorporated production elements such as lighting and sets inspired by rock concerts into their shows. The band has over 41 number-one country records on the Billboard charts to their credit and have sold over 75 million records, making them the most successful band in country music history.[2][3] AllMusic credited the band with popularizing the idea of a country band and wrote that "It's unlikely that any other country group will be able to surpass the success of Alabama."[4]
Alabama was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2019 and was awarded the first-ever Life Time Achievement Award from this institution.[5]
They were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in 2005.
Musical style and influences[edit]
Alabama's music mixes both country, rock, and pop, particularly evident in their musical concept: the band was one of the first country bands to achieve significant airplay.[46] Despite their influences from other genres, the band was most inspired by country music, which is most evident in their "harmonies, songwriting, and approach."[46] Stephen Thomas Erlewine writes that the band is "indebted to country, particularly the Bakersfield sound of Merle Haggard, and the sound of Nashville pop."[46] The band echoed its country upbringing in one of its first trade articles: "We're country first and crossover second. If crossovers come, that's great, but we'd rather have a No. 1. country song than be lost in the middle of both country and pop charts," said Owen.[15]
By the mid-1980s, the band increasingly moved toward a general pop-rock sound, "going for splashier productions with a more heavily amplified sound."[28] Alabama's lyrics often centered on their homeland. Their first hit single, "Tennessee River", recounts being "born across the river in the mountains I call home," while "Dixieland Delight" chronicles cruising down a rural Tennessee byway.[11]
Chart records, sales, and awards[edit]
Multiplatinum certifications[edit]
Alabama is among the world's best-selling bands of all time, having sold a combined 75 million records worldwide.[47] Alabama's best-selling studio album is Mountain Music (1982), while two greatest hits albums — Greatest Hits (1986) and For the Record (1998) — are among their highest in individual sales, with all three totaling five million in sales.[21] Alabama received multiplatinum success for several albums; albums currently certified quadruple platinum include Feels So Right, The Closer You Get..., and Roll On, while Alabama's double platinum albums include My Home's in Alabama, 40-Hour Week, Alabama Christmas and Greatest Hits Volume III.[21]
Legacy[edit]
Impact[edit]
Alabama has been credited with "substantially broadening country's audience while becoming one of the most popular acts in American musical history" by Michael McCall of The Encyclopedia of Country Music.[9] The band was notable for its three-person lead (as "most other country acts focused on a soloist accompanied by an anonymous band"), their collective hair length and facial hair (which would have been deemed unacceptable just a decade earlier), and their prominent electric bass and drums.[28] They had a slightly edgier sound than other groups, and both played their own instruments and wrote their own songs.[11] Alabama mostly appealed to a younger audience, although their clean-cut image appealed to the more conservative, older country audience as well.[28] Kurt Wolff described the band's appeal: "They're just rebel enough for the young folks, but their parents also dig the boys' pretty harmonies, sentimental soft spots, and old-fashioned family values."[19] Alabama gave prominence to their hometown of Fort Payne, and also raised awareness for environmental issues.[25]
The band's incorporation of rock and roll into their sound was an inspiration for groups such as Restless Heart, Shenandoah, Exile, Diamond Rio, Lonestar, Ricochet, and the Mavericks.[9][12] According to Irwin Stambler and Grelun Landon, authors of Country Music: The Encyclopedia, the group's diminishing sales in the late 1980s reflected competition from country bands that would not have received recognition had it not been for Alabama paving the way. For their part, these groups credited Alabama with providing a massive influence on their careers.[25] Prior to Alabama's unprecedented chart success, most country hit singles belonged to solo artists or duets.[6] Many Alabama singles and albums represented crossover appeal on the pop charts.[48]
Despite their successes, Alabama's career was loathed by music critics of the day, citing the "vacuous songs and watered-down, middle-of-the-road arrangements" that blurred lines between country and pop.[48] The Baltimore Sun once argued the band "render[s] country music all but indistinguishable from pop" and thus "trivializes some of country's most hallowed traditions."[31] Indeed, reviewers such as Wolff consider the band's "overriding problem" their calculated sound, which leads many contemporary music critics to label the band mediocre.[19]
Philanthropy[edit]
Beginning in 1982 and continuing until 1997, Alabama sponsored the June Jam, a music festival in Fort Payne, which at its peak drew 60,000 fans and raised millions for local charities.[48] The group also held "Fan Appreciation Days", weekend events that included a golf tournament and a songwriters concert that raised money for charities in Fort Payne.[12] Owen spearheaded "Country Cares for Kids", an annual country radiothon that raised over $70 million for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.[12]