Muscle Shoals Article Archives
Essence of Light: The Adam Smith Interview
Essence of Light The Adam Smith Interview By James Calemine Born in Macon, Georgia, in 1975, Adam Smith's photography transcends his age. Smith attended college read more...
Sage & Spirit From Widespread Panic’s John Bell…25 Years of Music & Musings...
Sage & Spirit From Widespread Panic’s John Bell…25 Years of Music & Musings (PART ONE) By James read more...
The Wes Freed Interview
The Wes Freed Interview by James Calemine Rock and Roll artwork weaves an interesting tapestry into the patchwork read more...
Luther Dickinson Interview: It's A Family Affair
Luther Dickinson Interview It's A Family Affair by James Calemine The Dickinson Family ranks as one of the most read more...
The February 2010 Patterson Hood Interview
Patterson Hood Interview February 2010 By James Calemine On the eve of his annual read more...
Thunder On The Mountain: Interview with Widespread Panic's Dave Schools
Dave Schools Interview: Thunder On The Mountain By James Calemine "Will power. With strength of will you can do anything. With read more...
Spooner Oldham: The GRITZ Interview
by Michael Buffalo Smith As a songwriter, Muscle Shoals’ Spooner Oldham wrote or co-wrote (often with Dan Penn) classic songs like “I’m Your Puppet” (James and Bobby Purify); “Cry Like a Baby” (The Box Tops); “A Woman Left read more...
Bo Bice: Southern Rock Forever! The GRITZ Interview
by Michael Buffalo Smith When Bo Bice won runner up (to Carrie Underwood) in the 2005 American Idol competition, it was just the beginning of a rise to stardom for the Alabama born Southern Rocker. Following his Clive Davis produced debut of 2005, Bo is back with read more...
Conversations with Alabama Filmmaker Max Shores
by Penne J. Laubenthal Max Shores, a native of Winfield, Alabama, is a thirty-year veteran of documentary production. His documentaries tell compelling stories about life in the southeastern
Funky Donnie Fritts: The GRITZ Interview
by Eric Gebhardt There is a unique blend of southern R&B, soul, and blues that is known the world over. Closely related to the sounds of Stax Records and folks like Rufus Thomas, read more...
Dixie Fried with The High Priest of Memphis Mojo Jim Dickinson
JIM DICKINSON INTERVIEW DIXIE FRIED WITH THE HIGH PRIEST OF MEMPHIS MOJO By James Calemine "Some people say worried blues read more...
Billy Bob Thornton in Florence, Alabama
by Penne J. Laubenthal Severe weather warnings had been issued for North Alabama when I made my way to Florence for the Friday afternoon session of the 11th Annual George Lindsey Film Festival featuring
Patterson Hood and The Drive By Truckers
by Michael Buffalo Smith Patterson Hood grew up in Florence Alabama, across the Tennessee River from Muscle Shoals. Patterson began writing songs when he was in third grade and began playing guitar in bands at about 14. His father is David Hood of the legendary Muscle read more...
Deryle Perryman and Dangerous Highway, a Film About Eddie Hinton
by Penne J. Laubenthal Dangerous Highway is an amazing documentary about the life and music of the incredibly talented and tragically fated Eddie Hinton, called the "greatest unknown
The Sounds of David Barbe
THE SOUNDS OF DAVID BARBE
Way Down South With John Sayles
Way Down South with John Sayles By James Calemine John Sayles’ films command respect. His latest film, Honeydripper, takes read more...
Cassandra King
Alabama native Cassandra King is not only the wife of author Pat Conroy, but she is also a celebrated novelist in her own right. She is currently touring the South to promote her most recent novel
John Hammond
by Michael Buffalo Smith January 2007 After three decades, John Hammond proves he's still a vital performer in American music. One of the very few white blues musicians performing at the beginning of the first blues renaissance of the mid-'60s, he found read more...
Delbert McClinton
DELBERT McCLINTON KEEPS IT REAL by Michael Buffalo Smith November 2005 Delbert McClinton’s formative years were spent as a member of The Straitjackets, the house band at a blues/rhythm and blues club on the outskirts of read more...
The Fiddleworms
AS THE WORMS TURN GETTIN' DOWN AND DIGGIN' IN WITH THE Fiddleworms by Sonny Edwards (Photos by Dick Cooper) November 2005 Have you ever had a favorite cup or a beautiful vase or read more...
Al Kooper
AL KOOPER Black Coffee and Some Lynyrd Skynyrd, Please by Michael Buffalo Smith October, 2005 No introduction is necessary. If you listen to rock and pop music, you know who Al Kooper is. For those of us entangled in the world read more...
John Townsend
By Michael Buffalo Smith April 2004 This issue, we have located one of the true great voices of rock and roll, John Townsend, who struck gold during the 1970s with the hit “Smoke from a Distant read more...
Johnny Sandlin
Johnny Sandlin Southern Producer, Engineer and Musician by Michael Buffalo Smith Spring 2004 You can find his name in the credits of most any Capricorn read more...
Patterson Hood
PATTERSON HOOD of THE DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS by Michael Buffalo Smith July 2003 The Drive-By Truckers are taking the music world by the short hairs, rocking hard and read more...
