Muscle Shoals: Low Rhythm Rising Exhibit Opens at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

by Kevin Wierzbicki

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Muscle Shoals, Alabama and Nashville, Tennessee are about a two hour drive apart but the two music powerhouses share a kinship that makes them much closer than that; they are essentially branches of the same music family. So it's no surprise that when it came time to honor the contributions of Muscle Shoals to music history that Nashville was the place for the tribute to come to life. And now, at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the Muscle Shoals: Low Rhythm Rising exhibit has just opened.

In the 1960s and �70s Muscle Shoals earned the moniker Hit Recording Capital of the World because so many chart-topping or otherwise significant songs were recorded there by artists like Bob Dylan, Percy Sledge, Wilson Pickett, the Rolling Stones, Bob Seger, Cat Stevens, Cher, Rod Stewart, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Paul Simon, Joe Cocker, Levon Helm and dozens of others. The Muscle Shoals: Low Rhythm Rising exhibit features displays honoring many of these artists, with much of the on hand memorabilia being items that these artists used during their studio sessions in Muscle Shoals. For example there is a guitar that Duane Allman used in his Shoals sessions and a piano that was played during recording sessions by the Queen of Soul herself, Aretha Franklin.

The first thing you see upon entering the Muscle Shoals: Low Rhythm Rising exhibit is a nook where a video plays. Narrated by Shoals area native Jason Isbell, he of solo work and Drive-By Truckers fame, the film offers insight on how the area became a magnet for singers and songwriters, ace players and producers, all of whom were valuable ingredients in what would become known as the Muscle Shoals sound.

The film is candid too, stating that many of the very early session players in the Shoals were paid with �codeine, cough syrup and free movie tickets. Beyond the video nook the display sprawls out with walls covered with display cases where visitors will see loads of guitars, stage outfits and other items like the hat worn by Travis Wammack; Wammack had the curious nickname Snakeman and his hat, appropriately enough, has a band made of snake skin. A stylish gown worn by Franklin is awe-inspiring as are dresses worn by the Staples Singers and a suit worn by Pops Staples. Every piece in the exhibit is a treasure that's soaked in history, items that you won�t see anywhere else.

While the Muscle Shoals: Low Rhythm Rising exhibit is generous in all it offers, it really is meant to whet the appetite of fans for more Muscle Shoals knowledge and to encourage visits to the area to experience things like tours at the legendary FAME Recording Studios and at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, and to find out about how players like the famous Swampers left an indelible mark on music history. We'll explore these aspects of Muscle Shoals in future articles.

The Muscle Shoals: Low Rhythm Rising exhibit will be in place at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville for three years. Find more details here

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