Tom Dowd
From The Manhattan Project to the Allman Brothers Band An Interview with Tom Dowd by Michael Buffalo Smith Fall 2002 Okay. We know that he has produced some of the greatest records in the read more...
Tom Dowd (Part 2)
The last name on my name list is someone that has become kind of a legend in our Southern rock genre. What can you say about Ronnie Van Zant? Ronnie was a gem. Ronnie was a brilliant writer. We spent most of our time together traveling on the road for a day read more...
Charlie Hayward (The Charlie Daniels Band)
CHARLIE HAYWARD Playing in The Charlie Daniels Band by Michael Buffalo Smith June 2002 Since 1975, Charlie Hayward has held down the bottom for the Charlie read more...
Peanutt Montgomery
Peanutt & The Possum A Visit with Songwriter/Musician Peanutt Montgomery by Michael Buffalo Smith June, 2002 When we made our way back down to Alabama for the George Lindsey Film & TV Festival, read more...
Billy C. Farlow
Still Having "Too Much Fun." by Michael Buffalo Smith March 2002 The former lead vocalist of Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen is still rocking and singing the blues with read more...
Drive-By Truckers: Keep On Truckin'
KEEP ON TRUCKIN' The Drive-By Truckers Contribute to the New Mythology by Dick Cooper October 2001 BELOW: The building where "Southern Rock Opera" was recorded.
Stephen Foster
Music, Muscle Shoals and The Mighty Field of Vision by Mitch Lopate August 2001 Warning, reader! The following story is laden with hair-pin turns, dangerous escapes, party-till-you-drop read more...
Charles Hart (Southern Rock Allstars)
Somewhere Between Tokyo and Muscle Shoals Southern Rock Allstars Bassist Charles Hart Speaks by Michael Buffalo Smith June 2001 Where were you born and raised? I was born in read more...
Travis Wammack
"SCRATCHY" WAS JUST THE BEGINNING Travis Wammack is Still Rocking May, 2001 by Michael B. Smith We can think of no better introduction to our exclusive interview than the following article from ROLLING read more...
Jay Johnson
You Doesn’t Have To Call Me Johnson! Jay Johnson ponders the state of rock and roll and traces his footsteps from Radio Tokyo to The Rossington Band to The Southern Rock Allstars by Michael Buffalo Smith
Paul Hornsby
An Ear for Southern Rock Paul Hornsby On Hourglass, Capricorn Records and A Life in Music by Michael Buffalo Smith January, 2001 Paul Hornsby's name is synonymous with Southern Rock, as both musician and producer. The following read more...
Larry Byrom (Steppenwolf)
Looking for Adventure In Whatever Comes Our Way by Mitch Lopate November, 2000 Before becoming one of Nashville's finest session guitarists, Larry Byrom rocked it hard as the axe man for one of rock and roll's read more...
Bobby Whitlock
Layla, and Many Other Songs of Love Bobby Whitlock Talks About Derek & The Dominos, Duane Allman, Gram Parsons, Eric Clapton and more... by Mitch Lopate Winter 2000 I see you released a new album on the read more...
Pete Carr
THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IN LIFE ARE ROCK AND ROLL, AND A HOT CARR... An Interview with Muscle Shoals Guitar Legend, Pete Carr by Michael B. Smith /with Roxanne Crutcher May 2000 Pete Carr, recognized as one of the read more...
Delaney Bramlett
DELANEY, CLAPTON, ALLMAN AND FRIENDS A Conversation with Delaney Bramlett by Mitch Lopate Fall 2000 Be sure to read our read more...
Jerry Carrigan
Bama-Lam! Alabama's Drumming Legend by Allen Smith, July 2000 What do Leon Russell, Delbert McClinton, Ronnie Hawkins, and Willie Nelson have in common? How about Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and John Denver? Other read more...
Danny O'Keefe
Saving Our Planet: Danny O'Keefe Speaks up for Conservation and Land Stewardship, Feathered Friends & Tuneful Buddies, and Making Music That Has a Purpose. by Mitch Lopate Summer 2000 Danny read more...
John D. Wyker
Hallucination Verification John Wyker and Mighty Field of Vision by Mitch Lopate 2000 Hallucination verification, John D. "WildCat" Wyker's back on the loose! Actually, it's hard to read more...
Dick Cooper
On and Off the Road with Dick Cooper by Mitch Lopate 2000 Dick Cooper wears many hats: music museum curator, band road manager, free-lance writer and photographer, motorcycle racer, traveler, martial arts disciple and read more...
Wayne Perkins
THE ULTIMATE ROCK AND ROLL SIDE MAN Wayne Perkins: A Lifetime on Six Strings by Roxane Crutcher December 1999 Wayne, could you give the readers of the interview a brief review of your music read more...
Jimmy Hall
JUST AS WET AS EVER WET WILLIE FRONTMAN JIMMY HALL by Michael Buffalo Smith Summer 1998 When the stage is his, Jimmy Hall, the dynamic, Mobile, Alabama -born singer transforms himself into one righteous medium who melds read more...